Description
Book SynopsisWhat happens when an iconic American city goes broke?
Trade Review"Nathan Bomey's
Detroit Resurrected is the most thoroughly reported account of the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. It also stands as a valuable work of urban policy. The overarching theme of the book is how Detroit turned to bankruptcy to restore the social contract." -- Stephen Eide, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute - The New York Times Book Review
"One of our most talented young reporters, Nathan Bomey goes behind the scenes to offer a dramatic account of the debates, deliberation, and deal-making that brought Detroit out of its unprecedented bankruptcy. Bomey brings a human eye to the cold realities of municipal finance and urban politics, through well-drawn portraits of the investors, pensioners, union leaders, politicians, philanthropists, lawyers, and judges at the heart of the case." -- Thomas J. Sugrue, author of The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit
"No one covered Detroit’s historic municipal bankruptcy more closely than former
Detroit Free Press reporter Nathan Bomey. And his unpacking of it here is superlative—not only the sordid history and mechanics of how and why Detroit went broke, but also how it got through court-supervised restructuring and emerged in a position to do better by its residents. With deep reporting and incisive insights, Bomey takes readers inside the process in a way only he could. If you care about cities—past, present, or future—
Detroit Resurrected is a must-read." -- Stephen Henderson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, Detroit Free Press
"Bomey does a superb job of laying out the origins and depths of Detroit’s fiscal and political woes. He has done prodigious research into archives and court documents, interviewed all the players, and woven a tangled mass of facts into a narrative that reads like a thriller." -- Bill Morris - The Millions
"As other cities flirt with a similar financial fate, Bomey’s intricate saga of how Detroit walked back from the brink of destruction provides an unrivaled glimpse into what went wrong and an unflinching evaluation of what it takes to overcome detrimental political shenanigans and dubious financial practices. ... Bomey’s insider account ... entertains with its fly-on-the-wall intimacy and keen observations." -- Booklist
"The Motor City’s recent fiscal implosion sparks an unlikely outbreak of civic-mindedness in this stirring saga. … Bomey deftly elucidates the intricacies of law and finance that shaped the case while painting colorful profiles of the principals and their sharp-tongued, profane wrangling (and occasional fits of conscience). Scrupulously fair to all parties and their grievances, Bomey reveals that behind the crass bean counting stood a fractious community pulling together to value and rescue a long-neglected city." -- Publisher's Weekly
"Well-paced and highly readable. … It’s an important subject, since the tale of Detroit’s financial woes can serve as a case study on how other cities can deal with economic transition. ... An engaging reconstruction of Detroit’s financial crisis and the broader implications of its comeback for other American cities." -- Kirkus Reviews
