Description
Book Synopsis: * Winner - Robert F. Kennedy Book Award (2016) * “Elegiac and richly detailed...[Maraniss] succeeds with authoritative, adrenaline-laced flair...evocative.” —Michiko Kakutani for The New York Times
As David Maraniss captures it with power and affection, Detroit summed up America’s path to music and prosperity that was already past history.It’s 1963 and Detroit is on top of the world. The city’s leaders are among the most visionary in America: Grandson of the first Ford; Henry Ford II; influential labor leader Walter Reuther; Motown’s founder Berry Gordy; the Reverend C.L. Franklin and his daughter, the amazing Aretha; Governor George Romney, Mormon and Civil Rights advocate; super car salesman Lee Iacocca; Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, a Kennedy acolyte; Police Commissioner George Edwards; Martin Luther King. It was the American auto makers’ best year; the revolution in music and politics was underway. Reuther’s UAW had helped lift the middle class. The time was full of promise. The auto industry was selling more cars than ever before and inventing the Mustang. Motown was capturing the world with its amazing artists. The progressive labor movement was rooted in Detroit with the UAW. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech there two months before he made it famous in the Washington march. Once in a Great City shows that the shadows of collapse were evident even then. Before the devastating riot. Before the decades of civic corruption and neglect, and white flight. Before people trotted out the grab bag of rust belt infirmities—from harsh weather to high labor costs—and competition from abroad to explain Detroit’s collapse, one could see the signs of a city’s ruin. Detroit at its peak was threatened by its own design. It was being abandoned by the new world. Yet so much of what Detroit gave America lasts.
Details
Experience the captivating story of Detroit's rise and fall in "Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story." Winner of the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, this book is a must-read for history enthusiasts and those interested in understanding the dynamics of a truly great American city. With vivid storytelling and meticulous attention to detail, David Maraniss takes readers on a journey through the height of Detroit's success in 1963, when it was a city teeming with visionaries and industry leaders.
Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of 1960s Detroit, where the likes of Henry Ford II, Berry Gordy, and Martin Luther King converged to shape history. Maraniss paints a vivid picture of a city at its pinnacle, where the auto industry boomed, Motown's music revolutionized the world, and the labor movement fought for the prosperity of the middle class. It was a time brimming with promise and possibility.
However, beneath the surface optimism, the narrative uncovers the shadows of collapse that loomed over Detroit. The city's eventual downfall wasn't a sudden occurrence but a culmination of factors rooted in its own design. Detroit's story serves as a cautionary tale, shedding light on the consequences of civic corruption, neglect, and the impact of white flight. Maraniss deftly reveals the signs of a city's demise that were visible even during its prime.
Despite its subsequent decline, Detroit's contributions to America endure. Its automotive innovations continue to shape the industry, Motown's timeless music resonates globally, and the labor movement's impact on the middle class reverberates to this day. "Once in a Great City" encapsulates the rise, triumphs, and struggles of Detroit—a city that held promise, faced adversity, and left an indelible mark on American history.
Don't miss out on this powerful and evocative story. Discover the rise and fall of Detroit in "Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story." Click here to get your copy today and embark on a journey through one of America's most fascinating cities.
Discover More Best Sellers in Africa
Shop Africa
Algériennes: The Forgotten Women of the Algerian Revolution (Graphic Medicine)
$9.40
Africa - Algériennes: The Forgotten Women of the Algerian Revolution (Graphic Medicine)
Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
$14.99
Africa - Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
Wall Talk: Graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution
$26.56
Africa - Wall Talk: Graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution
Warriors at Suez: Eisenhower Takes America into the Middle East
$2.50
Africa - Warriors at Suez: Eisenhower Takes America into the Middle East
Reconstruction after the Civil War, Third Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization)
$20.00
Africa - Reconstruction after the Civil War, Third Edition (The Chicago History of American Civilization)
