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Dave, an Ohio high school teacher, receives a National Science Foundation scholarship to study physics for six weeks during the summer of 1967 at the University of Detroit. Although excited for the opportunity to be a part of a new science initiative from the U.S. government, leaving Ohio is a new experience for Dave. His sheltered experience is limited to growing up on a farm, living in a quiet town, and the Presbyterianism of which he is an elder. Aside from having the opportunity to meet students from other religious affiliations and hoping for some romance to boot, Dave has no idea that he will be involved in a riot that results "in 43 deaths, 1,189 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed." (Wikipedia)
Alton J. Myers' fictional memoir is inspired by real events from the 1967 Detroit Riots. Using Dave in the role of the author, Myers recreates the awkwardness and ignorance of the racial tension between whites and blacks during the Civil Rights Movement. Myer's idealistic writing style portrays a character who is clearly oblivious to the plight of blacks in the United States—not an uncommon scenario since black history wasn't something taught in schools and open dialogue about racial tension was near taboo. Summer of 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Detroit Riots. Undoubtedly, there are readers who not only remember those five horrendous days as if it was yesterday, but also are still dealing with emotional scars. That said, the author is clear to preface that his story "does not try to answer the why of a riot or assess the values that were achieved." His third-person narrative comes from a singular perspective, and historically, it offers a small glimpse into a very dark era.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review