Customer Reviews

Beyond Hope: One Cop's Fight for Survival in a Dying City

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I wouldn't consider this a great book, but it does tell it like it is in a very readable way. It's simply written and somewhat short. I came to Saginaw almost the same time as this officer did, and I think I may have even stayed in the same hotel he mentions in the first chapter and even had a similar experience as he did. I recognize many of the incidents he writes about with much the same emotional response as he had. I clearly remember the prom events as he describes them. If I hadn't witnessed them, I don't think I'd believe what he wrote.

It does give a good feeling of what it's like to be in Saginaw. I can't say I spend much time on his side of Saginaw - the East side - for obvious reasons once you read the book. The despair of the region comes out and you wonder why people like him keep trying to do what they do. If you want to see why Saginaw is the most violent city of size in the nation (according to the 2009 FBI statistics) read this book. If you want to find out what Rust Belt cities can become read this book. By the way, I don't live in Saginaw any more.

East writes a compelling book of vignettes gleaned from his years as a cop in Saginaw. This book could have been written by a cop from any of the "rust belt" cities of the midwest. Job loss leads to dispair, crime, and a loss of hope. The city itself was and is in denial. No tax increases in years have led to a cannibalized police force. Infighting among city officials and an unwillingness to tackle racism have brought the city to the point that the author describes in his writing. I'm not sure if I'd want police recruits to read the book as it is very discouraging. A few typographical errors should have been caught by the editor. The phrase is "trying in vain" rather than "trying in vein", repeated no fewer than 4 times. The outlook for Saginaw is bleak, stark, and dark as shown in this book.