My Omaha Obsession

2021 Nebraska Book AwardMy Omaha Obsession takes the reader on an idiosyncratic tour through some of Omahas neighborhoods, buildings, architecture, and people, celebrating the citys unusual history. Rather than covering the citys best-known sites, Miss Cassette is irresistibly drawn to strange little buildings and glorious large homes that dont exist anymore as well as to stories of Harkerts Holsum Hamburgers and the Twenties Club. Piecing together the records of buildings and homes and everything interesting that came after, Miss Cassette shares her observations of the property and its significance to Omaha. She scrutinizes land deeds, insurance maps, tax records, and old newspaper articles to uncover a propertys singular story. Through conversations with fellow detectives and history enthusiasts, she guides readers along her path of hunches, personal interests, mishaps, and more. As a longtime resident of Omaha, Miss Cassette is informed by memories of her youth combined with an enduring curiosity about the citys offbeat relics and remains. Part memoir and part research guide with a healthy dose of colorful wandering, My Omaha Obsession celebrates the historic built environment and searches for the people who shaped early Omaha.