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jenna_troppman's review against another edition
4.0
3.8 stars. Wow I learned so much from this book. It starts by discussing the history that lead the city to no more options than to declare bankruptcy. Then all of the moving parts involved in getting a restructuring plan passed. As someone who has been to the DIA and loves spending an afternoon wandering around it, it’s hard to imagine that the city would no longer have it. But when it comes down to paying retirees or keeping art, obviously the art could go. I appreciate how hard people fought to keep it but it seemed to me that the people were kind-of missing the point.
I think the real people who lost in this situation were the residents of Detroit. As someone who moved to the area 5 years after the bankruptcy I would like to say that the city has gotten better however I did not often venture out past the safe well populated bubbles. I think most new Detroiters should read or listen to this book just to see how far the city and come and to appreciate those who tried to save it and those who suffered through the hard years.
I think the real people who lost in this situation were the residents of Detroit. As someone who moved to the area 5 years after the bankruptcy I would like to say that the city has gotten better however I did not often venture out past the safe well populated bubbles. I think most new Detroiters should read or listen to this book just to see how far the city and come and to appreciate those who tried to save it and those who suffered through the hard years.
pr727's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting and detailed account of the Detroit bankruptcy process. Narrated by Jonathan Yen who speaks clearly and distinctly but too expressively, with emphasis on words that rings false, as though he doesn’t understand the sentence and randomly picks out words to stress. Individuals being quoted sound shrill and frantic. The narration detracts and is quite annoying.
fyou1226's review against another edition
4.0
What a concise, well-written, easy to follow and enormously entertaining (particularly for public policy wonks and fiscal policy analysts) chronicle of the largest municipal bankruptcy ever in the United States. Bomey's employs the clever, knowledgeable, brisk-paced style of an investigative reporter to draw out the humanizing attributes and suspense of this real life drama and subsequent consequences all of the roles the various actors in this play were facing. The funny quips, stories and comments from the various players (the Emergency Manager, City Officials, and my new hero Judge Steven Rhodes) added an even more humanizing and interesting dynamic to a story that many outside of the field would just dismiss at a surface level for being dry bureaucratic, financial mumbo-jumbo. Kudos to Detroit Resurrected for telling such a nuanced allegory of financial crisis being a symbol of the overall collapse of a major, iconic modern industrial city and the heroic sacrifices it's people, legislators and city officials made in an attempt to resurrect it.
coachnickrush's review against another edition
4.0
You have a kind of be a political/legal junkie to absorb all the information in this book. I thought there was going to be more about the "comeback" based on the title, but it tells the full story of the bankruptcy and the all the legal and community battles it entailed. I loved it, but it's not a light read.
scrimjm's review against another edition
5.0
Growing up, I've been able to watch the public side of the battle over Detroit's bankruptcy unfold on the nightly news, but this narrative is a great account of the gritty details. It marries the names and separate interests (creditors, debtors, insurers, the pensioners, politicians, and the Detroiters) of the parties involved and explains the legal basis and guidance for the proceedings based on the city's history and future directions. If you really want to understand exactly what happened and why certain decisions were made, you should read this.
However, keep in mind, while it goes through the narrative of Detroit through its bankruptcy, it does so with the logic of Rick Snyder at its helm. It heralds his brand of technocracy as "neutral" and "apolitical, and the appointment of emergency managers as financial experts that could serve to solve a city's policy problems better than its elected officials. This in it of itself raises questions about the nature of accountability and the nature of efficiency. Therefore, it does a great job of presenting a Snyder-approved version of events, whether or not that should be taken merely at face value. This was written pre-Flint Water Crisis and clearly did not foresee the troubles "the Nerd" would create for the city in the name of ruthless financial efficiency and quantitative success.
However, keep in mind, while it goes through the narrative of Detroit through its bankruptcy, it does so with the logic of Rick Snyder at its helm. It heralds his brand of technocracy as "neutral" and "apolitical, and the appointment of emergency managers as financial experts that could serve to solve a city's policy problems better than its elected officials. This in it of itself raises questions about the nature of accountability and the nature of efficiency. Therefore, it does a great job of presenting a Snyder-approved version of events, whether or not that should be taken merely at face value. This was written pre-Flint Water Crisis and clearly did not foresee the troubles "the Nerd" would create for the city in the name of ruthless financial efficiency and quantitative success.
elizolade's review against another edition
3.0
I feel informed, and also the recipient of some minor pro-Snyder/pro-EFM propaganda. But information was my goal, and the telling of Detroit's bankruptcy from the perspective of the folks making many of the decisions related to it, feels pretty fair if not completely balanced.
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