It was enjoyable listen, and I liked the pacing of "Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit". I liked the conversation around mixed families.

I was JUST complaining to a friend (Hi, Jillian!) that there aren't any books I've actually experienced the setting of. While this is nonfiction, I was still ecstatic to see (a day later!) a Detroit-related collection. There's just something about being about to picture the cross streets mentioned, the buildings so unique they serve as landmarks to locals. With the mention of a Tigers baseball or Lions football game, smelling the goods and the bads both - popcorn, spilled beer, cigarette smoke, fireworks (hopefully it was fireworks), those cinnamon sugar candied nuts. Aisha Sabatini Sloan has captured the soul of Detroit so well, though, that even someone who hasn't stepped foot in Michigan will still get a good sense of The Motor City. Beyond The Motor City though, Aisha describes circumstances we can all relate to in some way. Like when she says about a couple who is fishing, "...watching the man, wishing he were as at ease as he meant to be when he woke up and headed to the river." No matter the river, no matter the city, haven't you felt this?

Though I'm pretty familiar with the city, there was still so much I'd yet to learn about it. The unique perspective of a family member is shared, and it hit close to home. She worked (works?) at the precinct a few over from one of my husband's best friends, but hearing this new take on policing Detroit was SO eye opening.

With how beautifully she shares some of Detroit's specificities, how Aisha can describe art so viscerally is stunning. The audiobook format of this collection is read by the author herself, lending to the heart put into these essays. I'd highly recommend the audiobook in addition to the print format if you're hoping to visit any of the places mentioned, as it's sometimes hard to catch their names as you go.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, HighBridge Audio and Graywolf Press for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!}