Customer Reviews

Detroit Lives (Conflicts in Urban and Regional Development)

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Having dove straight into reading this book, I initially thought it would be a sort of textbook analysis of Detroit and a sort of outline on "what went wrong". While I would have had no problem with such a book, what I got instead was to my pleasant surprise. There is a short analysis of the subject of each chapter as a sort of introduction to the first-hand accounts of people who lived or are exemplary in some way of the subject of each chapter. Everybody seems to have incredible positive energy that re-interpreted for me the harsh conditions of Detroit. Instead of a cold, distant analysis of the history of "bad things that happened", it was enjoyably inspiring as it informed me. While not the same as going to Detroit and talking to people, this book is perhaps the closest you'll come.

Bob Mast was clearly involved in the progressive labor and civil rights struggle in the 70's or earlier in Detroit. His interviews with various others involved in the progressive struggle attempt to determine what went right, what went wrong, and where are those people now?