Combining the skills of a gifted writer and a scholar's grasp of early America; The Way of Duty draws readers into a vividly evoked world. The Buels have used a rich trove of documents to tell the story of a Connecticut woman; Mary Fish Silliman (1736–1818); whose adventures illuminate the day-to-day realities of living through the American Revolution.
#711472 in Books Bomey Nathan 2016-04-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.60 x 1.20 x 6.50l; .0 #File Name: 0393248917320 pagesDetroit Resurrected To Bankruptcy and Back
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Compelling narrative of Detroit deal-making; thick in details; and amazingly fairBy Mary P. CampbellNathan Bomey created a compelling narrative out of the bankruptcy workout of Detroit; lasting from July 2013 to December 2014. One expects an epic fight from the largest municipal bankruptcy ever (so far); but what I came across was unexpected – a fast-paced narrative detailing the major players; and most importantly; letting those players explain themselves.(An aside: for the prim; I will warn there’s a lot of “NYC language†coming from particular players. It’s not Games-of-Thrones bad; after all; nobody gets killed (SPOILER ALERT!); no sexy romps; and definitely a dearth of direwolves. But yes; plenty of strong opinions uttered using vulgarities.)It was so refreshing to see the narrative played out where there are no real villains except some hazy groups (like a hapless City Council) and the definitely-named Kwame Kilpatrick. But he’s off-stage by the beginning of the book; being bundled off to federal prison; along with some of his cronies. But even the biggest losers in the deal; bond insurers FGIC and Syncora; get their say. They’re not made out to be eeeeevil Wall Street players; but players representing their own interests and making their own claims for fairness. The only Detroit institution leaving unscathed in the deal was the art museum; DIA. One gets to hear of the sense of betrayal by all the players; within and without Detroit; without their particular pain being mocked.The book has plenty of conflict; surprising alliances; and a few interesting twists at the end (which cleared up some mysteries to me at the time.) I thought the pacing was really well-done; and Bomey did a good job of explaining salient technical points; like present value; relatively quickly and enough detail for the lay reader to understand. Excellent book for the general public. It will also be a great study for law and business schools for people learning about negotiation in high stakes situations that seem like zero sum.If Bomey takes this level of detail and even-handedness to all his journalistic work; as well as the storytelling ability; he will go far in journalism.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The most complete story of Detroit's collapse and (maybe) recoveryBy Tony ProscioAn excellent tick-tock of Detroit's bankruptcy; and a detailed; fair description of the many colorful characters involved. If you're interested in Detroit; in urban governance; in bankruptcy law; or just how a community responds to (a partly self-made) catastrophe; you'll find this book hard to put down. The only shortcoming is in its description of the dubious financial instruments that hastened the bankruptcy and complicated its resolution: there's a very interesting Wall Street outrage buried in there; but Mr. Bomey doesn't give them enough attention; explanation; and analysis to make this aspect of the story easy to understand. But that's a minor shortcoming of a truly excellent book.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating look at my hometown's comebackBy James M. RosenA behind-the-scenes account of the biggest municipal bankruptcy in American history; written by a journalist who covered it blow by blow. The writing is a bit clunky at times; but the reporting is first-rate; filled with great details and compelling anecdotes.
