Scan barcode
tomjaeger's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
a1exander's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death
thayerbowen's review against another edition
4.0
This is a poetic book, with descriptions of various locations that have been abandoned or poisoned or had other drastic changes. I like that the locations aren’t all “exotic” and they aren’t all familiar. These are places of abandonment—sometimes it’s the land that has been abandoned , sometimes the people who live there have been abandoned. What happens to the plants and animals when people leave?
sarah_kula's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others! I learned a LOT about world history from such a unique variety of ecological and geo-political perspectives. The writing and storytelling — both from the author’s own trips/interviews and her in-depth research — kept me super engaged!
BUT I take big big issue with the chapter on Detroit (this, of course, made me a tad suspicious of how Flyn characterizes cities and regions I’m less familiar with)
So my minus 2 stars is for Flyn’s chapter on “blight” in Detroit. Flyn somehow sidesteps ANY discussion of Detroit’s Black history and the impacts of race and, more recently, white-flight, on Detroit’s history and current state. The “blight” Flyn hones- in on is, itself, a deeply radicalized term, and it doesn’t take much digging to reveal that. Flyn instead attributes the “abandonment” of Detroit properties to vague economic forces?? HOW do you recount the history of Detroit — even in an abridged version— without ANY discussion of race and white flight? Flyn gives some mention of Detroit’s strong community ties and individual actions, but she uses these themes to raise her WEIRD moral dilemma about how people could possibly ever feel at home in Detroit… She asks herself something along the lines of “why would anyone live here?” And implies that she can’t wait to get out of there… This stands in STARK contrast to her visit to Slab City in the book’s last chapter, which lends a generous sense of quaintness and strength to a middle-of-nowhere desert community without running water or any other actual infrastructure … I have no issue with the Slab City chapter, but it raises a lot of flags about Flyn’s characterization of Detroit.
Flyn ends the chapter on Detroit with her long-anticipated message that ripping apart tight-knit communities in the name of removing “blight” and, as a result, forcing folks into consolidated “projects,” of course, only compounds the harm these efforts are directed at addressing (discussed in the context of the “Glasgow effect”). AND YET Flyn highlights her own experience of fear and dread in her cherry-picked tours of abandoned buildings. This chapter does an extreme disservice to the rich, complex, Black history of Detroit — and focuses instead on her personal experience of fear and dread.
BUT I take big big issue with the chapter on Detroit (this, of course, made me a tad suspicious of how Flyn characterizes cities and regions I’m less familiar with)
So my minus 2 stars is for Flyn’s chapter on “blight” in Detroit. Flyn somehow sidesteps ANY discussion of Detroit’s Black history and the impacts of race and, more recently, white-flight, on Detroit’s history and current state. The “blight” Flyn hones- in on is, itself, a deeply radicalized term, and it doesn’t take much digging to reveal that. Flyn instead attributes the “abandonment” of Detroit properties to vague economic forces?? HOW do you recount the history of Detroit — even in an abridged version— without ANY discussion of race and white flight? Flyn gives some mention of Detroit’s strong community ties and individual actions, but she uses these themes to raise her WEIRD moral dilemma about how people could possibly ever feel at home in Detroit… She asks herself something along the lines of “why would anyone live here?” And implies that she can’t wait to get out of there… This stands in STARK contrast to her visit to Slab City in the book’s last chapter, which lends a generous sense of quaintness and strength to a middle-of-nowhere desert community without running water or any other actual infrastructure … I have no issue with the Slab City chapter, but it raises a lot of flags about Flyn’s characterization of Detroit.
Flyn ends the chapter on Detroit with her long-anticipated message that ripping apart tight-knit communities in the name of removing “blight” and, as a result, forcing folks into consolidated “projects,” of course, only compounds the harm these efforts are directed at addressing (discussed in the context of the “Glasgow effect”). AND YET Flyn highlights her own experience of fear and dread in her cherry-picked tours of abandoned buildings. This chapter does an extreme disservice to the rich, complex, Black history of Detroit — and focuses instead on her personal experience of fear and dread.
jenhurst's review against another edition
4.0
I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed this. This is a topic that doesn’t generally interest me, but I found the narration of the author and content super compelling. I liked hearing about nature reclaiming the land and animals becoming feral. We humans are the cause of the greatest extinction at this point and it’s important to acknowledge that. I think this was a really interesting take on that! I highly recommend
bart_gunn's review against another edition
5.0
A powerful, beautifully written book that demands great dexterity in multitasking one handed Google maps navigation whilst reading. Zooming in and around each destination on an iPad as the exploration unfolds adds great value. I’ve never listened to an audiobook, but it’s just made me realise how much more of a coordinated experience this could have been!