  Izzyindetroit Member Username: Izzyindetroit Post Number: 157 Registered: 07-2008 |
I am looking for books on Detroit for a friend for Christmas. I did a quick search on the forum here but came up empty handed. Any suggestions?? He already has Detroit, American Urban Renaissance and American City. | ||
Ronaldj Member Username: Ronaldj Post Number: 74 Registered: 01-2007 |
Detroit, My Own Home Town by Malcolm W. Bingay. A very good overview of history and politics in the first half of the 20th Century. Beside becoming the long time editor of the Detroit Free Press, his alter ego "Iffy the Dopester" appeared regularly in the paper's sports pages. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1728 Registered: 12-2006 |
What type of book does your friend like? Here are a couple of wildly different suggestions. John King can find 'em if you can't. 1. When Eastern Michigan Rode the Rails (essentially a history of the streetcar and interurban transit systems that thrived around here in the early 20th century) 2. Devil's Night and Other True Tales of Detroit by Ze'ev Chafets (not a flattering account, but fascinating) 3. The Quotations of Coleman A. Young (the "little red book" a la Mao Tse-Tung) | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 9798 Registered: 10-2003 |
Two suggestions; Check out Pure Detroit for new or John King for good used out-of-print selections. | ||
Bobl Member Username: Bobl Post Number: 250 Registered: 07-2008 |
The Detroit Almanac 300 years of life in the Motor City Published by the Detroit Free Press, 2001 Edited by Peter Gavrilovich & Bill McGraw Offers some interesting information in capsule form about Detroit history and folklore. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 3147 Registered: 10-2003 |
Within the Detroit Holiday Happenings - 2008 Season thread at https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/5/162926.html?1228939048, I've included sources for unique and Detroit gift ideas, including this: Wayne State University Press http://wsupress.wayne.edu/inde x.php WSU Press offers a full range of books on Detroit and Michigan topics. Painted Turtle (Detroit topics) http://wsupress.wayne.edu/pain tedturtle/ Great Lakes Books Series http://wsupress.wayne.edu/grea tlakes/glbseries1.html Made in Michigan Writers http://www2.wsupress.wayne.edu /series.php?id=5 They've got a terrific selection to choose from! If he likes fiction, then maybe Detroit Noir, a book of short stories by local writers. Check out http://www.detroitnoir.com/. You can still find this book at local bookstores. | ||
Ruxy17 Member Username: Ruxy17 Post Number: 34 Registered: 08-2007 |
Thomas Sugrue's "The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit" is a great book. | ||
Mhc Member Username: Mhc Post Number: 1 Registered: 04-2006 |
"Detroit Noir", a GREAT collection of short stories by Detroit writers. Also great, "Abandon Automobile" by contemporary Detroit poets.. | ||
Rickinatlanta Member Username: Rickinatlanta Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2006 |
Arcadia Publishing has a LOT of books detailing specific Detroit "institutions" such as The Olympia, the Masonic Temple, and one written by a poster here on DY called Detroits Downtown Movie Palaces. Just Google Arcadia Detroit Books and you'll find them. I know for a fact that the larger area bookstotres carry them as well. | ||
Sumas Member Username: Sumas Post Number: 5 Registered: 01-2008 |
I am surprised no one mention "All Our Yesterdays" | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2004 |
From Metro Times gift guide: http://metrotimes.com/news/sto ry.asp?id=13464 | ||
Bike4beer Member Username: Bike4beer Post Number: 54 Registered: 09-2008 |
Brewed in Detroit: Breweries and Beers Since 1830 (Great Lakes Books) I just picked up a copy from http://www.bureauliving.com/. I have not cracked it yet however. Here is more info on it http://astore.amazon.com/beeri smylife/detail/0814326617 | ||
Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 569 Registered: 07-2006 |
If your friend is interested in urban history/studies, I second Ruxy's suggestion of Thomas Sugrue's Origins of the Urban Crisis. | ||
Oldestuff Member Username: Oldestuff Post Number: 101 Registered: 01-2007 |
Detroit Then & Now Historic Photos of Detroit | ||
Winstin_o_boogie_iii Member Username: Winstin_o_boogie_iii Post Number: 165 Registered: 02-2007 |
If your friend is a rock n roller, try Grit, Noise, and Revolution: the Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll by David A. Carson. Amazon page here http://www.amazon.com/Grit-Noi se-Revolution-Birth-Detroit/dp /0472031902/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie =UTF8&s=books&qid=1229029063&s r=8-1 | ||
Detrola Member Username: Detrola Post Number: 90 Registered: 02-2006 |
I love the photo on the cover of The Detroit Almanac. Anyone know where that sign WAS when the photo was taken? | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3728 Registered: 01-2005 |
"Detroit Police Department", one of the Images of America series, was just released recently. Mainly photos with some text. Available at Amazon. | ||
Oldestuff Member Username: Oldestuff Post Number: 102 Registered: 01-2007 |
If you are looking for fiction - try Elmore Leonard or Loren Estellman or Lawrence Block - Most of those mysteries are set in the Detroit area and are fun to read. | ||
Urbanophile Member Username: Urbanophile Post Number: 15 Registered: 11-2008 |
It's perhaps a little obtuse, but one suggestion is Afterculture: Detroit and the Humiliation of History by Jerry Herron. | ||
Williamsfamilyfungi Member Username: Williamsfamilyfungi Post Number: 30 Registered: 08-2008 |
Detroit: I Do Mind Dying A Study in Urban Revolution Dan Georgakas and Marvin Surkin | ||
Crash67 Member Username: Crash67 Post Number: 75 Registered: 05-2007 |
The Detroit Historical Society offers a 2009 Days of Detroit calendar with historic photos and a historic item for each day of the year .... I bought a 11 of them as gifts this year ... www.detroithistorical.org or stop at their Museum Store ... admission is free right now! | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 2102 Registered: 12-2005 |
Detrola - That photo of the "Detroit City Limit" sign was taken alongside northbound I-75 between Outer Drive and Schaefer at approximately this location. The text on page 3 of that book describes driving north on I-75 approaching the city and that page includes a similar photo of that sign taken with a telephoto lens which shows more clearly the Marathon Refinery storage tanks on the opposite side of the freeway. | ||
Macknwarren Member Username: Macknwarren Post Number: 94 Registered: 10-2007 |
Detrola, Mikeg is correct. | ||
Thirdheart Member Username: Thirdheart Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2009 |
Just finished reading new book by fellow Detroiter, "Motown Girl Sister Golden Hair", written by Johnnie Sue Bridges. It was a great story about the author's life growing up on the southwest side. She actually received a favorable review from The Middlesboro Daily News. You can go to author's website for more details. www.johnniesuebridges.com | ||
Big_baby_jebus Member Username: Big_baby_jebus Post Number: 40 Registered: 09-2008 |
This isn't exactly a Detroit book it has a great retrospective of Detroit landmarks as well as others in the mid-west & east cost. http://www.amazon.com/American -Ruins-Camilo-Jose-Vergara/dp/ product-description/1580930565 | ||
Big_baby_jebus Member Username: Big_baby_jebus Post Number: 41 Registered: 09-2008 |
This isn't exactly a Detroit book it has a great retrospective of Detroit landmarks as well as others in the mid-west & east cost. http://www.amazon.com/American -Ruins-Camilo-Jose-Vergara/dp/ product-description/1580930565 | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3370 Registered: 07-2004 |
This isn't exactly a Detroit book it has a great retrospective of Detroit landmarks as well as others in the mid-west & east cost. http://www.amazon.com/American -Ruins-Camilo-Jose-Vergara/dp/ product-description/1580930565 | ||
Bongman Member Username: Bongman Post Number: 680 Registered: 12-2003 |
I just finished "Made in Detroit: A South of 8 Mile Memoir" by Paul Carson What a bitter waste of time, imo. | ||
Smoniqueking Member Username: Smoniqueking Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2008 |
Hey Thirdheart I found that book review. Here it is. Love, laughter and lessons learned MIDDLESBORO — Everyone can relate to sitting down with friends and reminiscing about old times. No matter how young or how old you may be, everybody has a story of “back in the day.” Memories of love, laughter and lessons learned are what makes us unique in who we are. Simply put, those memories are our life. The story of life for Middlesboro native and highly acclaimed author Johnnie Sue Bridges in her second biographical release, Motown Girl: Sister Golden Hair is one that cannot go unnoticed. Motown Girl is a book that breaks your heart, mends it back together, brings a smile to your face, tears to your eyes and ultimately gives you a sense of serenity, knowing that we are not our own keeper. Motown Girl: Sister Golden Hair is set in the 197 0’s and depicts Bridges’ life as an adolescent. Growing up in the inner city of Detroit, Mich. was rough for Bridges and she often resorts to violence to protect herself, her siblings, and her reputation. As a girl, Bridges struggles to cope with relocating and adapting to life in the big city, following her family’s move from Middlesboro. She constantly wrestles with the loss of her mother and continually tries to hide her grief. Due to her mother’s passing, Bridges is forced to live with her grandmother — a woman who continually expresses her emotions through “tough love.” While still a teen, Bridges turned to drugs to fit in with her environment and as a coping mechanism. Several times, Bridges refers to getting high or drunk, alongside her friends and family members. But in the end, Bridges discovers that she wants more out of life. “No one told us that stuff would kill ya,” states Bridges in Motown Girl: Sister Golden Hair. Nearing the end of the book, Bridges learns the devastating outcome of drug abuse as she watches those near and dear to her heart begin to fall away as a result of “hard life.” At that point, Bridges seeks change — she gives her life to God. She turns to a higher power for the questions, answers and success of her career. After reading Motown Girl, I felt a close connection with Bridges: A sympathy and a similarity. The stories she writes about are in-depth and personal; they are heartfelt and moving; they are honest, emotional and nothing but the truth. God is in control! I feel as if I’ve known Bridges my entire life, and would recommend everyone else to know her, too, by reading Motown Girl: Sister Golden Hair. Motown Girl: Sister Golden Hair, the sequel to Bridges’ first release Shadows and Scars, is available now through online retailers: Target, Barnes & Noble and Xlibris. You may also order Bridges’ books by phone at (888) 795-4274 extension 7876. Bridges also hosts a website at www.johnniesuebridges.com and a communitive myspace.com page. Sarah Miracle is a staff writer for the Daily News. She can be contacted via e-mail at smiracle@middlesborodailynews. com. Thanks for reading! The Middlesboro Daily News - Local News, Sports, Classifieds & Businesses in Middlesboro, Kentucky | ||
Philbo Member Username: Philbo Post Number: 80 Registered: 09-2008 |
Check out "Violence in the model city " by Sidney Fine. Its based mostly on the 1967 riot but gets into the history of the city as well. | ||
Blackmike Member Username: Blackmike Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2009 |
The ultimate coffee table book about Detroit: Frontier Metropolis: Picturing Early Detroit, 1701-1838 http://www.amazon.com/Frontier -Metropolis-Picturing-Detroit- 1701-1838/dp/0814327672/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=12326 54506&sr=8-1 On a cloudy day, with a snifter of brandy, this book is the ultimate retreat into Detroit's early history. It was created by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, a curator at the Clements Library at U of M (http://www.clements.umich.edu/). It includes some gorgeous hand-drawn images of early Detroit. Another great book for understanding the culture of Detroit's original settlers in the larger context of New France is La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada--A Cultural History http://www.amazon.com/Nouvelle -France-Canada-Cultural-Histor y/dp/0870135287/ref=sr_1_1?ie= UTF8&s=books&qid=1232654971&sr =1-1 | ||
Wpitonya Member Username: Wpitonya Post Number: 76 Registered: 08-2005 |
Detroit Across Three Centuries...amazing. Also Detroit: Then and Now...although it's actually a little outdated now even though it was put out maybe 6 or 7 years ago. | ||
Johnnie_sue_bridges Member Username: Johnnie_sue_bridges Post Number: 34 Registered: 08-2007 |
Here are a couple of great book on Detroit. Road Through Motown by Ralph Terrana. He was a member of The Sunliners who left the group before they became Rare Earth. Check out: http://soulfuldetroit.com/ , which is run by Ralph. He also has a book out about his experiences: http://www.amazon.com/Road-Thr ough-Motown-Ralph-Terrana/dp/1 904408230/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s =books&qid=1233362971&sr=1-2 Gordon Castelnero’s TV Land Detroit http://www.dreamworldenterpris es.net/index1.html http://www.amazon.com/TV-Land- Detroit-Gordon-Castelnero/dp/0 472031244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s =books&qid=1233339454&sr=1-1 | ||
Aarne_frobom Member Username: Aarne_frobom Post Number: 83 Registered: 10-2005 |
If you want to know what it was like to work in a GM plant during the period of Roger Smith, and laugh your butt off at the same time, you need to read "Rivethead" by Ben Hamper. This was reprinted a couple years ago and may still be available. (Hamper lived in Flint, where he provided the raw material for the Flint Voice that Michael Moore rode to fame on. But Flint, Saginaw, Lansing, Muskegon, Pontiac and many others are basically just extensions of Detroit.) | ||
Winstin_o_boogie_iii Member Username: Winstin_o_boogie_iii Post Number: 172 Registered: 02-2007 |
Getting Ghost, authored by Luke Bergmann and published last month is reviewed in today's Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/ SB123353507059837719.html "Crowned as the arsenal of democracy in World War II, Detroit seemed to have everything going for it -- a strategic location on the Great Lakes waterway, a thriving auto industry, well-paying jobs and the legacy of superb city planning: magnificent avenues and parks, palace-like public buildings, striking commercial architecture and handsome residential housing in dozens of thriving neighborhoods." "How much things have changed. Detroit today is so deeply depressed economically and so permeated by its illegal drug trade that it is now perfectly apt to tell the city's story from the point of view of two young black drug dealers" | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1649 Registered: 07-2004 |
For those interested in early Detroit, there's Dark River: A Novel of Suspense by Heather Buchanan. The books covers 1700s slavery in Detroit as well as the riverfront development scandal of the Cass Farm Company in the 1800s. It's at Borders and Barnes & Noble and on amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Riv er-Heather-Buchanan/dp/0971821 496/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books &qid=1233855950&sr=1-8 | ||
Johnnie_sue_bridges Member Username: Johnnie_sue_bridges Post Number: 35 Registered: 08-2007 |
Motown, Guitars, and Bars Written by our very own Funk Brother, Dennis Coffey. http://www.denniscoffeysite.co m http://www.press.umich.edu/tit leDetailDesc.do?id=17544 Lots of fantastic Detroit information in this well-written book. | ||
Johnnie_sue_bridges Member Username: Johnnie_sue_bridges Post Number: 38 Registered: 08-2007 |
A must read is one of our very own Detroit News reporter, Susan Whitall, "Women of Motown." She is one fantastic writer. Check out her Web site. http://www.susanwhitall.com/in dex.htm | ||
Haikoont Member Username: Haikoont Post Number: 89 Registered: 09-2008 |
Detroit Books This one just opened And this one just closed | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1730 Registered: 11-2005 |
Anyone know of a huge coffee table book about the Hudson's demo? Someone at Pres Wayne mentioned it the other day. Apparently, the photog is/was a CCS photo professor and got some AMAZING stuff. It was supposed to be huge and expensive. Anyone ever see it or know where to find it? As I don't know what it's called, I've had trouble finding it on Google. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 678 Registered: 06-2005 |
 In 1980 the Detroit free Press ran a major series of articles entitled Blacks in Detroit. Most, but not all, of the articles with the accompanying charts, maps, and many, many photos were compiled and reprinted into a 81/2 x 11, 100+ page soft-bound book. Blacks in Detroit, 1980, Scott McGehee and Susan Watson, Project Editors. | ||
Garrick Member Username: Garrick Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2009 |
For getting the feel of historical, vibrant early 20th century Detroit, its hard to beat "Ford: The Men and the Machine" by Robert Lacey and "The Fords" by Peter Collier and David Horowitz. They both cover the exact same subject matter (and obviously center around the Ford clan) but have added immeasurably to my understanding of Detroit's salad days. A feast of detail for anyone interested in the city! Unfortunately both are long out of print, but they are available at used bookstores and online. I've read each of my copies three times now. W. Hawkin's Ferry "The Buildings of Detroit" is also a cover-to-cover must read, as it tell the story of Detroit through its built environment in the same way the Ford books tell the story through a biography of its 'first family'. Expensive and rare but also a treasured volume that you will return to many times. I'll also second Herron's Afterculture for post-apocalyptic props, and the Sugrue book. |
