New nonfiction book set in Detroit

[Steve Luxenberg]

Greetings DetroitYES! members,

I'm a Detroit native, a journalist and the author of a new book, Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret, that takes place largely in Detroit. It's part detective story, part social history, part memoir.

Right off, I should say that I checked with Lowell Boileau about whether it was appropriate to mention a book in this forum, and he told me yes -- but to make sure to note that a one-time posting is permitted. I'm grateful, because not only do I believe in the book and its universal set of themes, but I think it holds a special interest for anyone who knows and cares about Detroit and its history.

The book has received a good deal of media attention. I've been interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered, the Diane Rehm Show and On the Media, and it's been favorably reviewed by several major newspapers, including the Free Press, The Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun and the Jerusalem Post. I've spoken about the book at a number of events, including two in Detroit that attracted large crowds. One, at the Birmingham Community House, drew an overflow audience of 200. The organizers had to tell some people, who called to reserve a seat [[it was a free talk, but reservations were recommended), that the hall was full.

A bit about the book: It's a nonfiction account of my efforts to unearth the origins of a family secret, why my mother kept hidden the existence of a sister, how my mom created and nurtured that secret, and how her decision changed her life and the lives of those around her.The book is a personal one, but it also gave me a chance to delve deeply into a variety of subjects -- immigration and the way in which immigrant families do and don't assimilate, the mental health system and how it operated during the first three-quarters of the 20th century in Detroit and Michigan, the dislocations caused by economics and how those dislocations affect families.

Along the way, I narrate my efforts to find out about my aunt's life. Annie spent 31 years in the county mental institution known as Eloise, located in western Wayne County, where she lost her identity and died in anonymity. There are thousands of American families, and hundreds in Detroit, who experienced something similar, I now know.

Annie's Ghosts isn't a history of Eloise, but no other book has explored Eloise's history and importance as this one does. Detroit's boom-and-bust cycle also play a huge role in the narrative, and on immigrant families like mine. Readers will find certain parallels between today's events and those of the 1930s.

Many families have their secrets. As I did my reporting for the book, I became a collector of other families' secrets. Often, I was asked if I could reveal my mom's secret. Sure, I would say. The next question was invariably, "Can I tell you mine?" My mom's secret became a trap for her; I think secrets, regardless of how they begin, often do that to the secret keeper.

A bit about me: I grew up in Northwest Detroit and went to Detroit public schools -- Alex Dow Elementary, Taft Junior High and Henry Ford High School. Since 1985, I've been a senior editor at The Washington Post, half of those years as deputy editor and then editor of The Post investigative staff and half as the head of Outlook, The Post's Sunday commentary and opinion section. [[During my tenure at Investigative, I edited two series that won Pulitzer Prizes for the reporters, both in explanatory journalism.)

A variety of people from the Detroit area helped me with my research, and Detroit natives will recognize many of the places that I encounter on my journey. You can learn more at my website, steveluxenberg.com. The various reviews and media pieces are there, as well as info [[documents, photos, etc) that goes beyond the book. It's available from online booksellers and from bookstores [[although Borders stores in the Detroit area has been selling out, so you might want to check before you go). The publisher is Hyperion.

Thanks for allowing me the chance to spread the word about the book.

Steve Luxenberg

[lilpup]

Hi!
I heard your Diane Rehm segment when it aired - interesting stuff!
It was quite timely as I just finished working with a biographer whose subject sort of 'disappeared' a relative, at least in public presentations.

[Catman]

Having been born in the nearby hospital, Annapolis, and grown up in Westland, I find the Eloise a very strange place. It appeared so out-of-place, in appearance and in purpose, in the surrounding quiet suburbs. To hear and read rumors of mad-scientist/occultic type experiments on humans occured there is chilling [[whether true or false). But it is a very sad fact that many people died there anonymously after seemingly disappearing from normal life and down the memory hole of anyone's recollection.

[Steve Luxenberg]

Hi Catman,

Eloise has acquired a reputation that is now more myth than fact. Like many large asylums of that era, it was like a small city -- at the time that my aunt was sent there, it had 5,000 psychiatric patients and an equal number of infirm or homeless residents. The hospital prided itself on its presence on the forefront of pyschiatric practice, which meant that it was among the first to try certain therapies, including insulin shock -- seen as a panacea for schizophrenia in its early days, but proven not to work.

The history of Eloise parallels the history of the treatment of mental illness in the United States, which is one reason why I make it a part of my book.

[RickBeall]

Can you give us some more interesting details or parts of reviews or parts of your story to entice us to buy the book?

It sounds like a great and important story.

I remember reading an earlier post you made about the book. You gave more details there.

5,000 inmates. Wow! That is a lot of people. I was at the big bookstore in Royal Oak and they had a pictoral history of Eloise. It was fascinating. They showed a room where the cow carcasses were hung up. It was huge and was like something you would expect to see in a dedicated meat packing plant.

Eloise may seem spooky now, but it was built on good intentions. Now, apparently, we just let the ghosts wander the streets to die in anonymity. Which is less cruel?

[Steve Luxenberg]

Dear Rick,

I'm more than happy to add details about the book, but I don't want to overstay my welcome... I'm well aware that I'm engaging in self-promotion. Here are a few excerpts from reviews:

“As Luxenberg slowly uncovers Annie's story, he realizes that by exposing one ghost, he exposes thousands. . . The author calls on his investigative reporting skills not just to uncover the facts, but to explore what happens when lies or omissions become truth, exposing the contradictions, contrasts and parallels that exist within every life, every relationship and every family. Beautifully complex, raw and revealing.”

—Kirkus Reviews [[starred review)

“Annie's Ghosts is perhaps the most honest, and one of the most remarkable books I have ever read… From mental institutions to the Holocaust, mother, father, childhood, its mysteries, sadness and joy—~it is one emotional ride.”

—Bob Woodward, investigative reporter [[and a Post colleague)

“Invoking the precision and restraint of first-rate journalism, Steve Luxenberg peels back the skin of his own family and discovers much to love, much to consider and more than enough to shatter hearts. Unlike many who claim the mantle of the investigative reporter, this is the work of someone who understands that truth is fragile, complicated and elusive.”

—David Simon, creator of HBO’s The Wire

“Most books can be described in a word -- mystery, biography, memoir, history, travelogue. Steve Luxenberg's "Annie's Ghosts" is all of these and more… For me, the word to describe this book: Unforgettable.”

—Javan Kienzle, The Detroit Free Press

“Luxenberg is an exhaustive, meticulous reporter, and he worries about the things good reporters worry about: making too much of a fact or a connection; the failing memories of his sources, whom he invites to remember conversations and unspoken feelings a half-century old… At the same time, he is Beth’s son and Annie’s nephew, and he has deep feelings about each new secret he uncovers and, I suspect, considerable awareness that he is a beneficiary of his mother's fierce determination not to be burdened by the past. Beth told her son often that she loved him. Annie's Ghosts is his elegy in return, a poignant investigative exercise, full of empathy and sorrowful truth.”

—Barry Werth, The Washington Post

[1KielsonDrive]

Thanks for your post Steve. I heard your interview with Diane Rehm and plan to read your book as soon as my library fulfills my request. I'll eventually buy it. I've been to Eloise many times over the years for visitations as well as explorations. My last visit was a few years ago to the Eloise Museum. It's small but interesting. I read the books about Eloise, shortly therafter. In your research did you uncover information about the old St. Joseph's Asylum or Hospital in Dearborn near Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive? I understood there was a connection between the two institutions. In my lifetime Wayne County General Hospital, which sat out back of Eloise, was a major hospital in the Detroit Metro area. It mainly served people without medical coverage. WCG had a strong affiliation with the UoM, being staffed by UoM doctors and interns. I don't know if they also had a relationship with Eloise. Good luck to you. I'm looking forward to reading your book.

[Steve Luxenberg]

The Eloise Museum is small, essentially a collection of glass cabinets with artifacts and photographs. I found it fascinating, for research purposes, but it's so small [[and so modest in its aspirations) that it's probably misleading to call it a museum.

The complex was called Eloise Asylum and Infirmary until 1945, when the entire place was renamed Wayne County General Hospital [[but everyone still referred to it as Eloise).r As you recalled, there was a medical hospital there for many years. All told, at its peak, there were more than 75 separate buildings. At its peak in the 1930s and 1940s, the complex has its own police force, its own fire department, a diary, a slaughterhouse, a piggery and a farm operation that provided all the fruits and vegetables.

The narrative of my story, which explores my mom's motivations for keeping her disabled sister a secret throughout her life and the cultural forces that swirled around these two sisters, did not cross the path of St. Joseph's in Dearborn. My secret aunt, Annie, died in 1972. She spent 31 years, all of her adult life, at Eloise.

Steve

[Lowell]

Welcome to the forum Steve and good luck with the book. I haven't passed by there in a while but how much of Eloise remains? I seem to recall only a couple of buildings.

[Steve Luxenberg]

Thanks, Lowell. Great to be here!

As for Eloise, almost nothing remains. The administrative building, now known as the Kay Beard Building, is the only surviving one [[other than a few attached structures that house a bit of the physical plant). The distinctive smoke stack, which had the name E-L-O-I-S-E in a vertical display on the bricks, came down two years ago. It was believed to be crumbling.

The administrative building houses the small "museum" that 1KielsonDrive mentioned above, and serves as home for the Wayne County Office of Nutrition Services, part of the Office of Senior Services. It's remarkable to think that this building is all that remains of the small city that once stood there, with more than 10,000 psychiatric, infirm and homeless residents, as well as a staff of more than 2,000.

Annie's Ghosts describes Eloise in detail, but the hospital is only one part of the larger story about secrecy, secrets and the grip they have on us. It's also a story of identity -- my mom created one for herself, my secret aunt lost hers, just as thousands of others left theirs behind when their permanent address became that of a mental hospital.

Steve

[ziggyselbin]

Mr. Luxenberg, what a pleasure to have you here. I also heard the D Rehm show. When I attended school near Detroit I would often drive by the Eloise complex. How well I remember the garish purple brick buildings and the wrought iron entrance with the almost foreboding lettering... Eloise_ Wayne county hospital and infirmary...


I do wonder exactly where the potters field is I have looked at a website history of sorts of Eloise but have been unable to find the field or any obvious indication of it.

It is admirable that you have dignified your aunts life [[et,al) thru this book. My own father contracted manic depression after the second ww and very well might have ended up in a State hosp if not for strong family support and veterans hospitals.

[Steve Luxenberg]

The potters field is south of Michigan Avenue. There's a historical marker outside the remaining building that mentions it. As I write in the book, no one would know how to get there unless someone directed you, and if you're in the field, there's no way to know that more than 7,000 former Eloise patients are buried there [[under numbered markers). These are patients whose families did not claim them, and died at the asylum/hospital between 1910 and 1948.

I went to a ceremony last month at St. Elizabeths Hospital in D.C. for the unveiling of a memorial to those who died in anonymity at U.S. public psychiatric institutions, and who were buried in potters' fields when no one claimed them at their death. It was quite a moving event.

Steve

[Steve Luxenberg]

I neglected to mention that I've been speaking about Annie's Ghosts around the Detroit area -- I was at the Westland Library in early July, and at the Birmingham Community House the following night, drawing large crowds to both. I'll be back in the fall, and when I know my schedule, I will post it. The events always include a dialogue with the audience, and the questions I got at Westland and the Birmingham Community House events were terrific. My speaking schedule is also posted at my website, steveluxenberg.com, under News and Events.

Steve

[gazhekwe]

I am anxious to read this book, as my interest was piqued when I heard two of your interviews. My husband was born at Eloise in the mid-40s, and it was always a hoot for people thinking it was just a mental hospital. I still love filling in those birhplace things for him with Eloise.

[Steve Luxenberg]

Dear gazhekwe, I'm eager for you to read it, too. While working on the book, I talked to someone who lived at Eloise [[her parents were on staff), and she stresses that she had a "normal" childhood [[although most of us couldn't loiter around the bakery with the expectation of getting a slice of freshly baked bread or a pastry, as she did).

I should stress that the book is about much more than Eloise. For Detroit history buffs, there's a lot about the city's development between 1900 and 1940, and how immigration [[and the auto industry) accelerated the changes. One of my favorite stats: From 1900 to 1910, the city's population nearly doubled, from 265,000 to 465,000. From 1910 to 1920, it did double, to a million. That's incredible to think about.

All this is the backdrop for the personal story about a family and its secret, and the forces that brought about that secrecy. My mom, the center of the book, went to Northern High [[class of '34), worked downtown at the old Boston Shoe Shop, then left her old neighborhood in the early 1950s for Northwest Detroit, moving to a street so new that part of it was still unpaved. She also reinvented herself, becoming an only child, as she told all her new friends.

I don't think she intended to keep her sister a secret forever, but that's what she ended up doing. Finding out how and why is the central focus of the book. Eloise is a part of the story, an important part, but not the focus.

[4Oranges]

Wow - this sounds great! Can't wait to read it and I will be in the front row when you return to the Detroit area! Or anywhere in SE MI if I can swing it! Good luck!

[Steve Luxenberg]

Dear 4Oranges,

I';m still firming up plans, but I know one: There's a big Book Fair in November, sponsored by the Jewish Community Center at two locations [[Oak Park and West Bloomfield). I'll be speaking at both locations, on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12. I hope to see you there.

Steve

[Steve Luxenberg]

I thought it might be of interest to post the cover of the book. So here it is:

[eriedearie]

I am going to request our library order a copy. I think other people in my community might be interested in reading your book. Good luck with the book, and welcome to the forum...

[Susan Messer]

Hi Steve,

How cool to encounter you here. I heard that interview on NPR and thought it was wonderful. My family, too, had a relative at Eloise whose story was very hidden, and your words stirred up a lot of old feelings.

I'll also be doing readings/signings/discussions for my novel Grand River and Joy in the Detroit area. I wonder if our paths might cross somewhere along the way?

I won't be at the JCC book fairs, unfortunately. But have some other things coming up. I'll go check your website.

Susan

[Steve Luxenberg]

Hi Susan,

I was just thinking of posting to your thread, and you've now posted to mine! I'll be over there, a bit later. I'm put your book on my "to-read" list.

Writers often complain about book touring, but I've found that it can bring unexpected, delightful surprises, such as one that came flying at me, out of my past, when I spoke earlier this month at the Birmingham Community House to a crowd of about 200. I think it's too long to recount here, but I wrote a blog post about it, under the title, "The case of the mysterious jacket," on my website, steveluxenberg.com.

By the way, I grew up on Houghton, between 7 and 8 Mile, off Lahser, and then moved a couple of blocks away, to a house on Fargo.

Steve

[Steve Luxenberg]

Talking about narrative writing is sometimes harder that doing it, but for those interested in the craft, there's an interview with me that was posted Friday on the Nieman Narrative Digest website, which displays and discusses the work of writers, authors and journalist. Click here to read the interview.

[Steve Luxenberg]

Review of Annie's Ghosts by Laura Steinberg in detroit.about.com.

She writes:

Detroit serves as the backdrop to Annie’s story, and Luxenberg, a Detroit native himself, is able to paint a picture of the metro area that is both nostalgic to Detroiters and sprinkled with tid bits of historical trivia. His history takes us from the turn-of-the-century Detroit through its present day and is reconstructed from Luxenberg’s own memories and meticulous historical research. For instance, did you know that Detroit was considered the Cigar City at the turn of the century? That Detroit’s Jewish population expanded at an unprecedented rate from 1900 to 1920? Or that Wayne County's mental institution, Eloise Hospital, was like a small city in 1940 with over 9,000 residents and its own slaughter house, power plant and fire department?

Here's the link: http://detroit.about.com/od/media/a/annies_Ghost.htm

She

[4Oranges]

Glad to hear about the November dates - have it in my calendar now to visit your website to confirm date/time/location closer to the event. Looking forward to reading it and meeting you in November!

[DetroitTeacher]

I ordered the book a few days ago and it arrived today. I'm going to get to it as soon as I finish up the book in which I am currently engrossed.