A review by jakewritesbooks
Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City by Antero Pietila

4.0

(4.5) A devastating look at the history of Baltimore's racist housing policies. Pietila does a great job nailing down how racism would morph from brute superiority to eugenics to other legal methods up to today. The book is at its strongest when it covers everything up through the 60s and blockbusting. The Baltimore county and subprime chapters are substandard and the author gets caught up in the Obama hype following his first election (and frankly, who didn't? Just added a weird tone to the end). But overall, I learned a lot about my beloved Baltimore. Enough to make me sad, angry, and ready to take action.