BANKTOWN is a finalist for ForeWord Reviews’ 2010 Book of the Year Award

March 15, 2011 - PRLog -- John F. Blair, Publisher, is pleased to announce that Banktown: The Rise and Struggles of Charlotte’s Big Banks, by Rick Rothacker, is a finalist for ForeWord Reviews’ 2010 Book of the Year Awards in the business and economics category.

ForeWord Reviews’ Book of the Year Awards program was established to help publishers shine an additional spotlight on their best titles and bring increased attention to librarians and booksellers of the literary and graphic achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Award winners are chosen from real librarians and booksellers, who are on the front lines everyday working with patrons and customers. Finalists were selected from 1400 entries in 56 categories. Winners will be announced in June. These books are examples of independent publishing at its finest.

Banktown is a tale of triumph and tragedy, an account of crisis in Charlotte’s own Bank of America and Wachovia, told with the ground-zero insights of the Charlotte Observer's award-winning business reporter, Rick Rothacker. Vivid details and anecdotes humanize the tale, from sleep-deprived bankers analyzing a $50 billion deal in less than 24 hours to Wachovia customers realizing that their mystifying adjustable rate mortgages resulted in their owing more after they made their monthly payments than before.  

With a cast containing ambitious CEOs, brash traders, and powerful government officials, Banktown is poised to become the definitive account of how our national crisis played out in Charlotte, North Carolina, and how its aftermath bruised the economy and the pride of one of the New South’s brightest skylines. The book received praise in reviews from ForeWord Reviews and The New York Times. It is available through local book stores, online booksellers, and www.blairpub.com.

Rick Rothacker has been a reporter at the Charlotte Observer since 1998. He received the Gerald Loeb Award for beat writing in 2009 for his coverage of Wachovia. He lives in Charlotte, N.C.

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John F. Blair, Publisher, is an independent, family-owned company that publishes book on the southeastern United States and is based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Learn more at www.blairpub.com.