Once in a Great City
A Detroit Story
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Narrated by:
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David Maraniss
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By:
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David Maraniss
About this listen
As David Maraniss captures it with power and affection, Detroit summed up America's path to music and prosperity that was already past history.
It's 1963, and Detroit is on top of the world. The city's leaders are among the most visionary in America: Henry Ford II, the grandson of the first Ford; influential labor leader Walter Reuther; Motown's founder, Berry Gordy; the Reverend C.L. Franklin and his daughter, the amazing Aretha; Governor George Romney, Mormon and civil rights advocate; super car salesman Lee Iacocca; Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, a Kennedy acolyte; Police Commissioner George Edwards; Martin Luther King. It was the American auto makers' best year; the revolution in music and politics was underway. Reuther's UAW had helped lift the middle class.
The time was full of promise. The auto industry was selling more cars than ever before and inventing the Mustang. Motown was capturing the world with its amazing artists. The progressive labor movement was rooted in Detroit with the UAW. Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech there two months before he made it famous in the Washington march.
Once in a Great City shows that the shadows of collapse were evident even then. Before the devastating riot, before the decades of civic corruption and neglect and white flight; before people trotted out the grab bag of rust-belt infirmities and competition from abroad to explain Detroit's collapse. From high labor costs to harsh weather, one could see the signs of a city's ruin. Detroit at its peak was threatened by its own design. It was being abandoned by the new world. Yet so much of what Detroit gave America lasts.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2015 David Maraniss. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Opinionated talk show host and columnist Michael Smerconish has been chronicling local, state, and national events for the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 15 years. He has sounded off on topics as diverse as the hunt for Osama bin Laden and what the color of your Christmas lights says about you. In this collection of 100 of his most memorable columns, Smerconish reflects on American political life with his characteristic feistiness.
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All about Smerc and who cares about the victims
- By Mark J. Rosen on 12-10-20
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The Race Beat
- The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation
- By: Gene Roberts, Hank Klibanoff
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 21 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on private correspondence, notes from secret meetings, unpublished articles, and interviews, veteran journalists Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff go behind the headlines and datelines to show how a dedicated cadre of newsmen - first black reporters, then liberal Southern editors, then reporters and photographers from the national press and the broadcast media - revealed to a nation its most shameful shortcomings and propelled its citizens to act.
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A fascinating inside look at history
- By Ron on 09-22-09
By: Gene Roberts, and others
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Kennedy and King
- The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights
- By: Steven Levingston
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 19 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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A New York Times Editors' Choice Pick. Kennedy and King traces the emergence of two of the 20th century's greatest leaders, their powerful impact on each other, and on the shape of the civil rights battle between 1960 and 1963. These two men from starkly different worlds profoundly influenced each other's personal development. Kennedy's hesitation on civil rights spurred King to greater acts of courage, and King inspired Kennedy to finally make a moral commitment to equality.
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Voices Too Much
- By Kim on 10-17-17
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Malcolm X
- A Life of Reinvention
- By: Manning Marable
- Narrated by: G. Valmont Thomas
- Length: 22 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Of the great figure in 20th-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age 39. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man.
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invites further reading on Malcolm X
- By connie on 05-14-11
By: Manning Marable
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Dallas 1963
- By: Bill Minutaglio, Steven L. Davis
- Narrated by: Bill Minutaglio, Tony Messano, Steven L. Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In the months and weeks before the fateful November 22nd, 1963, Dallas was brewing with political passions, a city crammed with larger-than-life characters dead-set against the Kennedy presidency. These included rabid warriors like defrocked military general Edwin A. Walker; the world's richest oil baron, H. L. Hunt; the leader of the largest Baptist congregation in the world, W.A. Criswell; and the media mogul Ted Dealey, who raucously confronted JFK and whose family name adorns the plaza where the president was murdered.
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American lunacy, listenable as it gets
- By Philo on 10-14-17
By: Bill Minutaglio, and others
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Rush Limbaugh
- An Army of One
- By: Zev Chafets
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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Do you remember your first time? People tend to remember the moment they first heard The Rush Limbaugh Show on the radio. For Zev Chafets, it was in a car in Detroit, driving down Woodward Avenue. Limbaugh's braggadocio, the outrageous satire, the slaughtering of liberal sacred cows performed with the verve of a rock-n-roll DJ-it seemed fresh, funny and completely subversive.
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Enjoyed it, despite poor narration
- By David on 06-02-10
By: Zev Chafets
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New World Coming
- The 1920s and the Making of Modern America
- By: Nathan Miller
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Jazz. Bootleggers. Flappers. Talkies. Model T Fords. Lindbergh's history-making flight over the Atlantic. The 1920s was also the decade of the hard-won vote for women, racial injustice, censorship, social conflict, and the birth of organized crime.
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My High School History Class Never Told
- By Charles Stembridge on 06-29-04
By: Nathan Miller
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Parting the Waters
- America in the King Years 1954-63
- By: Taylor Branch
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards
- Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.
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Excellent
- By Judith Princz on 05-15-19
By: Taylor Branch
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Boom!
- Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today
- By: Tom Brokaw
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Boom! One minute it was Ike and the man in the grey flannel suit, and the next minute it was time to "turn on, tune in, drop out". While Americans were walking on the moon, Americans were dying in Vietnam. Nothing was beyond question, and there were far fewer answers than before.
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boring survey of a generation
- By Andy on 01-01-08
By: Tom Brokaw
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The Real Romney
- By: Michael Kranish, Scott Helman
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Mitt Romney has masterfully positioned himself as the front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Even though he's become a household name, the former Massachusetts governor remains an enigma to many in America, his character and core convictions elusive, his record little known. Who is the man behind that high-wattage smile? In this definitive, unflinching biography by Boston Globe investigative reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, listeners will finally discover the real Romney.
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Hard to conceal resentment and feign objectvity...
- By I F Leger on 02-10-12
By: Michael Kranish, and others
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When we think of Detroit, we think first of the auto industry and its slow, painful decline, then maybe the sounds of Motown, or the long line of professional sports successes. But economies are made up of people, and the effect of the economic downfall of Detroit is one of the most compelling stories in America. Detroit: A Biography by journalist and author Scott Martelle is about a city that rose because of the most American of traits - innovation, entrepreneurship, and an inspiring perseverance.
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What listeners say about Once in a Great City
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jordanel
- 01-02-16
Great read
For those interested in Detroit or urban history, this is well-written book, focusing on themes of the struggles of the African-American community for equal rights, the rise of Motown, the UAW and the automobile companies, the Detroit mafia, and the failed bid to land the 1968 Olympics. But I am a Detroiter, so hearing the names of familiar people and places was part of my enjoyment of the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- mich mccormick
- 03-17-16
Great introduction to complicated city
Easy to have going on in the background and thoroughly enjoyed the high level look into Motown history and its personalities. It targets a very specific time in Detroit's history, so if you're looking for a deeper understanding or background of the politics or the car companies you'll need to find other books. That said, this is a good place to start your exploration of Motor City.
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- Susan Moiseev
- 09-30-15
Takes me back...
I am the same age as the author but grew up several miles north of him in Detroit. I remembered some of the things he described in those pivotal years, and knew many of the stories; as an adult I got to know the union and political figures he talks about and know the places he describes. I very much enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the city I call home and it's place in, and influence on, the larger world. Detroit is resilient and working to be great again
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2 people found this helpful
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- T. Davis
- 06-07-16
A heartfelt history of the Motor City
A dense history of a slice of Detroit's history, Once in a Great City covers late 1962 through mid 1964. The good, the bad and the ugly gets thorough coverage - sometimes too thorough as names and places rapidly pass by. Many sections leave you wondering what is pertinent and what is local color.
Maraniss obviously loves his topic, but his reading leaves something to be desired. Expressing very little emotion, I often found my attention wandering because of Maraniss's monotone.
But I'm a Michigan native so the book was extremely relevant to me. I loved getting a detailed picture of that time in Detroit's history.
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- M. Graham
- 11-17-15
Wonderful topic, problematic narration
What did you love best about Once in a Great City?
All of the sub-stories that Maraniss chooses to portray one year in the life of a fascinating city.
What aspect of David Maraniss’s performance would you have changed?
Perhaps it's a little TOO slow, given the pace of historical and cultural change that he's chronicling.
More important, though, is his failure to use the past perfect tense in his writing. I've seen this trend taking over more and more current writing, and it can cause unnecessary confusion. When a story is already set in the past, using the simple past tense for actions that are jumping between two historical eras is lazy--and downright strange sometimes. (Example, not from this book: "When she entered college at age 18, she lived with her grandmother, who was a homecoming queen and campus beauty.") Huh?
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1 person found this helpful
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- Brian
- 06-27-21
A worthy listen
Good. Well researched. A Motown love letter. In the audible version there were a few production flaws, I think.
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- D
- 08-15-17
Brilliant History
A must for any Michigander. Amazing details filled in many gaps from parents and grandmother. All the behind the scenes motives and facts beyond the rhetoric gave me newfound respect for many of the key people in Detroit, Michigan and the country.
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1 person found this helpful
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- zaneleh
- 01-14-20
Perfect Title for this Superb Read
Someone should make a movie of this well-written book. The author does a remarkable job showcasing one particular year in history in the city of Detroit. I don't agree with some of the others stating terrible narration. Sounded more like an instructor who knew his subject well, and I got lost in the great content of the story and didn't need any additional bells and whistles.
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- Joel Paul Reisig
- 08-08-17
Bad recording
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I have heard that this is a good book. I stopped part way into chapter one. I have perfect hearing, I couldn't make out the words in this recording unless I really concentrated.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Terrible recording
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Yes
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- Elaine D. Kirchen
- 10-28-15
Detroit in its Heyday
Would you consider the audio edition of Once in a Great City to be better than the print version?
I consider the print version better because the material is interesting, but the author's narration is boring. He has a bland voice, and he reads in a monotone. It distracts from the content.
How could the performance have been better?
It could have been read by someone else.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
The Detroit That Was
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2 people found this helpful