Alex Hannaford's sharp-eyed, thoroughly researched second book, Lost in Austin, examines the outsize myth and the complicated reality of the famously "weird" Texas capital. Long known for its live music, dance halls, tasty tacos, and relaxed vibe, Austin has experienced massive growth in the last several decades, and Hannaford argues that growth has changed the city almost beyond recognition. A British journalist who fell in love with Austin on a 1999 road trip and eventually made it his home for nearly 17 years, Hannaford delves into his adopted city's history, the forces that shaped its vibrant personality, and the countering forces--including climate change, immigration policies, and the infiltration of big tech--that threaten to replace Austin's uniqueness with slick corporate slogans.
To understand Austin's present, Hannaford explores its past: the origins of Austin's reputation for live music, the genesis of its blockbuster SXSW festival, and the histories of some of its oldest neighborhoods, now threatened by gentrification. He interviews residents on topics such as homelessness and traffic, as well as persistently racist housing and land use policies. He also shares his own experiences as an Austinite: the good (tacos, music, community, abundant areas for water recreation) and the bad (increasing heat, rising rates of gun violence, the struggles immigrants, especially undocumented people, experience). Hannaford offers few solutions to the city's current problems, but his thoughtful analysis of the issues facing Austin could be a useful road map for other U.S. cities dealing with the ramifications of explosive growth. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams