Scan barcode
duparker's review
4.0
this is a really good look at Philly, Ed Rendell, urban policy and local politics. The author has a really even flow to his words and it is a clear nod to west wing style walk and talk writing and action.
I'm really glad this was suggested to me. it has so much to offer that I hadn't thought about before as an interest in getting shit done at a policy level. great read.
I'm really glad this was suggested to me. it has so much to offer that I hadn't thought about before as an interest in getting shit done at a policy level. great read.
sandin954's review against another edition
4.0
The author was given complete access to Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell during his first term and the book shows the inner workings, both the good and the bad, of running a big city.
stephstephstephsteph's review
2.0
The characterization of this book as “outdated” is beyond generous.
I was taken aback by the racist, classist, anti-union sympathies that the author revealed at every turn. He essentially glosses over two separate incidents of violence against women at the hands of Mayor Rendell, which in today’s world would be grounds to demand his resignation. He puts an assistant DA—who clearly gets off on condemning young Black men to life sentences—on a pedestal.
And to make matters worse, the writing itself is groan-inducing. Here is one of my favorite examples: “It was pouring outside, and the rain only oppressed the streets even more, robbing them of what little crevices of life and light there might have been…The church inside was cavernous and slightly musty smelling. A chandelier with naked bulbs hung limply from the ceiling, and an American flag stood in the front in a tired salute.”
Why didn’t I just stop reading if I hated it so much, you might wonder. Well, I’m very stubborn and insist on finishing what I’ve started. But please learn from my mistakes—save yourself the time and energy and find a different book to read.
I was taken aback by the racist, classist, anti-union sympathies that the author revealed at every turn. He essentially glosses over two separate incidents of violence against women at the hands of Mayor Rendell, which in today’s world would be grounds to demand his resignation. He puts an assistant DA—who clearly gets off on condemning young Black men to life sentences—on a pedestal.
And to make matters worse, the writing itself is groan-inducing. Here is one of my favorite examples: “It was pouring outside, and the rain only oppressed the streets even more, robbing them of what little crevices of life and light there might have been…The church inside was cavernous and slightly musty smelling. A chandelier with naked bulbs hung limply from the ceiling, and an American flag stood in the front in a tired salute.”
Why didn’t I just stop reading if I hated it so much, you might wonder. Well, I’m very stubborn and insist on finishing what I’ve started. But please learn from my mistakes—save yourself the time and energy and find a different book to read.
milo10000's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
I'll start off with the writing: it's alright.
My biggest problem with this book is the way that the author unquestioningly takes the side of the mayor and prosecutors over controversial behavior and cases. At one pointRendell is accused of sexual harassment and the author treats it as more of an annoying hindrance to reelection than a real concern. Same thing for when he later assaults a female reporter. McGovern starts out as a prosecutor and the author mostly uses McGovern's own testimony and police records for sources on his cases, which seems to be to not consider the whole picture.
Also, "following" four other individuals seems a bit generous just in terms of how much is written about them. In a 400-odd page book, maybe 50 pages, total, are dedicated to these individuals and most of the text is taken up by accounts from inside the mayor's administration.
Not a bad read if you're aware of the biases inherent in it, it's definitely informative about the administration itself, but not great.
My biggest problem with this book is the way that the author unquestioningly takes the side of the mayor and prosecutors over controversial behavior and cases. At one point
Also, "following" four other individuals seems a bit generous just in terms of how much is written about them. In a 400-odd page book, maybe 50 pages, total, are dedicated to these individuals and most of the text is taken up by accounts from inside the mayor's administration.
Not a bad read if you're aware of the biases inherent in it, it's definitely informative about the administration itself, but not great.
cleheny's review
3.0
I was eager to read this because I moved to Philadelphia during Ed Rendell's first term and now work for the City. Although I'm glad I read it, I was disappointed.
One issue I had with the book is Bissinger's writing style. He's a good writer, with ability to convey both narrative and characterization, but he suffers from a need to artificially dress up his prose. The metaphors were so frequent (e.g., two in two sentences) that they became intrusive and the resultant artificiality clogged up his prose.
I would have liked a more detailed explanation of the various events that Bissinger described. For all the leadup to the 1992 battle with the unions, I had no sense of how the City accomplished reforms with the FOP, which settled its contract before DC 33 did, the latter which is the main focus of the first quarter of the book. Contracting out was a concession obtained during the negotiations, but there is very little discussion of how this played out, other than to state the amount of savings obtained and to describe a libertarian Mayoral employee's disillusionment with things not going further.
There are other events that are described for which there is no follow-up, which is frustrating. But I have to give credit for the ending, which is bleaker than I expected it to be. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it is a powerful one.
One issue I had with the book is Bissinger's writing style. He's a good writer, with ability to convey both narrative and characterization, but he suffers from a need to artificially dress up his prose. The metaphors were so frequent (e.g., two in two sentences) that they became intrusive and the resultant artificiality clogged up his prose.
I would have liked a more detailed explanation of the various events that Bissinger described. For all the leadup to the 1992 battle with the unions, I had no sense of how the City accomplished reforms with the FOP, which settled its contract before DC 33 did, the latter which is the main focus of the first quarter of the book. Contracting out was a concession obtained during the negotiations, but there is very little discussion of how this played out, other than to state the amount of savings obtained and to describe a libertarian Mayoral employee's disillusionment with things not going further.
There are other events that are described for which there is no follow-up, which is frustrating. But I have to give credit for the ending, which is bleaker than I expected it to be. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it is a powerful one.
scsreads's review
3.0
About- Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell’s quest to save his city from the edge of bankruptcy.
Why I picked it– It was chosen for our book club.
Thoughts- If you saw my recent video, you heard me talk a bit about this book and the next one. I’ve mentioned that I don’t read a lot of nonfiction. If left to my own devices, I probably would never have read this book because the subject matter doesn’t particularly interest me. However, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the writing. When the author focused on specific people’s lives and their stories, I found that much more interesting than the politics and statistics. If you have an interest in city government or Philadelphia, then I bet you would like this book.
Why I picked it– It was chosen for our book club.
Thoughts- If you saw my recent video, you heard me talk a bit about this book and the next one. I’ve mentioned that I don’t read a lot of nonfiction. If left to my own devices, I probably would never have read this book because the subject matter doesn’t particularly interest me. However, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the writing. When the author focused on specific people’s lives and their stories, I found that much more interesting than the politics and statistics. If you have an interest in city government or Philadelphia, then I bet you would like this book.
lvandyk's review
3.0
January 2011: deciding to read this again after a few months of working in a Wilmington that's as devastated as Philadelphia was in this book.
oceliastanley's review
2.0
first and foremost i think this book sucks because it does not perfectly synthesize an account of philadelphia politics in the nineties grounded in my own personal political opinions and value system. bissinger spends roughly 23% of his time sucking david cohen off and another 12-15% cramming as many metaphors as he can into each and every paragraph. he does a mediocre job of humanizing ed rendell (but not for lack of trying) and condescends to labor movements and minority advocates throughout. overall a shining example of why i will never be a successful critic.
kcourts's review
5.0
I've heard the rave reviews for this book but honestly didn't expect to love it so much. Firstly, I'm not a big fan of books about politics or the workings of government. I tend to read for pleasure and escape. Secondly, my knowledge of this author is almost solely due to the tv show, which i loathe, based on his other book. So imagine my surprise when i sat down with it and looked up to realize i'd read about 1/4 in my first sitting. Obviously, a big draw is the fact that multiple of the neighborhoods/storylines/examples he highlights relate to my personal experience of the city, in one case painting a horrible picture of life 20 years ago on the very block we rented on for our first 5 years in the city. But more than that is the way this man paints a picture, a very stark and human look at the innner workings of the city's power players. After reading this, I feel like i personally know some of these people I've never met or, in some cases, even heard of before this book. It also made me question my committment to the city and whether i would have felt the same had I been here 20 years ago. It helps that i don't have kids or want them, but to my eyes, much of the disincentive to live in the city described has been reversed. Obviously, this is just a fantastic, thought-provoking book.