Well researched and written by Buzz Bissinger on Ed Rendell as Bissinger spends four years with the Mayor in Philly from 1992-1996. The author wrote one of my favorite books of all time with Friday Night Lights, but couldn't get into this one as much although I'll be the first to admit their was great reporting done for this book. At times this book is very sad, as a lot of violence is described in Philly during this book. Not bad, not great. Looking forward to reading more books by the author.

An intense look into the inner workings of a city in crisis. The time is the early '90s and the place is Philadelphia -- an aging industrial city crumbling toward irrelevance as the end of the cold wars renders its military shipping port obsolete and the emergence of new technology and NAFTA threatens it's manufacturing stronghold. Bizzinger tells this story from the perspective of multiple city residents -- a prosecutor, community activist, a church leader and a city bureaucrat. But at the center of this tale is the city's Mayor Ed Rendell (now governor of Pennsylvania). Big-hearted, petty, brave, rude, cajoling, principled, gritty, crude and whip-smart -- Rendell emerges as a truly fascinating figure.

Learned a lot about the city of Philadelphia and it’s history on manufacturing, politics, crime and race relations.

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.

Fascinating look at city administration. A book that would be very different if written today, particularly in (a) some discussions about policing and criminal justice and (b) the over-casual attitude towards sexual harassment and other inappropriate workplace behaviors. Recommend for people interested in Philly or in local government as long as you keep that in mind.

If you love cities read this. To understand how the American city has been methodically undermined by public policy throughout the 20th century and to see an exceptional pair of men fight the good fight through their own flaws, read this. Very well-written book about the first term of Mayor Rendell in Philadelphia. I live in the city and love the city and this broke my heart, but left me hopeful that there are still people in public service who want cities to survive and maybe, someday, thrive again.

" . . . he understood exactly what a city was about -- sounds and sights and smells, all the different senses, held together by the spontaneity of choreography, each day, each hour, each minute different from the previous one."

Oh, the city, the city! I am an urban person. I lived in the suburbs for years and it was hell. You couldn't walk anywhere because there were no sidewalks. There was too much "new". There was too much alike. Your neighbors were just like you. When I drove into the city, the moment I saw the skyline, the outline of the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center reaching for the clouds, my heart would lift and I would begin to feel alive again. If I have any regret about moving back, it's that I waited too long to do so.

Ed Rendell loves Philadelphia. The two-term mayor took a dying city and tried desperately to resuscitate it. And Bissinger was there. In an extraordinary act of transparency, the Rendell administration gave the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist nearly unfettered access to the mayor and his staff. He was present at meetings public and private, he read documents and correspondence, he interviewed everyone. Mingled with the story of City Hall are the stories of four city residents: a shipyard worker, a grandmother raising her children's children and their children, a policy wonk and a "true believer" prosecutor. They, too, all love the city, and each is subjected to its traumas. Prosecutor McGovern and policy analyst Morrison had options. They could leave for the suburbs, not worry about crime in their neighborhoods or bad schools for their kids. Unemployed welders and inner city moms don't have the same options, and sometimes your love of place makes you want to stay. After all, "there may be lovelier lovelies, but never a lovely so real."

When he was sworn in, Rendell had a fight on his hands. The city was losing population, jobs, and industry. Nobody cared. Not the feds. Not the state. He had to make them care. There is the story of the Navy Shipyard, one of the biggest employers in the city for, literally, centuries. For years, it was threatened with being shut down, and, finally, the shutdown came. But a German shipbuilder had a vision, a vision to take the shipyard and turn it into a place that served the burgeoning cruise ship industry. Rendell fought to make that happen. He worked on financing and tax incentives. He went to the State House and he went to the White House. He called in favors and friends. Even when the Governor killed the deal, insulting and humiliating the potential buyer until he said "to hell with you", Rendell kept trying. This is one roller-coaster of a chapter!

This is no whitewash of Rendell. Bissinger doesn't shirk from describing the mayor's temper tantrums, his inappropriate behavior towards women reporters, his failures to connect with the African-American community, his egotism. But the picture we have of Rendell as his first term draws to a close is that of a lover who takes his beloved to shows and buys her pretty things, but knows that that, like flowers on an expressway berm, is merely window dressing. It is her heart and soul that matter most, and he will do anything to save her.

This page-turner of a book will uplift you, and it will break your heart.

Suggested further reading:

The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago

A tough one! Kind of hated the POV but appreciated the Philly history and the inside look into how the sausage got made during Rendel’s administration. Just so pro-cop and pro-business. Really want the left-wing history of the city now!

Read this back in the day. Great book about cities and the great city of Philadelphia.

Before reading this review it should be noted that I have very little respect for Bissinger after his vitriolic rants about the progression of new media and because of his journalistic elitism.

Buzz uses the Common Ground template to describe former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell's first term and creates a fascinating look at some of the major events of the administration. Frustratingly, Bissinger doesn't come close to achieving Lukas' level of detail and analysis and leaves the reader wanting much more (granted, holding people to the standard Lukas set is ridiculous). However, it is a fantastic look at Philadelphia and a must-read for anyone in the region. I think this would make an excellent senior summer reading choice...

Buzz Bissinger is too passionately intense. I had to read this in graduate school and I have an autographed copy, dated 9.8.98 within a week or so of starting the official program. I went to school at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. He wrote for the Inquirer, the morning paper. It is about the amazing turn-around orchestrated by Ed Rendell. Philadelphia has gone to hell in the proceeding 15 years - neoliberalism is to blame. I am sure. And a few Republican administrations in between.

love how bissinger tells a story. i think my time in philly biased me a little...not sure i would have liked it quite as much. rendell is a great character to follow and the book illuminates just how crazy politics are.