Thread by @gauravsabnis

A book which had a way bigger impact on the way I thought about politics, economics, race, and democracy was Boardwalk Empire by Nelson Johnson. I picked it up after loving the 1st season of the HBO show based on it. Then realized, the book was SO MUCH MORE than just Nucky.

The show is literally about just one chapter out of a story about this historic oddity named Atlantic City. From its late 1800s start as a wellness spa retreat (hilarious thought in 2021) to Trump coming and destroying the city as if practising for his presidential run, much more

And in tracing that century plus history of corrupt and evolving politics in that proto-Vegas New Jersey town, the book also offers great insights into how American politics evolved in the 20th century. How local party bosses and "bahubalis" were common in US politics till FDR.

I picked up the book fascinated by Nucky thinking it'll give me a jump on future seasons like with Game oh Thrones. Nope. Nucky is maybe 15% of the book, if that. And the TV show diverged from history big time and went chasing Sopranos success and thus hurt itself imho.

The book is less like the show based on it and more like #DeadWood. It's about order arising from nothingness and chaos. How institutions are conceived and built. Touches upon race a lot cos Atlantic City relied on cheap black labor fleeing Jim Crow south.

(cc @complexityist)

The first half of the book paints a picture of American society and politics that looked so much like India when I read it (2012 I think). Now of course, india looks more like 1930s Germany than 1920s US. But it's still a great book to understand things rarely said elsewhere.

One of my biggest AHA moments was the book describing how FDR's New Deal just completely demolished the 50 year long political bosses and mob boss style complex structure of patronage and favors and corruption that was synonymous with Atlantic City. No more Nucky's possible.

If you wanna mainly know more about Nucky Johnson on whom Nucky Thompson was based, don't get the book. But if you want a fascinating case study about US politics, including urban decay, lopsided local politics, value of safety nets, making and unmaking of institutions, read it.