Detroit is a city that has given much to America throughout its history: famous cars, a thriving automotive industry that earned it the nickname The Motor City, the uniquely American sound of Motown, support for civil rights and organized labor, and more. In 1963, Detroit was a great American city on top of its game. Exactly fifty years later, it filed for bankruptcy.
Author David Maraniss has written a stunning book about the fall of Detroit by writing, surprisingly, about Detroit at its height in 1963. In “Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story” Maraniss shows that the cracks in Detroit’s foundation were apparent even during its boom years. Problems included, but were not limited to, the demise of labor unions, the weakening of the middle class, and white flight.
In exploring the optimism of Detroit in the early 1960s and the signs of major problems to come, Maraniss tells the city’s story by overlapping the stories of Detroiters from all walks of life, including politicians, musicians, and auto executives. Some of the famous Detroit citizens he highlights are Henry Ford II, Lee Iacocca, Berry Gordy, Jr. (founder of the Motown record label), George Romney (father of Mitt Romney), and the Reverend C.L. Franklin (Aretha Franklin’s father).
Weaving together storylines about race, politics, music, culture, and the iconic Ford Mustang, the author provides a picture of a once-great city that is now seeking a way to survive. Only time will tell if it can reclaim its former glory.
