You don't need to be from Detroit to enjoy this. You don't even need to have ever been there, I never have, and don't suppose I ever will. My only reference points for Detroit are Motown, Detroit Techno, Moodymann and Season 2 of the Crimetown podcast - which touches on some of the same ground. But what makes this interesting is its portrait as a city, not just in decline, but actually massively shrinking, and this allows for lyrical paens to industrial decay - or "ruin porn" and "urban prairie". Of course there are shoots of recovery, and these have increased since this book's publication, but Binelli explores whether a new economy, relying on a digital economy and urban farming can ever really create sufficient employment or economic activity to be truely viable.

Detroit has been badly administered, no doubt. Binelli describes monumental incompetence and corruption, services that are inconceivably bad for the world's wealthiest country, and a tsunami of crime. This is not without its moments - actually quite a few moments - of black humour, entertaining for the reader of course, but not so much for Detroit residents.

In short, and excellent piece of journalism ( )