Attorneys of Detroit

Made in Detroit

Description

A New York Times Notable Book

A powerfully candid memoir about growing up white in Detroit and the conflicted point of view it produced.

Raised in Detroit during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, Paul Clemens saw his family growing steadily isolated from its surroundings: white in a predominately black city, Catholic in an area where churches were closing at a rapid rate, and blue-collar in a steadily declining Rust Belt. As the city continued to collapse—from depopulation, indifference, and the racial antagonism between blacks and whites—Clemens turned to writing and literature as his lifeline, his way of dealing with his contempt for suburban escapees and his frustration with the city proper. Sparing no one—particularly not himself—this is an astonishing examination of race and class relations from a fresh perspective, one forged in a city both desperate and hopeful.

Reviews

Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2010-07-19
Summary: "Yawn!"

I was born in Detroit and lived in the Southwest side from '73 to '80, so I was interested to read this.

It's mostly a bore, I'm sorry to say.

Paul Clemens is an English major (and constantly touts how well-read he is) but is unable to do anything interesting with the written word.

His prose is filled with cliches. Truly unimaginative and soulless writing.

If there were interesting characters here, or interesting dialog, or interesting events, or stories, or anything... I could recommend this. But there aren't, so I can't.

There are racist elements/ideas in the book, but anyone who lives in a multicultural environment will have racist thoughts. So Clemens gets points for honesty. I just wish this was a better book.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-01-07
Summary: "He handles a horrendously tough subject pretty well..."

"Made in Detroit" tells an important story from an often ignored perspective: whites, in the minority and on the run. I - personally - can find no support for those who accuse this author of racism. In fact Clemens never comes close to crossing the line in that regard, often pulling punches out of fear of being accused of exactly that. In fact, a sense of such hesitance, or perhaps fear, is perhaps a good part of what keeps this good book from being a great book.

But it is a good book. And in many ways an admirable one, as he struggles to find a way to honor his own experience without dishonoring large groups of people for the actions of individual people of the same skin color. There has been great writing in America by African-American authors about their own struggles to do exactly the same thing, but very little on this side of the coin.

Race is the American dilemma. Honest discourse on this incredibly sensitive subject is hard to come by. Most people are too scared. Clemens deserves credit for telling his story straight up, or nearly so, and I for one am grateful.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-11-04
Summary: "honest memoir of an individual's struggle with racism"

In the opening chapter I was captivated by the scene skillfully set by Clemens as he described the wear on the church kneelers as "the result of half a century's penitence" and described himself and his white family, stubborn to not flee the city, as a "doddering British farmer, stubbornly tending land in a country I insisted on calling Rhodesia," all the while building the opening chapter around the mundane recurring image of the "Michigan left turn."

Then, things began to unravel. Pointlessly, he devotes an entire chapter primarily to his academic progression, leaving out no bit of self-praise, even slipping in mention that he has a strong but neglected aptitude for math. Though he foreshadows that something would happen to disprove his father's theory of race relations ("don't bother them and they won't bother you"), nothing much happens for the first three quarters of the book aside from Clemens sharing his generalizations about race and his readings of prominent black writers on racism. There are some charming and vivid recollections of his high school days that help move this book along, such as describing a teacher's voice "the Wicked Witch of the West crossed with William F. Buckley". But, for the most part, this book builds as just the memoir of a very good writer with an as yet unremarkable life.

Then, conflict finally appears, launching Clemens into a racist tirade lasting a few pages before he settles down into the same reconciliation he attributed to Malcolm X's later years. It's courageous of the author to count on his readers to hang on as he struggles with this and eventually overcomes his hatred.

We could argue all day about whether Clemens is or isn't racist (and to what extent), but that shouldn't affect the book's readability. Admirably, he does the one thing each of us has the power to do- he states his views honestly and without a veil of insincere political correctness. He reveals his process of understanding why racism exists, and his ongoing struggle to work past it.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-09-21
Summary: "great read"

This is a great read. The author does a great job mixing his personal story with what was going on around him at the same time. His honesty about his personal journey is what makes the book compelling. The book makes you ache for an innocent time before all the problems of the world became personal. The author almost makes writing look easy which it most definitely is not. Highly recommended.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-05-02
Summary: "Made In Detroit"

This is an extremely well written and thoughtful book. Although I have never lived in Detroit,I am from Michigan and have many friends and family members who do or have at one time.

Unfortunately racism has had a prominent role in the attitudes of many in Detroit with African-Americans being blamed for much of the city's decline. I think this was an honest book and offers valuable insight into the situation.

The author should be complimented for his fearless look at his own attitudes as well as for his talents. I hope he will continue with his writing career.