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Detroit City Is The Place To Be: The Afterlife Of An American Metropolis (2012)

by Mark Binelli(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0805092293 (ISBN13: 9780805092295)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Metropolitan Books

review 1: A native of the Detroit area, Binelli takes a journalistic eye to this city which seems to be the poster child for urban blight and decay--including neighborhoods that have turned into something just short of a prairie, in which the occasional coyote is spotted. There are many factors: economics, racism and government incompetence and greed that have all contributed to what the city has become. 40% of Detroit is vacant! Binelli interviews long-time residents, politicians, urban farmers, photographers of vacant buildings, creators of art installations, founders of techno, in order to try to make sense of it all. Having grown up in metro Detroit, the subject matter fascinates me. However, its Binelli's use of strong metaphor and dark humor that won me ... moreover.
review 2: Detroit has been in the news a lot in the past couple of years and the reason for that is simple: it's a fascinating metropolis whose story is almost hard to believe. Once a quasi worker's paradise thanks to the limitless money and jobs connected to the American automobile industry, the decline of Detroit is intertwined with the fall of that industry and it has left the city in ruin, a wasteland of empty space, crime, corruption, debt, abandonment and endless challenges for the hearty souls who refuse to leave. Binelli's book, while incorporating history, it is more about the future and the people--from artists, union leaders, police, factory workers, etc--who have grasped onto the city with what it offers or with the fact that they won't give up on their home. It is admirable the grit these people have as they try to stop the decline, create art or make the city better. This book is bittersweet as Binelli describes just how far down the rabbit hole the city has fallen since its zenith but it is also hopeful due to the stubborn tenacity of those who still live there, refusing to bow, standing firm, in this unique and desolate urban environment. less

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