Urban housing crises are reshaping cities globally, with Toronto emerging as a central example of unaffordability and inequality. In Caught in the Eye of the Storm: Urban Revitalization in Toronto’s Lawrence Heights (2024), Jon Careless examines the transformation of Lawrence Heights, a public housing district, amidst one of Canada’s largest revitalization initiatives. The book offers a meticulously researched narrative of change, exploring the area's history, its racialized oppression, and the impact of redevelopment on its community. By weaving together historical context, social commentary, and advocacy for housing justice, Careless provides an essential resource for understanding Toronto's housing challenges and broader struggles for equity.

First, the book's strongest attributes are its organization and professionalism. Careless begins with a clear structure, outlining his approach and providing detailed timelines and historical backgrounds. For instance, the Preface includes an acronyms list, simplifying the navigation of organizations mentioned. Other highlights of its organization include a timeline of events describing the state of Lawrence Heights from its creation to our modern post-pandemic reality on page 20, visuals of apartments and housing rows from the neighbourhood architecture itself on pages 42 and 43, and a table showing the demographic changes and incline across the years in the suburban sector on page 61. These resources enhance accessibility and underscore the depth of Careless’ research. This book is well-organized and the result of years of academic work. Originally derived from his doctoral dissertation, Careless’ expertise is evident. His PhD in political science from York University solidifies his authority on urban policy, and the Bibliography and Index sections at the end of the book provide further credibility. This academic rigour ensures the book’s value as a scholarly and practical resource.

Additionally, Careless uses his platform to address the key systemic issues like settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and the racial stigmatization of neighbourhoods like Lawrence Heights and Regent Park throughout this work. The book delves into the ways these systems divide the middle class from poorer ethnic minorities, perpetuating inequalities through urban design, media narratives, and public policies. These are all major, pressing socio-economic issues that have plagued the sector since its creation, and Careless does not leave room for haste when describing their impact.
These recurring themes of capitalism and colonialism are threaded throughout the text, culminating in the Epilogue’s “Visions and Dreams” section. At the start of the section in four short but extremely hitting indented paragraphs, Careless presents an inspiring advocacy pitch for the future of Lawrence Heights.

“This community needs a new life; its residents are tired and want their just due and, in our society, everyone has the right to justice.” (Careless, 2024) [First of the four paragraphs]

His commitment to equity is clear, making this work a rallying cry for housing justice advocates and policymakers alike.

However, I must admit that despite its strengths, Caught in the Eye of the Storm was not personally engaging for me. As a Youth Member of Parliament in a national online program called Young Canadians’ Parliament, where we discuss on a weekly basis amongst each other on similar socio-economic issues and with famous changemakers and ministers of Canadian government and parliament, I approached this book eager to learn more. Plus, as I’ve mentioned previously, I want to be a lawyer and reading this type of material facilitates my mind to think on these complex subjects. However, its very dense and bureaucratic tone proved challenging, and at times a bit boring. I did not expect it to be an essay (or dissertation), and I was shocked when I first began reading it. My initial expectation was for a more digestible narrative in the form of a historical biography (or even a short case study), similarly to another book I have read here at Digitally Lit, Amy Bell’s Life Sentence, but I found myself unprepared for the complexity of its policy and deep, thorough political analysis. I also found at times that it was wordy, and that some sections could be condensed into much shorter chapters and subsections, since the themes that Careless delves into are already universal to the topic and Canada and don’t need further interpretation echoing in every few paragraphs.
For example, I found the word and definition of ‘Neoliberalism’ being repeated at least twice in each chapter, despite the fact that readers would have already understood its premise the first time of its mention in Chapter One. I would have much rather enjoyed reading more examples and historical evidence of the main issue at play in Lawrence Heights (urban revitalization), and that the definitions and elaboration remain solely in Chapter 3, where that theme is its primary focus, rather than being fed the same information repeatedly across the work. But this is just a minor comment on my behalf, and this could also be a result of it being transformed originally from a doctoral dissertation, in which those works are known to be structured as such, so I will not criticize it too harshly on that.
In all, this misalignment of expectations stemmed partly from my own oversight; however, it could have also been more expressly advertised in the work’s summary at the back (there was no mention of it being an essay). And it is for these reasons that I failed to recognize that this was more of an academic work than a straightforward recounting. While the book’s quality is undeniable, it’s not the type of work I’d choose for leisure reading (especially not during the holidays, haha!). That said, I’d consider revisiting it if my studies in economics deepen or if I need a robust resource for a research project.

In conclusion, Jon Careless’ Caught in the Eye of the Storm stands out as a meticulously researched and passionately argued examination of Toronto’s housing crisis. Its professional organization, focus on pressing social issues, and advocacy for equity make it an essential read for those engaged in urban policy and housing justice. However, its dense academic tone and repetition of themes at many points during the book’s run may not appeal to all audiences, including readers like myself who anticipated a more narrative-driven, digestible and concise approach.

Ultimately, I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars for its depth, relevance, and the author’s commitment to justice, even if it wasn’t my preferred style of reading.

Anyhow, happy holidays to you all!
Looking forward to 2025… :)