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