Kyle said:
"We are told early-on that as Fitzgerald (a small, integrated neighborhood in late 1960s Detroit) goes, so goes the nation. This is probably true. But even if Fitzgerald were utterly unique and nothing about America in general could be learned by stud...moreWe are told early-on that as Fitzgerald (a small, integrated neighborhood in late 1960s Detroit) goes, so goes the nation. This is probably true. But even if Fitzgerald were utterly unique and nothing about America in general could be learned by studying it, Geography of a Revolution would still be one of the best books I've ever read. The book is a collection of anecdotes drawn from Fitzgerald's recent troubled history (the Rebellion of '67), profiles of and extensive interviews with local leaders (the pastor, the teacher, the town planner), maps of the area, charts, graphs and diatribe courtesy of mr. Bunge himself. You will see a picture of the small pile of sharp debris pulled out of one square meter of one of Fitzgerald's "playgrounds," you will see an elaborate chart describing the flows of rent and wages back and forth between the suburbs and the slums. You will learn how many toys there are per child for several blocks of downtown Detroit. You will read about the heroic struggle of the Community Council against blockbusting real-estate vultures, and also about the record shop owner who was responsible for a spike in GPAs at the local high school, owing to his free-tunes-for-good-grades program. And of course you'll learn a tremendous amount of more 'conventional' things about the nature of slums, school redistricting, police brutality, race relations, and everything else. But the real reason to read this allegedly academic book (there aren't any footnotes) is not to accrue facts but to listen to a great story told in a fascinating way. (less)
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"This book is available from the Kersplebedeb Literature Rack. You can <a href="mailto:info@kersplebedeb.com>email me</a> to see about ordering a copy.
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