“Detroit: An American Autopsy” by Charlie LeDuff: A Book Every American Should Read Before Election Day
This is a modified version of a response I wrote on Quora.
When I challenged myself to read a book a week in November of 2013, Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff was one of the first books I read. I couldn’t put it down and read it in a matter of days, which is a feat for me because I am not a fast reader. It inspired me to read more and motivated me to attack my reading goal head-on.
The book starts when LeDuff, a Detroit native who spent several years in LA, decides to move back to Detroit and return to his roots. He talks about his move back with his wife and daughter, his experience working for The Detroit News, his bond with Detroit fireman, and his run-ins with local politicians. LeDuff does an excellent job of capturing a sense of place and time, and I often felt as though was actually the crumbling infrastructure and destitute poverty he wrote about in the book. Although there are very funny parts, the book is often heart-breaking. It made me sad that America seems to have forgotten about a city that was so key to our growth and development.
LeDuff is a somewhat controversial journalist who has been accused of not giving proper credit to sources used for his articles and plagiarism. Though it seems he has owned past mistakes and apologized for the incident of plagiarism, some have criticized him for focusing too much on the negative aspects of Detroit, without focusing on any of the positives. I have never been to Detroit, so I can only give me opinion as a humble outsider with a very limited perspective. I thought the book did an excellent job of making the reader feel deep sympathy for the people of Detroit. LeDuff wrote with intense passion about multiple instances of corruption and mismanagement of funds within the city government, and how this corruption has eroded many people’s sense of hope and trust. He highlighted the brave Detroit firefighters, people who do a job for very little money that many of us would not do for any sum of money. Because LeDuff is from Detroit, he was also able to weave some historical context into the narrative that helped my understanding of his experiences. While the book is about modern day Detroit, I thought he did a good job of connecting the past to the present, which gives the reader a better understanding of some of the complex issues the city faces today.
This book is a must-read, especially for people living in affluent areas. It can be easy to forget about the difficulty other Americans have to live with every day when you are not exposed to it. With the upcoming election, the issues discussed in the book seem more timely than ever. As America is forced to do some deep soul searching about who we really are and who we want to be, books like this can help inform our understanding of the big picture and teach us important lessons about our past successes and failures.
I would be curious to know what a native Detroiter thinks of the book and my impression of it. Please add a response if you feel like weighing in.
I am a director of academic support/special education teacher and writer. I love writing about/interviewing people about books, movies, music, records, and samplers.
If you enjoyed this piece, please consider sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, and recommending it on Medium.
You can also check out my Bookshelf Beats publication.
