Underworld

Nick Shay, a waste management executive, tracks a baseball hit by Bobby Thomson during the 1951 Giants-Dodgers pennant game. This single object acts as a thread connecting disparate historical moments, from the emergence of nuclear testing in the Soviet Union to J. Edgar Hoover’s obsession with Cold War surveillance. Between 1951 and the 1990s, the narrative moves backward through the lives of street artists, nuns in the Bronx, and engineers. The story treats garbage as the primary artifact of civilization, linking discarded items to the chemical aftereffects of global conflict.

This book serves readers interested in the intersection of American postmodernism and mid-century history. It appeals to those who view consumer waste and military buildup as the defining characteristics of modern identity. The reader finishes the text with a technical vocabulary for how systems of disposal and communication shape urban life. Instead of a linear plot, the audience gains an understanding of how individual memories become tangled within the vast, interconnected networks of state secrets and mass-produced commodities.

Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a demanding read.

Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?