In Detroit, the American dream has become an American paradox: Corporate-backed revitalization downtown belies the continued deterioration of sprawling neighborhoods of single-family homes; a fledgling creative class masks the ongoing plight of what was once a massive working class; white newcomers trickle in by choice, just as many black natives have no choice but to stay where they are. "The Post-Post-Apocalyptic Detroit," as The New York Times Magazine described it last July 2014. The once-promising mayor sacked for corruption; the once-vaunted auto industry falling flat; the once-crowded metropolis given over to vacant lots and urban farms; a once-prosperous city now broke. Yet the media narrative about Detroit has never really captured the full story--of either urban suffering or post-industrial promise. Here, Uberti examines why the media don't get Detroit and why it matters.