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solaireastora's review
5.0
Extremely interesting and depressing book. Reading about the extreme dysfunction and collapse of Detroit feels like something that should be inconceivable in a first world nation.
The author does much investigative reporting - spending time with the Detroit fire department, police department, political establishment, and regular citizens.
Having grown up in Detroit and returning to live there again while writing the book, there are many of the author's own family details that lend personal and emotional layers to the story.
"The people of Wayne County now couldn't afford to bury their loved ones. More than 250 sat unclaimed...
'You might say this is a fairly decent barometer of where we are as a society,' the good doctor said with a shrug." pg 179
"That didn't mean Johnnie was trash who should have been left at the bottom of an elevator shaft, said Homer as he fought back tears...
'I don't know why he said that,' Homer croaked. 'He was a person. He was a person. He was a person.'
Of course he was. Of course Nicky was. And Ashley. And all the other no-name "losers" out there. They were all loved by somebody." pg 141,142
The author does much investigative reporting - spending time with the Detroit fire department, police department, political establishment, and regular citizens.
Having grown up in Detroit and returning to live there again while writing the book, there are many of the author's own family details that lend personal and emotional layers to the story.
"The people of Wayne County now couldn't afford to bury their loved ones. More than 250 sat unclaimed...
'You might say this is a fairly decent barometer of where we are as a society,' the good doctor said with a shrug." pg 179
"That didn't mean Johnnie was trash who should have been left at the bottom of an elevator shaft, said Homer as he fought back tears...
'I don't know why he said that,' Homer croaked. 'He was a person. He was a person. He was a person.'
Of course he was. Of course Nicky was. And Ashley. And all the other no-name "losers" out there. They were all loved by somebody." pg 141,142
patvulaj's review against another edition
4.0
A dark look into Detroit and things that lead to its downfall as well as it’s current state. I enjoyed LaDuff delving deep into the city to share some of these stories of people and areas in the city that I was unaware of before reading this book.
kaylarage's review against another edition
2.0
Charlie LeDuff f*cking hated Detroit. But also loves it. But mostly hates it. And he's really bad at hiding it.
As a white girl who has spent most of her life a comfortable three hours away from the D, I have come to love it in only a way that a country Michigander can. That is, I know that it is a shit hole, but it is, somehow and only one generation back, my shit hole. Detroit is mostly garbage scattered with a few beautiful things.
Mr. Charlie LeDuff does not see these things. Instead, he goes about telling you every terrible thing that has ever happened in Detroit while also trying to convince you that all of the good things were only precursors to bring about more suffering. Also, his writing sometimes makes him sound like he's a hipster who is failing at appearing to be tough. (This image is only furthered by the cover photo.) And he's kind of racist and doesn't try to hide it, though, in my experience, this is pretty much a requirement for living in the Metro Detroit area.
Anyway, the book was alright. I'm glad I read the whole thing, though I wouldn't recommend it to other people. And I won't go seeking out other things by Charlie LeDuff.
As a white girl who has spent most of her life a comfortable three hours away from the D, I have come to love it in only a way that a country Michigander can. That is, I know that it is a shit hole, but it is, somehow and only one generation back, my shit hole. Detroit is mostly garbage scattered with a few beautiful things.
Mr. Charlie LeDuff does not see these things. Instead, he goes about telling you every terrible thing that has ever happened in Detroit while also trying to convince you that all of the good things were only precursors to bring about more suffering. Also, his writing sometimes makes him sound like he's a hipster who is failing at appearing to be tough. (This image is only furthered by the cover photo.) And he's kind of racist and doesn't try to hide it, though, in my experience, this is pretty much a requirement for living in the Metro Detroit area.
Anyway, the book was alright. I'm glad I read the whole thing, though I wouldn't recommend it to other people. And I won't go seeking out other things by Charlie LeDuff.
courtz531's review against another edition
This book is not what I expected. The narrator's voice was very annoying and the tone of the book was harsh and unintellectual. Disappointed.
lynnea713's review
4.0
This was a very good book. Be aware, it's depressing. But it's an insight in to a city that I don't venture in to often, or at all. I grew up about two hours north of Detroit and my city has had a bit of a trickle down effect from Detroit but not to the extent explained in detail in this book. I feel grateful that it hasn't fallen that far but also upset that such a city like Detroit has. Know that it's from a journalist point of view and biased because of that but still very worthy of a read.
schakett's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book about a city that burst at the seems and on the brink of not coming back. Inside perspective of how things go wrong in a town down on it's luck.
melmogle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I read this book because, as a lifelong Detroit Lions fan, I wanted to learn more about the city. I thought Detroit: An American Autopsy was going to really delve into the history and political elements that lead to Detroit’s decline. Instead, it was pretty much just a collection of anecdotes from LeDuff’s time as a journalist in Detroit. The anecdotes were interesting and entertaining, but I didn’t feel there was an overall structure to the book. It felt like an Impressionism painting that you’re standing too close to: you can see the individual strokes, but they don’t mean much if you can’t see the bigger picture. LeDuff tried to use himself as the anchoring point throughout the book, namely how he too has lived through the horrors Detroit has to offer, but those personal elements felt randomly thrown in rather than being a unifying thread throughout the book. The whole book was basically example after example of how Detroit is horrible, which I know it is not. There are beautiful things in Detroit. It’s a city that survives even after everything that’s happened there and there are many, many people that are evidence of that. The best part of this book was the people LeDuff highlights. Through their stories we get a glimpse of the good in Detroit. However, LeDuff’s tough-guy, overly self-aware writing drowns out the more compelling voices more often than not. The end result is a book that’s full of interesting stories that don’t add up to a satisfying whole. Ultimately, this was still fairly entertaining and did offer some insight into a suffering American city, but it could have done a lot more to paint a nuanced portrait of how a once great city fell from grace.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
4.0
This book is better than the other [b:Detroit: A Biography|18707728|Detroit A Biography|Scott Martelle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412532863l/18707728._SY75_.jpg|18338698] one I read last week.
This guy and this book can be summed up in two words: Hard A. Just look at Charlie on the cover. Like Tanner from Driver. When I read this book I can't help but have a scowl on my face and look around at everyone in disgust.
Why does Detroit participate in devil's night and how did it get started?
Why are firefighters Irish at heart?
I like what he said about publishing normal things, those should be everyday things and shouldn't be the news because when normal things become the news the abnormal become the norm.
The way that members of a society die reflects the way that they live.
I'm surprised that the three professional sport teams are still in Detroit. Why haven't they moved to other cities that are much larger?
There are no chain grocery stores in all of Detroit? Dang.
This guy and this book can be summed up in two words: Hard A. Just look at Charlie on the cover. Like Tanner from Driver. When I read this book I can't help but have a scowl on my face and look around at everyone in disgust.
Why does Detroit participate in devil's night and how did it get started?
Why are firefighters Irish at heart?
I like what he said about publishing normal things, those should be everyday things and shouldn't be the news because when normal things become the news the abnormal become the norm.
The way that members of a society die reflects the way that they live.
I'm surprised that the three professional sport teams are still in Detroit. Why haven't they moved to other cities that are much larger?
There are no chain grocery stores in all of Detroit? Dang.
mattleesharp's review
4.0
If you can get past LeDuff's self importance and sexism, this is actually a very interesting book. I don't mind the Raymond Chandler routine. It's at least consistent. And I do think part of exploring a city's history is exploring your own. This book provides concrete examples of the nebulous complaints you hear about what a shithole places like Detroit have become. And it provides insight into a lot of institutions (the court, fire stations, homicide divisions, the newspaper) that we only really see tackled in reality tv and wildly inaccurate cbs dramas. i probably wouldn't recommend this book to most people, but if the description sounded interesting to you, i don't think it will disappoint.