Customer Reviews

Devil's Night: And Other True Tales of Detroit

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's twenty years old, but this is the best and most accessible nonfiction account of Detroit's traumatic postwar decline I have read. The writer, a white Israeli-American, approaches the subject without too much sensationalism, and does a good job of explaining how the race and class wars of the sixties and seventies led to political solidification of Coleman Young's machine, for better or for worse.

So: I'm constantly reading research studies for work, and can very much appreciate the critique lodged at this book by the first 2 reviewers. It doesn't begin to scratch at the surface to find comprehensive problem/solution relationships between Detroit's demise & possible causes, a rich history of events, and/or possible solutions ahead.

As a native of the area who was born in Ann Arbor and ceased all residence in the area at 22, I just darn enjoyed the book- a lot. One area where I do feel it succeeds wildly, is providing a glimpse into the area's bizzare-ish folklore and fractured social fabric.

I love the city of Detroit (proper), and if I didn't have a creative thing established in the Bay Area, I'd likely move back. I frequently recommend this book to folks in search of a quick-read piece to offer some clarity into quirks, that history books and more deeply-analytical critical writings, don't. There are dozens of books that critically examine race relations, economic impacts, industry movement, etc., but this one simply tells some stories- and stories that imho, are important to consider, in assessing the cultural/human impact, abreast the critical & academic readings.

As with many books: this is a great one to compliment a stack, if you're looking to read a few to get a good perspective... but it's not "the one," though I don't think was ever intended to be.

A very stark, often poignant tale of the social and demographic changes experienced in Detroit during the 1960s and 1970s. Chavets also draws some very interesting comparisons between Detroit and Israel as societies under seige. If you can find this book, read it!!

The quote above sums up Ze'ev Chafet's view of Detroit. Chafets grew up in suburban Pontiac, but left Michigan to live in Israel in 1967. About 20 years later, Chafets returned to find that white flight had transformed Detroit. Devil's Night is the story of what he found.

To Chafets, Detroit was the first major city in which black Americans were firmly in charge of their own destiny. Detroit, then, is a model of what the rest of America could become. Chafet's picture is relentlessly depressing. Even Detroit's Chief of Police says "This city is just one big ghetto..." (p. 41).

A large part of the book focuses on Detroit's first black mayor - Coleman Young - who served five terms from 1973 to 1993. Young's popularity reveals both the anger and ambitions of Detroit's black residents. White suburbanites and Young share a mutual contempt.

Chafet's story is also personal. He relates that his grandfather was murdered while running a small grocery in Detroit. As a youth, Chafets had a black friend named Charles, who taught Chafets about black culture. The two men parted on bad terms and Chafets wonders what became of Charles.

Devil's Night is fascinating in its depiction of Detroit as a Third World city in the U.S. (For a starkly different view of Detroit, read Coleman Young's entertaining autobiography Hard Stuff). Devil's Night "grabs" the reader and won't let go - find a copy and read it.

Those that refuse to see the truth of America's cities too easily dismiss this book as being biased or too negative. However, Detroit is indeed deserving of all the negativity, especially for those who have experienced the years of decay and trauma that have erupted from within city limits.

Chafetz cleverly uses Detroit's famous "Devil's Night" as a moniker, a night when the city folk actually burn down their own neighborhoods for fun. I grew up going through many a Devil's Nights, so I have seen firsthand the level of sickness inherent in this ritual. Chavetz does some interesting interviews, though his thoroughness is lacking, and I see that he really doesn't get a good grip on the root of the city's problems, that being corruption, affirmative action, divisiveness toward the suburbs, and tax policies that drive away those that might otherwise be Detroit residents.

Detroit is a poster child for the effects upon a spontaneous order at the hand of racially divisive power grabs and coercive political machinations, but I wouldn't count on Chavetz to give a scholarly and accurate view of that. The book is interesting, slightly sensationalized, and never scholarly, but overall, it is a decent overview on the problems of Detroit.

this book makes some interesting points, and some true ones. however, its downfall is its sensationalism. 'devil's night' finds its audience in people who love to hear bad things about detroit--& urban america in general. it is not a truly balanced story, although it is the account you will find on most news shows & magazine covers. i encourage you to investigate other angles on detroit.