In a review published in the American Journal of Sociology, Richard Lloyd writes:Long, an Austin native, pulls off the neat trick of persuasively earning insider status while also achieving critical distance sufficient to identify the many contradictions and inconsistencies contained within local discourses of "creative resistance."

The book is thus both an excellent depiction of Austin and its recent history, and an exceptional addition to the growing scholarship on the "creative cities" phenomenon.

[6]Mentioned in an American Quarterly review of three 2010 UT Press publications on Austin, Andrew Busch notes the following:Weird City is notable for its ability to illustrate the relationship between sense of place and resistance lucidly; residents who fought to preserve local businesses, for example, and avoid "Houstonization" consciously created meaning for Austin.

In an increasingly competitive environment, successful cities must be acutely aware of how they are viewed by potential residents, businesses, and other sources of capital.

[7]Much of Long's other scholarship on Austin is heavily focused on social and environmental justice issues in the neighborhoods referenced by Busch.