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Detroit: I Do Mind Dying: A Study in Urban Revolution Paperback – August 21, 2012
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Detroit: I Do Mind Dying tracks the extraordinary development of the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers as they became two of the landmark political organizations of the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely heralded as one the most important books on the black liberation movement.
Marvin Surkin received his PhD in political science from New York University and is a specialist in comparative urban politics and social change. He worked at the center of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in Detroit.
Dan Georgakas is a writer, historian, and activist with a long-time interest in social movements. He is the author of My Detroit, Growing up Greek and American in Motor City.
- Print length250 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHaymarket Books
- Publication dateAugust 21, 2012
- Dimensions5.25 x 0.75 x 8 inches
- ISBN-101608462218
- ISBN-13978-1608462216
- Lexile measure1290L
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About the Author
Surkin worked at the center of League of Revolutionary Black workers in Detroit.
*Dan Georgakas is a writer, historian, and activist with a long-time interest in social movements. He co-edited Solidarity Forever: An Oral History of the IWW, Encyclopedia of the American Left, and The Immigrant Left in the United States. Dan Georgakas is a longtime editor of Cineaste magazine and has contributed to numerous film anthologies and other film journals. Dan Georgakas founded the Greek American Committee of the Modern Greek Studies Association and has contributed to numerous ethnic journals and newspapers. His memoir is My Detroit, Growing Up Greek and American in Motor City. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Product details
- Publisher : Haymarket Books; Third edition (August 21, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 250 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1608462218
- ISBN-13 : 978-1608462216
- Lexile measure : 1290L
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 0.75 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #211,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #111 in Radical Political Thought
- #1,028 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)
- #2,451 in U.S. State & Local History
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2016There is a lot to take away from Detroit: I Do Mind Dying. The book is a pretty comprehensive narrative detailing the radical black labor movement that emerged in Detroit in response to bureaucratic trade unions, classism, and racism. There is plenty of context and history in this book for you to understand the period: there are stories of racism in the class, state suppression and response, other radical organizations (such as the Panthers), white-ally organizations (such as the White Panthers), and plenty of examples of the counter culture. You'll find reasons for schisms such as domestic campaigns, internationalism, and workplace organization and other schisms on the grounds of electoral-politics and the scope of education with relation to the union. There is plenty of detail about the organizational structure used.
The most fascinating and enjoyable part for me was the posture of the radical union with regards to the bureaucratic trade unions. There is quite a bit of that and the tone of the book is very consistent and anti-trade union. The argument is well laid out and inherent in the narrative.
If you enjoy legal responses to state suppression, the insight on Ken Cockrel, Sr. is of high interest. Inside the book you'll find Cockrel's reflection which is a fantastic read. Cockrel at one point takes the defense of a worker, James Johnson, who shot and killed two foreman and a fellow coworker. Cockrel argued that the company actually incited the mental breakdown that caused the shooting and got Johnson acquitted.
The layout of the book is perfect for a book club. We read it in our local IWW and did a chapter or a little more at a time. We went about this assigning one section within a chapter to a reader every week. This form works very well this book. The entire book was written after the radical labor movement in Detroit died down; and, it includes a ton of first-hand accounts, quotes, and primary sources -- many of which come right from interviews.
All around I have very few complaints about this book. I would have liked more detail about the struggles against sexism in the union, the role of nationalism, and the extent of engagement with electoral politics. All of that said, this is quite easily the best and most educational book I've read from the period about the radical scene anywhere in America.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2013I heard this book was really good from my American Government teacher and since it was so affordable I gave it a try .. I don't regret purchasing this !!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013Forget all of the superficial treatments of Detroit's decline. Read this book instead for some real insights into the pivotal period of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2007The content of the book is fine. The production of the book is poor. My first copy came with 15 pages missing. The second copy came with 15 different pages missing. The publisher cannot promise a complete book for some time, so I would not suggest that anyone order it any time soon.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2017YESSSSS! One of my favorite books ever!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2016yes everything is good. the book is fire.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2018Thank!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2015Nice, thank you!
Top reviews from other countries
- nReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
A unique book that deals with a hidden part of Detroit's black history.