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A review by scrimjm
Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back by Nathan Bomey
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.