The Dawn of Detroit
The Dawn of Detroit
A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits
by Tiya Miles
Published by The New Press in 2017.
Purchased with birthday money in June of 2018. I finished the book July 6, 2018. (8.25.21… A bit of a qualifier… My style of writing “book reviews” has changed significantly even since I wrote this which is more of an initial reflection. However, this book is still on my shelf as one of the best books I’ve ever read, and it is a perspective changer. If you like history that reads more like fiction, I highly recommend this book.)
This book is a brilliant example of how certain histories of a place can be emphasized, passed down, and retold such as the importance of the Underground Railroad in Detroit, while simultaneously telling truths in opposition to what is retold and are left out or conveniently written out. Being a native Hoosier (a person from the state of Indiana) and also a Midwesterner… and now living in Detroit... I’m so thankful to have read this book of history. I must say I shed many tears, my stomach turned and my justice bone was unnerved. But I am better in my being for having a fuller view of this land and city in which I reside.
