Tuesday, September 20, 2011

book talk: detroit books

Today I'd like to talk about books that center around a city--and not just any city--a city that I've grown up around, and now work in: the D.

Detroit is not just the largest city in the Mitten, it is also the city that has captured my imagination and loomed in my consciousness all growing up. And this morning, I found out that one of my fellow profs has just published a book about it:


Here's an excerpt from the press release:
"Detroitland contains the stories behind familiar names like Frank Murphy, the infamous Purple Gang, the Lone Ranger, “Potato Patch” Pingree, and Charles Lindbergh. Yet Bak also reveals lesser-known episodes in Detroit’s history, like the ambitious International Exposition & Fair of 1889; the killer heat wave of 1936, with five straight days of hundred-degree temperatures; and the attempted around-the-world flight of Ed Schlee and Billy Brock in the Pride of Detroit in 1927." 

Sounds fun, huh? I can't wait to read it!

But, one of my favorite books about Detroit has to be Middlesex:


More than a novel, Jeffrey  Eugenides' epic coming-of-age tale is so complex, you want to savor it as you read like you savor a bit of delicious, savory food in your mouth. It covers a lot of fascinating history of Detroit in the midst of it's braided tale of three generations in a family of immigrants. Highly engaging, highly worth the read.

What about you? Do you have a favorite book (or two or three?) that is set in your hometown?

3 comments:

Jess said...

good question. I LOVE Middlesex! Amazing. Unfortunately I read it while pregnant so then all my prayers centered around my child not having ambiguous genitalia. Adolescence is hard enough as it is. I read Silver Sparrow in the summer, and it was very well written, and a good read. I believe it was set in Atlanta.

nic said...

Jess--THANK YOU for making me laugh out loud when I read your comment about the prayers!!! Nice. I will have to check out Silver Sparrow...

Jess said...

I know the prayers seem funny now, but I was SERIOUS! haha.

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