  Irvine_laird Member Username: Irvine_laird Post Number: 29 Registered: 02-2007 |
I'd like to start a reading club/discussion group that concentrates on books about Detroit. What authors/titles do you recommend? | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 242 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thomas Sugrue: Race and inequality in post war Detroit Mary M Stolberg: Bridging the River of Hatred: The Pioneering efforts of George Edwards June Manning Thomas: Redevelopment and Race. For Starters. | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 478 Registered: 07-2005 |
The Buildings of Detroit: A History (Hardcover) by W. Hawkins Ferry I bought mine on eBay about two years ago for $40.00 but they have a few on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Building s-Detroit-W-Hawkins-Ferry/dp/0 814316654 | ||
Norwalk Member Username: Norwalk Post Number: 62 Registered: 11-2006 |
On a lighter note : Fiction - Michael Zadoorian: Second Hand | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 479 Registered: 07-2005 |
Frank Miller's RoboCop | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 2715 Registered: 02-2005 |
Sugrue's book is informative (at least parts). The actual title is 'Origins of the Urban Crisis.' The Buildings of Detroit is classic. For fiction, I think Middlesex is the best. It did win a Pulitzer. | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 480 Registered: 07-2005 |
Who Killed Detroit?: Other Cities Beware! by Diane Holloway Ph.D. and Johannes F Spreen | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 3269 Registered: 10-2003 |
https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/6790/77218.html | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 244 Registered: 11-2005 |
Jose Vergara's The new american ghetto. Poems by Robert Hayden, Phillip Levine, Jim Daniels. Kevin Boyles book on the sweet case (can't remember the name right now) (Message edited by Urbanoutdoors on April 23, 2007) | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 481 Registered: 07-2005 |
A personal favorite: The Detroit Almanac: 300 years of life in the Motor City by Peter Gavrilovich and Bill McGraw | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 482 Registered: 07-2005 |
The Westside is the Bestside by Jjaba Ph.D. | ||
Valkyrias Member Username: Valkyrias Post Number: 451 Registered: 02-2005 |
kevin boyle's book is called arc of justice and is about the ossian sweet trials | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 245 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks Valkyrias, I was drawing a blank for some reason. | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1161 Registered: 11-2004 |
I second the Arc of Justice. Quite well done. Others that you should check out: Hard Stuff: Coleman Young's autobiography. The stuff toward the end of the book is more propaganda, but the beginning of it where he explains his upbringing explains an awful lot. Made in Detroit: Well written, although it tails off in the end. The Quotations Of Mayor Coleman A. Young: This is a short yet incredibly enjoyable read. A must read on the Detroit list. Also, I highly recommend checking out the previous threads on this subject linked higher up by MikeM. They are much more comprehensive than this thread can ever dream of becoming. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 839 Registered: 07-2004 |
Algiers Motel Incident by John Hersey | ||
Andylinn Member Username: Andylinn Post Number: 366 Registered: 04-2006 |
i'd be interested in a detroit book book club.. i'm reading Y.B.I. [out of print] autobiography of Butch Jones right now. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1354 Registered: 01-2005 |
"The Westside is the Bestside" by Jjaba Ph.D. That was just one of a series. Other titles he later wrote are: "Tales of the Dexter Bus Line" "The Routes of The Detroit Times", or, "How I saved enough for my first house". "East Side: The Horrors of Being Lost in a Strange Land". "Ewald Circle: Trolleys on the Island". "The Exposing of Lewis Cass and His High School". I think they're all out of print, but one or two might turn up on Ebay some day. | ||
Schoolcraft Member Username: Schoolcraft Post Number: 112 Registered: 07-2005 |
Bad Boys! Isiah Inside Pitch-Roger Craig | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 248 Registered: 11-2005 |
Very Grim but any of Sidney Fine's out of print books. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2234 Registered: 10-2003 |
Loren Estelman's Detroit Series novels fictionalizing various eras of Detroit, including Thunder City, Jitterbug, and Edsel. | ||
Tkierpiec Member Username: Tkierpiec Post Number: 21 Registered: 03-2007 |
I've got a few books if somebody wants them - off the top of my head, I know I have The Detroit Almanac, Made in Detroit, Hard Stuff & Origins of the Urban Crisis (this book was an amazing read, in my opinion.) I'm in the process of moving and things are packed away at the moment but if you give me a week to unpack boxes, you can have them all for free. | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1162 Registered: 11-2004 |
I'm interested in Hard Stuff and Origins of the Urban Crisis. Please send me an e-mail to 5column at gmail dot com. (Message edited by E_hemingway on April 23, 2007) | ||
Swbaby12345 Member Username: Swbaby12345 Post Number: 22 Registered: 02-2007 |
The best one though is.... Detroit: A Tourist's Guide by Helen Earth hehehe | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 1047 Registered: 08-2006 |
No one liked Devil's Night by Ze'ev Chafets? I'm sure I spelled the name wrong, don't start a thread about it..PLEASE! | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 535 Registered: 05-2006 |
Loren Estelman's Detroit Series novels fictionalizing various eras of Detroit, including Thunder City, Jitterbug, and Edsel. ______________________________ ___________________ Hey Kathleen, you forgot the best book in that series. "Whiskey River". Ever read any of the Amos Walker mystery's? Great accounts of present day Detroit. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 802 Registered: 12-2005 |
On the Jan. 2006 thread about this same subject, Neilr wrote: quote: I have to whole-heartedly agree with Neilr, American Odyssey is very readable and instructive. It was through reading this book that I first learned that the majority of the venture capital used to fund the enterprises that "built" Detroit came from Boston bankers and businessmen, not New York financiers. | ||
Gtat44 Member Username: Gtat44 Post Number: 118 Registered: 02-2007 |
I also agree Mikeg, read that one many,many times. It was one of the first books on Detroit I ever read. BTW, still looking for the paperback about the man growing up in the 6 Mile and Troester area and going to Assumption Grotto in the 40's and 50's. Can't seem to find it on Amazon. It was written by a guy that used to hang out at Tudge's in S.C.S. Front cover had a boy sitting on top of a garage. Illustrated. Thanks for any help. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 610 Registered: 01-2005 |
Many of Elmore Leonard's novels. "52 Pickup" was a good one. | ||
Swiburn Member Username: Swiburn Post Number: 110 Registered: 07-2006 |
You'd have to include Devil's Night-that's probably the main recently relevant book on the Detroit scene. An absolute must (hope it's still in print.) "Buildings of Detroit" is a great book, but maybe for an architecture book talk. | ||
Karenk Member Username: Karenk Post Number: 34 Registered: 07-2006 |
The Detroit Public Library should have all of these titles you have mentioned, especially local authors. |
