Detroit : : an American Autopsy

Locations
Call Number: 977.434 Le, Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / United States / Michigan / LeDuff, Charlie
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	977.434 Le	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	977.434 Le	4-week checkout	Due 03-10-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / United States / Michigan / LeDuff, Charlie	4-week checkout	Due 05-21-2024

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Wow...interesting submitted by Shirlina on June 24, 2014, 11:40am This book has some crazy and interesting descriptions of the in and outs of the city of the Detroit. Mr. LeDuff's family history and personal life could probably be a separate volume, what you read in here only scratches the surface. If you read this book, you may ask yourself " There's no way that could have happened", whatever the case it was entertaining.

Reason for hope submitted by cjkoho on July 25, 2014, 2:54pm I have a secret wish to buy up a block in Detroit and make it a place for artists to come, live, and create. I keep trying to talk my husband (the contractor) into it. It may remain a pipe dream, but until then, I'll read about Detroit voraciously and hope.

This book just makes me sad. There is so much hopelessness and despair on the empty streets of Detroit. LeDuff writes about generations of children who grew up lost in the shuffle. They turn to drugs, gangs, and crime because there is nothing else. Even the kids who dream of finishing high school and getting out are at terrible risk of not making it to the age of 20.

There is corruption in every level of Detroit government - from the mayor to the judges to the police. I keep thinking, "once they get rid of (fill in the blank), things will get better". LeDuff's view is that unless there's a giant tsunami that takes out everyone, things will never change. And yet, he lives on the outskirts of the city, raising his daughter in and around this crater of a city.

There are pockets of hopefulness in Detroit. Will they grow? Will the neighborhoods come back? Detroit will never be what it once was, but there's a spark and that's what I'm pinning my hopes on.

Loved this book submitted by wendylawrencemorgan on July 30, 2014, 12:19pm This book is a great look at Detroit. It's a well-written and easy read. Easy in terms of good prose, not in terms of the subject matter. It takes a personal twist on Detroit's history and current situation, making it feel even more immediate and personal.

depressing, but good reporting submitted by 21621031390949 on July 1, 2017, 10:33pm Very good journalistic report on the decline of Detroit. Interesting, but depressing. No happy ending in this book.

Wow! submitted by bookher on August 15, 2018, 1:23pm If all this is true... just WOW! What a horribly corrupt city. I would like to see Charlie LeDuff write a current book with Mike Duggan now as the mayor and all the changes going on now. I wonder if it would be a bit more positive.

Usbsbhe submitted by CarterEaston on June 14, 2019, 4:18pm Usb

Unfettered and Honest submitted by parlettes on July 18, 2020, 1:58pm LeDuff is one of those writers that is frank, unfettered and completely honest. His autopsy of Detroit makes you feel despair, sadness and hopelessness. It is not a feel-good story about the city's rebirth or its many wonderful things. It is a look at the dark corners and characters that have given Detroit its nasty reputation. LeDuff's book makes me want to know about the other stories of the city's residents - their histories and hopes.

You won't be happy while you read this but you will learn a lot.