Detroit Divided (Multi City Study of Urban Inequality) [Hardcover]

Reynolds Farley (Author), Sheldon Danziger (Author), Harry J. Holzer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0871542439 | ISBN-13: 978-0871542434 | Publication Date: June 2000

The passing of Detroit's manufacturing heyday stranded many workers who once earned good union wages. The authors explain why white auto workers adjusted to these new conditions more easily than blacks. With better access to education and suburban home loans, white men migrated into skilled jobs on the city's outskirts, while blacks faced the twin barriers of higher skill demands and hostile suburban neighborhoods. Some blacks have prospered despite this racial divide: a black elite has emerged, and the shift in the city toward municipal and service jobs has allowed black women to approach parity of earnings with white women. But Detroit remains polarized racially, economically, and geographically to a degree seen in few other American cities.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

"Detroit Divided is a deeply researched and compelling book. Farley, Holzer, and Danziger have written, far and away, the best informed and most rigorous survey of race and economics in an American metropolis today. Their book is an essential starting point for those who want to understand and solve the problem of persistent racial inequality in America. Everyone concerned with Detroit and the fate of our troubled cities should read and re-read Detroit Divided." ---Thomas J. Sugrue, Bicentennial Class of 1940 Professor of History and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania

"Detroit is the quintessential "divided city" – racially, economically, politically, geographically. The distinguished interdisciplinary trio of Farley, Holzer, and Danziger parlay a unique, rich database into an unparalleled analysis of the nature and causes of these divides in Detroit Divided. The authors unprecedented ability to link demand- and supply-sides of the metropolitan labor market provides exciting new insights into race-class divisions." —George Galster, Clarence Hilbery Professor of Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

Product Details

• Hardcover: 309 pages
• Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871542439
• ISBN-13: 978-0871542434
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,767,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched, fascinating view of SE Mich, April 24, 2004

By 

K Reeves (Farmington Hills, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Detroit Divided (Paperback)

Detroit Divided covers many issues well-known to residents of SE Michigan - issues such as racism, the labor market, housing, transportation, etc., always coming back to the question of what factors influence the segregation of the city and its suburbs.
It was published in 2000, and is still quite up-to date, but there is no mention of the influence of recent changes in Detroit's downtown, such as GM, sports stadiums, casinos, and current revitalization projects.
What I really liked about this book was the survey data from the census, and from surveys done by residents in the inner city and the suburbs. I liked finding out about what "We as Detroiters" had to say about these issues, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of the findings because I see them on a daily basis. It is nice to have numbers to back up what are vague mental pictures of what the situation involves.
I learned quite a bit about the area, things I didn't know about our history and about the present. Professionals in urban issues will certainly use this book, but I would also recommend it to the general public and especially to residents in Detroit and SE Mich.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Stop Reading, December 22, 2005

By 

P. McGrady - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Detroit Divided (Paperback)

Why does this metropolis continue to have the most racially divided composition of the United States? Well, if you find yourself with the same question I reccomend this book. It gives good insight into how metropolitan Detroit became the city it is today and insight into what those of your race and and the other are doing/thinking. If you are curious about the extended population other than the whites/blacks then don't buy this but my money was well spent.