"The strength of the book is without a doubt the personal, complex stories of the Syracuse Five. Streissguth regularly steps back and allows them to speak for themselves with great, poignant quotes throughout the book … City on the Edge tells the intricate story of a complex city with real, complex people where hard choices need to be made. And it is a story worth reading." — Journal of Urban Affairs"[Streissguth's] engaging book … joins a burgeoning list of narrative nonfiction that weaves together a broad sense of place and time with personal histories and experiences … Highly recommended." — CHOICE"Streissguth's portrait of Syracuse is beautifully cinematic; it's bearing witness to the hope and tenacity that are fundamental ingredients for urban revitalization. Readers will see their own living environments through the lively description of the fabric of this city. The voice Streissguth evokes with his central characters makes this an essential documentary commentary on the struggles people face daily in the remaking of their 'sense of place.'" — Bestor Cram, director, Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City"Very interesting and compelling, City on the Edge offers an entry into the larger policy discussions about infrastructure, racism, immigration, and other issues that we need to be having as a nation. It doesn't present solutions, but it does provide a clear picture of the problems and thus will change the terms of the conversation in Syracuse and other similar cities." — Rob Spirko, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
