The Last Days of Detroit: Motor Cars, Motown and the Collapse of an Industrial Giant by Mark Binelli
| The Last Days of Detroit: Motor Cars, Motown and the Collapse of an Industrial Giant by Mark Binelli | |
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| Category: History | |
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Reviewer: Robert James
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| Summary: Binelli's loving but critical look at the city where he grew up covers a wide area. Well worth checking out. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 352 | Date: February 2014 |
| Publisher: Vintage | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0099553885 | |
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Moving back to his native Detroit, Mark Binelli tries to see where it all went wrong for a city which was once America's capitalist dream town but has shrunk more significantly than anywhere else in the country over recent years. How did this happen, and what effect has it had on the residents there? Is the decline irreversible, or can those who want to bring about a changed and improved Detroit succeed?
This is, in many ways, a very personal book, as Binelli goes out to talk to people across Detroit about the city's history and recent past. There are some parts which are stronger than others – I found the chapter about a murder victim to be brutally compelling reading, while the parts on the politics of the city and the mayoral race were fascinating. While some other chapters didn't hook me to the same extent, what's evident in them all is the love that Mark Binelli has for his home city, which shines through in all of his writing.
As he explores the changed landscape of Detroit and talks to a host of people to try to find out what went so wrong, it's clear that he can see the city's faults but wants them to be corrected. It's never portrayed as something that will be easy for the people of Detroit to do, but there is hope here, as seen from the way the community bands together in many ways, whether that's to keep an eye out for problems in the neighbourhood or to produce food via urban farming. I also thought that he had an engaging writing style which generally made me want to keep reading, although a couple of parts dragged slightly (and I'm not convinced the footnotes added much to the book.)
All in all, this is an interesting read which is well worth taking a look at for anyone with an interest in Detroit in particular, or in the USA in general.
For a brilliant read about problems faced by a city this side of the Atlantic, don't miss A Journey Through Ruins: The Last Days of London by Patrick Wright. If you're in the mood for some fiction, we can recommend Hunt for the Blower Bentley by Kevin Gosselin.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Last Days of Detroit: Motor Cars, Motown and the Collapse of an Industrial Giant by Mark Binelli at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Last Days of Detroit: Motor Cars, Motown and the Collapse of an Industrial Giant by Mark Binelli at Amazon.com.
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