New book explores the darker side of Vegas

#1
A savage journey into the heart of Hunter S. Thompson's Las Vegas, with the Good Doctor as tour guide. A Lord of the Rings-like adventure in the city's underground flood channels. A seven-day stay at a seedy motel on East Fremont Street. The stories in My Week at the Blue Angel aren't about Steve Wynn, Cirque du Soleil, or how to play poker and they aren't set in Caesar's Palace, XS Nightclub, or a 2,000-seat showroom. They're about prostitutes, ex-cons, and the homeless and they're set under Caesar's Palace and in trailer parks and weekly motels. In this creative-nonfiction collection, Matthew O'Brien--author of Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas--and veteran photographer Bill Hughes show a side of the city rarely seen. A side beyond the neon lights, themed facades, and motel-room doors. A side beyond the barbwire fences, No Trespassing signs, and midnight shadows. A side of Las Vegas many locals and visitors are curious about, but few ever explore.

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From: "[email protected]"
To: Zengrifter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Matthew O'Brien's creative non-fiction collection My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas (Huntington Press, $14.95) will hit shelves on November 1st.



The book chronicles O'Brien's off-the-beaten-path adventures into gritty and surprising Vegas settings, such as the central sewage plant, the blue-collar strip club Larry's Villa, the Blue Angel Motel, and the drainage tunnels under the Strip.

By boldly delving into the broken and disenfranchised side of the city, O'Brien uncovers unexpected beauty in the hidden world beyond the neon facade. The book also features more than 30 artistic shots from veteran photographer Bill Hughes.

O'Brien's first book, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas (now in its fifth printing), told the story of the shocking number of people living in the drainage tunnels underneath Las Vegas, garnering attention from more than 100 media outlets, including Publisher's Weekly, Der Spiegel, ABC News, Le Monde, the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times.
Inspired to help the people living in the tunnels, O'Brien founded the Shine a Light community project in 2009. In collaboration with HELP of Southern Nevada, the project provides housing, drug counseling, and other services to the underground homeless.

For more information on Matthew O'Brien's books and outreach program, visit http://www.beneaththeneon.com.
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Hey Matt:

While on the subject of the darker side of Vegas, how about writing a book about the hidden world of District Attorney Dave Roger and the Mob? Or hang around the drainage tunnels with Oscar Goodman, Steve Wolfson, or Jay Brown for a week or two. How about being a fly on the wall in Judge Jackie Glass or Judge Steve Jones' chambers? Or spend some time with the crooked County Administrator, Taxi Authority, state Attorney General, or Nevada Board of Massage Therapy. There's plenty more dirt to write about around here.

Steve​
 
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