Customer Reviews

Made in Detroit

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I read this book in a marathon sitting. I had a hard time believing that this is a first time author- the prose is gorgeous and suprisingly emotional.

If you have read the reviews in the Times, or the Wall Street Journal, or even the reviews here, you already know the general storyline. Above all, this book is going to be remembered for its honesty- it is tremendously politically incorrect given the earnestness of the times, and utterly refreshing.

I wonder at the reviewer before me- did we read the same book? Calling his father a "redneck" is highly suprising. The character is one of the most noble and endearing that I have come across in a long time. If he were a redneck, then I doubt he would have taken such care in instilling a sound moral character in his son. And criticizing the book because the author can't reconcile his feelings of race is just missing the point of the story- The inner struggle is what the book is about, and I doubt, faced with his expriences, that very few of us would be able to reconcile in the "happy ending" it seems she was looking for. And dissing the author for living in the suburbs? For the record, I live in the city. And when I have children, I will be leaving. Just like the author- it is not the P.C. thing to do, but as a parent (which, the author also is) it is the responsible thing to do. The schools are a disaster. Unless you live here, you should not judge.

It's a white thing you wouldn't understand is the theme of this story. A coming of age for author and Detroit and neither one is pretty. Of local interest to Metro Detroiters since the white angst he describes isn't present in other cities. More tract than memoir but still a good read.

I grew up in the same area, went to Catholic schools in the city, but I am just a few years old then the author. The author brings up many valid points in the book that some dismiss as racist. It's easy to call Clemens racist, but for those people that do, I guess it's easier then accepting some of the facts that are laid out in this book.

I still go downtown and don't let the hype of the crime keep me out, but facts are facts. The City has been dying for years, and with the re-election of Kilpatrick as Mayor, I don't see much desire on the part of the voters to do much to turn things around.

You can think Clemens as racist, but that's just simple way of denying some of the truth pointed out in the book. I don't agree with all of his premises, but he does make good points and there is a problem in this area which can't be denied. So don't just take the easy way out and call him a racist.

I heard about this book after it made the Times Notable Books List of 2005, and picked it up because it sounded interesting and was blurbed by Jeffery Eugenides. I didn't have the problems the other readers here seemed to have, and it might be that is because I am not from the Detroit area, hence have no outside connections, or expectations to be bruised. I thought it well written, and really funny in many parts. Not much, in the way of dynamic events occurs- this is an average man, with a pretty average life, which made it more accessible, in my opinion. It is a series of impressions of growing up, of neighborhoods and communities and families, and is written quite lovingly. The claim that it, or the author, is "racist" or some sort of misonygyst doesn't really fly with me. I thought his misunderstandings of women were perfect descriptions of how one would view women if they had been somewhat cloistered from dealing with them through adolescence, which the author was. I saw no racial anger until the part of the book where it is discovered that a few of his family members, notably his wife, had their lives endangered through violence, and then it dissipated as the story progressed, just as many strong opinions we all have have the tendency to soften with age and distance. I read this as the memoir of someone longing for the days past- a time before he realized the world he grew up in was vanishing fast, and before he came to dispute his father's philosophy that if you live a solid life, and leave other people alone, you can go through the world unscathed. I think these are longings everyone can relate to. and so I would recommend this book to anyone interested in new literary voices, or open to looking at a life a little through the looking glass.

Clemens book is an unflinchingly honest look at race relations in Detroit--not always a pretty subject. It is beautifully written, achingly true, often humorous, and always intriguing. We wrestle along with Clemens on how to live without prejudice, and like him, sometimes lose the battle. But waging the battle at all is noteworthy and especially relevant now in light of the Guld Coast disaster. This is a terrific book for anyone who lives in an urban area, grew up in the seventies or loves good writing.

I decided to pick up this book after I read conflicting reviews of it- it received praise from literary sources, such as the New York Times Book Review and the New Yorker, and recieved local attention as well, with praise from both of our local newspapers (in Detroit) and even a selection as the Free Press Book Club choice for September. The negative reviews I read were always from readers- such as the Melanie GIlbert review here and a really ridiculous and factualy incorrect one from a professor at an Diego State I found by accident on the web. Luckily, I chose to listen to sources who have a trained ear.

This book is not Sociology, and though it is historical, it is not a history text. If you read it in these perspectives, you will have a difficult time, because it is a memoir. And memoirs are just that- a recollection of memories and events. It is also very literary- there are large doses of Faulkner and O'Connor. If you cannot fathom reading these, or they just were not your cup of tea, then you might be better served reading something else. Mr. Clemens did do a little research and there are sources mentioned, But it is only to give readers who are not from the area an idea of some of the factors that led to the slow decline of the city. He did not intend for this to be a history primer. There are alot of strong opinions in it- opinions of people who surrounded the author and the author himself, although his role in it all seemed diminished next to the role of his father- which is fair in a way, becasue it is his father who you gain respect for. These other opinions- the men at the barbershop, the kids at school and on the playground, family members, the African Americans he interacted with and the hilarious Coleman Young, are what you remember, and I think these voices, the most controversial and un P.C., are what people are remembering when they lambast this as a "racist" book. It is refreshing to hear someone be honest, for once, about their doubts and failings when it comes to race. And in the end, I think the author, despite some really horrible circumstances that would cause most of us to think darkly, makes it through ok. He might not be attending affirmative action rallies any time soon, but I doubt he would have any problems interacting with the people he left behind when he left Detroit.

I really enjoyed this book, thought I might not have agreed with many of the opinions of the characters, it was fascinating and the prose was really wonderful. He talks about literary influences who helped inspired him and comprehend some very complex situations, from Joyce to Baldwin, and these influences show.

I found many of the reader reviews seemed to have a personal bone to pick- who's Detroit is right? Who's Detroit is the real Detroit- a guy who grew up on the west side in a nicely intergrated neighborhood, the person who lived in dire circumstances on the east side, or, like the author, the working class whites tucked away in a corner? They are all Detroit- and all are vastly different. Just like a memoir of someone living in the Bronx will probably be vastly different from someone living on the Upper East Side, this story is about a small part of Detroit, and though it is not always the face we are most comfortable with, it was clearly written with a certain amount of love.

For the record- I grew up in East Detroit, right over the border from 8 Mile around 8&Kelly.

I'm white, and I had plenty of white relatives who lived in Detroit. I went to an integrated private school on the border between Detroit and the suburbs, and had lots of black acquaintances with whom I got along with really well. I'd say, "I don't consider myself a racist," but the phrase doesn't benefit anyone. The people who would assume I'd say that, and who would judge me based on my skin- they'll presume I'm a racist no matter what I say.

I'm here to say that I love this book- I was given it for fathers day last year, and I only picked it up to read in the past few weeks. I'm just finishing it and I can say without any doubts that this is a wonderful book that really pegs the thoughts and feelings of the author accurately. His thoughts and feelings on growing up in Detroit, and as a minority white in a black majority city are typical of my friends and families experiences.

I love the city, and I love its people; although the majority of Detroiters seem to suffer from a "seige mentality" that leads them to make rather poor political choices. It seems- all you need to be successful as a politican in Detroit is highlight the troubles of the city and point North of 8 Mile indicating the problems were caused by outsiders. Or, at least that's my feeling- and this book captures that sentiment accurately.

I grew up a mile away from Paul Clemens. My family and I fled the area years before, and I'm probably 12-14 years older than him. I say fled because it was quickly becoming a drug zone. Went to the same high school. Mr. Clemens lays bare his feelings, opinions and attitudes, unabashedly. For people to call him racist is mystifying. Because he doesn't subscribe to "white guilt"? Because he observes malapropism without apology? It takes a big set of guts to give an opinion that is real. Some of the reviews I read make him out to be an elitist snob. I would encourage anyone interested in one of the more unique areas of the midwest to read this book. The experience is there for you to immerse yourself in. His prose is sparse and unflinching and spot on. That's more than I can say for much of the dreck out there today, including a few of the reviews I've read, namely from erudite professor.

Some of the reviews I have just read are rather misleading. "If you are a white male who is secretly racist this book will validate your feelings"? Uh-uh.

I discovered this book when the Times put it on the top 100 list. It is a story of a Gen-Xer white male, working class, growing up during Detroit's decline. The main theme is the white flight and resignation whites feel about a mayor, Coleman Young, who is clearly paranoid and unprofessional at the very least.

Clemens refuses to join in the race prejudice that is relatively easy and done on a low level, but when a legitimate anger towards a criminal (who raped his wife) comes up and he learns the attacker is black, he briefly feels tempted down that path. But he never does, basically forever pondering race relations and how to connect to black people beyond the Coleman Young--white flight--civil rights cliches everyone falls back on.

Incidentally, there are a lot of funny scenes here, of Clemens growing up typically male and goofing off with his friends. Women are treated with respect, although face it, this is not a book about Clemens and women! Duh, obviously women are not centra characters much of the time, Detroit itself is. Also, there are lots of positive blacks--his coworkers at the parks deptartment, his coworkers at the city office, his ROOMMATE.

Don't let someone's predictable need to race-bash keep you from reading yet another memoir trying to jump into the charged atmosphere of race and try to be evenhanded about things!

I loved this book. But then, I was born and raised in Detroit and grew up within blocks of Paul Clemens' east-side homes. Like him, I am white, Catholic and of blue-collar, working-class parents who cared deeply about their children and made great sacrifices to send us to college. Only old age and death forced my mother and dad to leave their hard-won south-of-Eight-Mile brick bungalow.

Clemens' book describes nicely the conflicted feelings of whites who maintain memories of or active ties to the City of Detroit -- the sadness, anger and confusion over the great cultural divide that separates them from the black populace that dominates the city now.

Clemens looks to writers like James Baldwin and Malcolm X for insight. He might have found, as I did, more guidance from writers like John McWhorter ("Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America"), Nancy Denton and Douglas Massey ("American Apartheid"), Wesley Skogan ("Disorder and Decline: Crime and the Spiral of Decay in American Neighborhoods") and Lawrence Harrison ("Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress.") And he might have concluded, as I did, that although white racism may have helped push Detroit into the wretched state it finds itself in now, black bigotry keeps it there. The educational and cultural chasm that separates the poor in Detroit from those who have fled for the suburbs (and many blacks are among those who have fled) will insure that the city's misery will continue.