book review: detroit city is the place to be

i’ve got a real problem with books.  i can’t really get enough of them.  recent events in our lives have caused us to implement what we are calling austerity measures around the house.  basically just tighten the belt on our budget. this means that purchasing books is pretty much out of the budget for some time, and not really a problem because i have such a huge backlog of books to work though that i need a reason not to get new books, and it also means more trips to the library, always a good thing.

about a month ago an offer came though the inbox to review a book on detroit, and i ignored it as it looked like another pop book about ruin porn.  i’ve seen enough of that.

later that week i was reading some online papers and read this new york times essay and noticed the name of the author mark binelli.  that sounded familiar to me, i checked my email and sure enough he had just written the book that i was offered the opportunity to review.

having enjoyed the essay – i asked for a review copy of “detroit city is the place to be”.  if you are gonna provide me a review copy, i’m gonna read it, and if seems relevant to this blog, and i think others would like to know about it, then i’m gonna review it, which is what the following is.

i’m going to start off by saying for the record i like mark binelli’s writing and certain ways he approaches the topic.  i’m so used to reading non-fiction that to read a more personal approach like this is pretty refreshing, and having just finished reading anthony caro’s mammoth tome “the power broker”  it was a nice break.  only about 300 pages and a quick read in under a week.

i enjoy the way that he relates to the city, sharing his families personal history, and following his movements though out the city.  so many of the people that he interacts with are personal friends of mine, and so it was something like reading a book about my life.  i enjoy that – it’s also a little surreal.   binelli does a good job of digging into some detroit history, provides some pretty humours commentary, and enjoyable observations about contemporary detroit.   i actually found myself learning some things i didn’t know about detroit  and some direction for future research.  for a non-academic book of this type, it’s obvious that binelli did more research than yr average  parachuting reporter.

if binelli had just done some sort of pop history on detroit and current affairs, i think for the most part i would have little to find fault with the book.  i would recommend it as an enjoyable read, not something i would feel the need to keep around, but a fun book to pass around to friends.

as various points it feels as though beinelli is setting out to tell another story, one that doesn’t rely on all the stereotypes and ruin porn, but despite his desire to distance himself, it feels as though he can’t help himself, and ends up telling gruesome details of a murder and amputation, walking though the packard plant and other ruins, hanging out with cash strapped fire fighters talking about  arson, and plenty of time reveling in the emptiness of detroit.

in the end, it feels like two books mashed together, one i like and one i really hate, one book that seeks to tell a more nuanced story and one that relies on sensationalism.

and while i could fault binelli more for this, i suspect the parts of the book i really like are the ones that would bore most readers and the parts i hate are what sell books.

if you are really interested in detroit, i would just dig deeper and read binelli’s source material – “the origin of the urban crisis” “detroit i do mind dying” “arc of justice” “hard stuff”.  you will find much of the same information without the objectionable sensationalism (although also much more dry than binelli’s writing).   i don’t really think the book was written for detroiters – but for outsiders, and if this book has some folks wanting to dig deeper and read some of the original source material and understand detroit more deeply – well then there is some serious value in that.

review: the essential urban farmer

my friend novella sent me a copy of her most recent book a few months ago.  i meant to read it, but i had actually read an advance copy a couple of years ago as she asked me to review it for technical accuracy (thanks for the acknowledgement novella).  so i’ve only in the last few days had the chance to finally review it in its fully published form.

if you are not familiar with novella or her co-author willow rosenthal, willow was one of the founders of city slicker farms in oakland, and novella has a farm in oakland and wrote the book city farm (which for the record is a pretty entertaining read).

the essential urban farmer is the book i wish i had written, and frankly am happy i didn’t write.  its comprehensive and in some ways overwhelming by the scope of what they try to cover.  i’d be exhausted trying to write such a tome as they have.

the book is divided into two sections, the first on vegetables, and the second animals.  while plenty of other books address both of these topics, novella and willow do a great job of addressing urban concerns, smells, getting along with neighbors, dealing with contaminated soils, obtaining land, and removing concrete.

this is not a book to sit down and read cover to cover, at least for me it’s too expansive to absorb all at once.  this is one of those books that you purchase so you can come back to again and again when you get into a jam or try a new crop.

and that might be my only complaint about this book.  it’s a book i want to keep for a long time, take out to the garden, and not worry too much about it getting dirty, but the cover and pages are made out of relatively thin and not especially durable paper.  certainly not gonna last that long with my abusive ways.

for the hardcore gardener – a great addition to the bookshelf.  for the first time urban farmer, might be the only book you need.  nice work novella and willow.

here’s the link if you want to buy it.

book review: cultivating food justice: race, class, and sustainablity

while in oakland i picked up a number of books on food justice.  at a grass-roots level, the push for food justice has been feeling pretty strong for several years, but it seems that the academics are catching on, and hopefully the larger community food security movement will too.  i could just do one big review, but wanted to tackle each on their own, both to give them their due, and also to get my thoughts out before i forgot.

first on the docket, cultivating food justice: race, class and sustainability edited by alison hope alkon & julian agyeman.

the book is deep, full and academic, but not so far removed from most of us that it’s not useful.  the editors have managed to get some of the foremost thinkers in the field in one volume and one of the strengths is the diversity of voices and thought.  it’s clear that food justice by comparison to its sister food sovereignty doesn’t have a codified set of beliefs, or the strength of an organization like la via campesina, perhaps that is to come.

of particular interest to me was chapter 8 – as it profiles two organization that have worked for food sovereignty in u.s. that have largely been under represented in conversation around food justice: the nation of islam and the pan african orthodox christian church.  part of my fascination is that both of these organization had their start in detroit.  even living in detroit i admit to being largely ignorant of both organization.  i’ve helped some folks with gardens at the shrine of the black madonna, know some folks that have been members of the paocc  and have a friend that is a member of the nation of islam, but that’s pretty much it.  as part of a learning circle at work we researched a little about the noi’s farms, but this chapter provided further insight.

it’s not surprising that these organization are largely unnoticed in the history of food security, their black separatist rhetoric is generally unpalatable to the white lead food security movement.  perhaps the most significant aspect of the work of these two organizations is how deeply their critical analysis is around food, that in order to have power in a white dominated culture you must have power over you  own food source.  the chapter also helps to highlight that black lead organizations have been working on food issues but have gone unnoticed for years, contradicting the often claimed idea that there is not a historical leadership in the black community around food organizing.   The reality couldn’t be further from the truth – but the truth is that it’s not the right kind of leadership to be palatable by the mostly white lead food security movement, nor is it the sort of leadership that would want to join the white lead movement.

chapter 13’s topic on the meaning of the term justice and how it applies  to the food justice movement was equally personally engaging.  the organization i work with claims to be working on food justice, but we have often struggled by just what that means.  we have spent hours debating what that is – and i wish that we had this chapter as a primer.  turns out that are not the only organizations struggling, and there are actually several ways to thinking about justice.  even with a deeper examination, i still feel a little lost just wonder standing what justice means at a really deep level.

other topics covered include: indigenous people of the northwest and loss of lands and fishing rights, black farmers in the south and loss of land, the effects of farming labor laws on traditional farming methods by hmong immigrants, how redlining and racist housing practices created “food desserts”, the irony of farm workers suffering from hunger, white privilege and those working in food justice work, and much, much more.

taken as a whole – the book can feel a little scattered, not surprising given it’s a collection of essays from a collection of authors, but it certainly gives one a yearning for a more unified direction and a desire for movement building.  i can’t help but ask myself where is this movement going?  when are we gonna get it together instead of acting like it’s a bunch of scattered issues.

but cultivating food justice is really just a start,something to help one set sails in the direction of learning more, all the essays sight numerous important other works, and i’ve already started reading essays sighted in the bibliographies, and am looking forward to more.  i’m left asking more question than i am satisfied with answers.

it’s certainly not the book for those that are just dipping their toe into food justice work – for them it might totally overwhelm, but for those with a dedication to take a deeper more critical eye at the food system it can be a helpful tool in furthering their study.

recommended reading

i’ve taken a little break from reading more boring scholarly works (though not very long, I just got a whole stack of turn of the century french gardening book reprints to start reading on soon), to read some books that are just a joy to read.

the first is julia child’s my life in france.  if you have seen the film julie and julia, this is the book that half of that film is based on.  if you have not seen the film, at least half of the film is amazing (hint it an’t the part with amy adams) it tells the story of julia learning to cook in france, making her first books, and television show.  while this might seem to be the focus of the book, it’s also a beautiful love story, between her and her husband paul.  the way in which they complement and help each other grow is an inspiration, as is the fact that julia was in her late 30’s when she started cooking seriously.  i was truly touched by this book and sorry to have to close its cover when i was finished.

the second is the unprejudiced palate by angelo pellegrini.  while i’m told this book is a classic, because it’s says so in the subheading of the title, i’m still left wondering how i’ve not heard of this book nor have too many other folks i know.

pellegrini might be unprejudiced, but he certainly is not without opinion.  he has strong beliefs on almost everything, but most of it comes down to simple food prepared in simple ways.  as a child pellegrini moves from italy to washington state, trying to bring the traditions of his motherland to this strange and bountiful place.

it’s not really a cookbook, but it does have some vague recipes in it.  it’s not really a gardening book but it does have some recommendation on how to garden.  it’s not really a hunting guide but it does talk about how to catch wild game.  it’s not a wine makers manual but it does expand in-depth on wine making.  and it’s not really a guide to entertaining, but certainly has judgements on the proper way to present a meal.

what is this book about?  i’d say it’s more of a guide on how to live the good life.  and i’m completely amazed that it’s not recommended by more folks that are interested in creating new indigenous food ways.  building on the past, and looking forward to the future.  it was a quick fun read, great vacation reading.

on one other note is where i picked up the unprejudiced palate; new york’s kitchen arts & letters.  it’s a book store dedicated to nothing but books on food writing and cookbooks.  i expected to be overwhelmed and happy, but i didn’t expect such helpful and friendly staff.  the clerk spent a solid five minutes giving me a tour of the store and was happy to help me find selections and genuinely helpful.  i highly recommend checking them out if you have a chance.

question! – do folks actually care about what books i find helpful?  or are these sort of blog post just a waste of your time.