Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story

Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story
Author	David Maraniss
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Culture of Detroit ; Government of Detroit ; History of Detroit
Published	Simon & Schuster
Pages	409
ISBN	9781476748382
OCLC	894936463

Last updated June 20, 2019

Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story is a 2015 non-fiction book discussing the history of the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan, that was published by Simon & Schuster, focusing on the period between late 1962 to early 1964. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Maraniss, a Detroit native, it delves into socio-political topics such as the Civil Rights Movement, labor union organization, and the rise of the soul music label Motown. Significant emphasis is also placed on biographical details of prominent Midwestern figures; for example, the author describes Henry Ford II "impeccably dressed yet with a touch of the peasant, with his manicured nails and beer gut and carefree proclivities, his frat-boy party demeanor and head full of secrets."^[1]^[2]

Non-fiction or nonfiction is content whose creator, in good faith, assumes responsibility for the truth or accuracy of the events, people, or information presented. In contrast, a story whose creator explicitly leaves open if and how the work refers to reality is usually classified as fiction. Nonfiction, which may be presented either objectively or subjectively, is traditionally one of the two main divisions of narratives, the other traditional division being fiction, which contrasts with nonfiction by dealing in information, events, and characters expected to be partly or largely imaginary.

Detroit is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest United States city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2017 estimated population of 673,104, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music and as a repository for art, architecture and design.

Simon & Schuster, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, is an American publishing company founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was publishing 2,000 titles annually under 35 different imprints.

The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the Minneapolis Tribune in 1867 and the competing Minneapolis Daily Star in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolidated, with the Tribune published in the morning and the Star in the evening. They merged in 1982, creating the Star Tribune. After a tumultuous period in which the newspaper was sold and re-sold and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009, it was purchased by local businessman Glen Taylor in 2014.

Background and contents

Journalist David Maraniss previously authored biographies of public figures such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Barack Obama. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer is a Detroit native himself. He felt particularly inspired due to the cultural resonance of the popular "this the Motor City" Chrysler commercial during the 2011 Super Bowl.^[1]

David Maraniss is an American journalist and author, currently serving as an associate editor for The Washington Post.

William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Prior to the presidency, he was the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992, and the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was ideologically a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy.

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. is an American politician and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Gore was Bill Clinton's running mate in their successful campaign in 1992, and the pair was re-elected in 1996. Near the end of Clinton's second term, Gore was selected as the Democratic nominee for the 2000 presidential election but lost the election in a very close race after a Florida recount. After his term as vice-president ended in 2001, Gore remained prominent as an author and environmental activist, whose work in climate change activism earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Once in a Great City focuses on the city's socio-economic success during an about 18-month period from late 1962 to early 1964. He states that while negative trends would turn the location into a "city of decay" decades later, he still "wanted to illuminate a moment in time when Detroit seemed to be glowing with promise". Detroit's influence on the broader U.S. culture is emphasized in multiple ways; for example, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson maintained important ties with the city's Democratic politics.^[1]^[2]

The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western culture (European) origin and form, but is influenced by a multicultural ethos that includes African, Native American, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American people and their cultures. It also has its own social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore. The United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale migration from many countries throughout its history. Many American cultural elements, especially from popular culture, have spread across the globe through modern mass media.

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. He served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his presidency dealt with managing relations with the Soviet Union. A member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate prior to becoming president.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Formerly the 37th vice president of the United States from 1961 to 1963, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a United States Representative and as the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of only four people who have served in all four federal elected positions.

Racial conflict and struggles on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement are a major theme of the book. While largely beneficial economic growth helped build the American middle class in the city, its booming automotive businesses having large effects across the nation, at the same time "there was not a single car dealership in the United States with black ownership". Signs of Detroit's eventual decline exist in multiple instances, particularly given the tension among black leaders over non-violent, equality-based approaches and that of violent confrontation.^[1]^[2]

The American middle class is a social class in the United States. While the concept is typically ambiguous in popular opinion and common language use, contemporary social scientists have put forward several ostensibly congruent theories on the American middle class. Depending on the class model used, the middle class constitutes anywhere from 25% to 66% of households.

Maraniss particularly points out that sociologists at Wayne State University predicted in 1963 that Detroit's population would drop by a third and keep falling in the next decade. The academics forecast that both black and whites residents of the middle to upper classes would take advantage of Detroit's transportation infrastructure to head for suburbs. Thus, a growing segment left behind would be those that "suffer from relatively great housing, educational and general economic deprivations".^[1]^[2]

Sociology is the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction and culture of everyday life. It is a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order, acceptance, and change or social evolution. While some sociologists conduct research that may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter ranges from the micro-sociology level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure.

Wayne State University (WSU) is an American public research university located in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering nearly 350 programs to more than 27,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Wayne State University is Michigan's third-largest university.

Reviews and responses

The Star Tribune published a supportive review of the book by writer Susan Ager, who stated that as a Detroit native herself she nodded "in recognition throughout" it, "remembering and learning on every densely detailed page".^[1] Praise also came from The Seattle Times . However, given the author's "articulate writing" and other strengths, the publication's review commented, "Maraniss says he’ll leave to others the analysis of why the city had such a precipitous decline... [but] reading the detailed and startling contrast he draws between then and now, it’s impossible not to wish he had delved more deeply into the reasons why."^[2]

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ager, Susan (September 12, 2015). "Review: Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story, by David Maraniss". Star Tribune . Minneapolis. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Saul, John B. (September 13, 2015). "Once in a Great City: A Thriving Detroit on the Precipice". The Seattle Times . Retrieved June 2, 2017.

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[Ager-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ager, Susan (September 12, 2015). "Review: Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story, by David Maraniss". Star Tribune . Minneapolis. Retrieved May 21, 2017.

[Saul-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Saul, John B. (September 13, 2015). "Once in a Great City: A Thriving Detroit on the Precipice". The Seattle Times . Retrieved June 2, 2017.