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Detroit Hustle: A Memoir of Love, Life & Home
Journalist Amy Haimerl and her husband had been priced out of their Brooklyn neighborhood. Seeing this as a great opportunity to start over again, they decide to cash in their savings and buy an abandoned house for 35,000 in Detroit, the largest city in the United States to declare bankruptcy.
As she and her husband restore the 1914 Georgian Revival, a stately brick house with no plumbing, no heat, and no electricity, Amy finds a community of Detroiters who, like herself, aren't afraid of a little hard work or things that are a little rough around the edges. Filled with amusing and touching anecdotes about navigating a real-estate market that is rife with scams, finding a contractor who is a lover of C.S. Lewis and willing to quote him liberally, and neighbors who either get teary-eyed at the sight of newcomers or urge Amy and her husband to get out while they can, Amy writes evocatively about the charms and challenges of finding her footing in a city whose future is in question. Detroit Hustle is a memoir that is both a meditation on what it takes to make a house a home, and a love letter to a much-derided city.
As she and her husband restore the 1914 Georgian Revival, a stately brick house with no plumbing, no heat, and no electricity, Amy finds a community of Detroiters who, like herself, aren't afraid of a little hard work or things that are a little rough around the edges. Filled with amusing and touching anecdotes about navigating a real-estate market that is rife with scams, finding a contractor who is a lover of C.S. Lewis and willing to quote him liberally, and neighbors who either get teary-eyed at the sight of newcomers or urge Amy and her husband to get out while they can, Amy writes evocatively about the charms and challenges of finding her footing in a city whose future is in question. Detroit Hustle is a memoir that is both a meditation on what it takes to make a house a home, and a love letter to a much-derided city.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2015
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October 15, 2015
3 1/2 stars. Detroit Hustle chronicles Amy Haimerl's move from Brooklyn to Detroit just before Detroit declared bankruptcy. Haimerl and her husband were looking for a place where they could afford to buy a house and live in a community, and they picked Detroit. Haimerl's memoir is a bit disjointed, but it kept my interest. She touches on her childhood in Colorado, growing up in a financially strapped household. She deals with her first disastrous long term relationship, which involved renovating a house in Colorado that never came together. She dwells on her love of her Brooklyn neighbourhood where she lived for many years and met her husband. She dwells on the economics and politics of Detroit, and the financial, emotional and practical challenges of buying and renovating an old dilapidated house. I liked Haimerl and her optimistic views on trying to set up roots and become part of a community in Detroit. I respect that Haimerl tried to deal with the disconnect between her situation and the plight of an overwhelming majority of very poor black people in Detroit, although I feel that Haimerl could have done far more to paint a more complete picture of life for most people in Detroit. Regardless, Hairmel piqued my interest enough to keep reading, and to make me want to take a trip to Detroit sometime soon to check out this Renaissance she depicts. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
February 5, 2016
Rich white person problems - Detroit edition! There was very little Detroit involved here, and absolutely no hustle. This couple could afford to buy a house in cash and then pay for a $400,000 rehab without getting a loan. I would prefer to read her contractor's memoir, that would have more insight as to the remodel of the house and the city of Detroit. And, guess what? You can grow up working class, own a pit bull, and still be a part of gentrification. I, too, grew up more or less working class and have a beloved pit bull as a family member. If I got rich and moved to Detroit, I would be a part of it's gentrification. We can debate the meaning and value of that, but it's still gentrification. Dog breeds and your childhood background don't give you a pass.
October 5, 2018
In my last year of undergrad, I realized I had to take a history course to graduate. Thumbing through the course options guide, I noticed a graduate-level class: Black Detroit. Long a fan of the Detroit Tigers and interested in the city’s unique spirit, I signed up. I was immediately warned by the professor that reading history books was not like reading novels for my English major. Convincing him I was okay, he signed the waiver allowing me, an undergrad, into this graduate course. I was terrified of failing.
Black Detroit ended up being my favorite class of my entire education. Covering everything from Motown Records to the great migration, unions to organizations that met black folks when they arrived to “clean them up” and “properly” represent the race to white Detroit, there was so much to uncover. I wrote a paper about Amiri Baraka, a black poet. You may remember that one of the only all-black poetry presses was started in Detroit by Dudley Randall.
Thus, Detroit Hustle caught my attention when I was in an indie bookstore. Where is Detroit today on housing? I’d read about Detroit’s super cheap homes in the news, how artists are moving in for next to nothing. I was hesitant that the entire memoir would be about gentrification, but I purchased it. Gotta support indies, right?
Amy Haimerl grew up in a poverty-stricken area in Colorado. Her father started his own business, which he lost during the recession circa 2008. She went to college, became a journalist, and moved to Red Hook, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Even at this point, I was skeptical. She writes, “Our rent was topping $3,500 a month, and we were working just to keep our middle-class life afloat.” I’m not well-versed in the financial class system, but $3,500 doesn’t sound like the middle to me. She and her husband were active in the community — volunteering at farms, organizing free movies in the park, etc. Eventually, tourists come to the area and rent goes up. Haimerl implies the area is being gentrified, and she’s disgusted.
Luckily, just before Hurricane Sandy destroys Red Hook, Haimerl and her husband had moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan so she can take a visiting professor position. They want a forever home, though, that is in a neighborhood similar to the now-decimated, waterlogged Red Hook. She notes, “. . . we wanted a place that was forging its future, not relaxing on its accomplishments. We wanted a working-class town with an entrepreneurial spirit.” Detroit it was.
The book is well-written and easy to follow along. Really, the question is should you read this book for the content?
There are lots of parts that feel icky. The house they purchase is $35,000, which they pay for in cash. Haimerl hopes they can get a loan for the massive renovation by putting down $100,000 in cash, but they don’t. Banks aren’t willing to invest in Detroit homes that, once renovated, are still worth less than the loan because of Detroit stigma.
As time goes on, Haimerl whines that she feels like she’s obligated to apologize for being middle class. She admits her house, post-renovation, cost over $400,000. Not very middle class to me. To get an idea of the size of this house for two people with no children (and none wanted), it has 65 windows, 24 interior doors, and 4 bathrooms. When she and her husband run out of money to pay contractors, it’s donated by family.
Her privilege is everywhere. Think of the black families that were displaced after neighborhoods collapsed due to white flight, who can’t get loans because of their skin color, who were evicted during the recession. Think about this: “[Detroit] is still 83 percent African American, but you can walk through downtown and see very few black faces. . . .On the outside I look like a gentrifier. I appear white and affluent. But in my head I am still just a poor girl from [Colorado].” Erm, I’m not sure what Haimerl means when she says she “appears white.” She is white. I’m not sure why she identifies as “a poor girl” when she’s in her 40s and has been affluent for quite some time. Think about that $135,000 in cash she had for her house.
Race is oddly everywhere and no where in Detroit Hustle. The synopsis claims the memoir is more about the people of Detroit than the renovation, but I could get over how often Haimerl used the word “I.”
Yes, she acknowledges that she has privilege, but she never owns it. There’s always a “but” close behind. She mentions that their dog, a rottweiler, isn’t what people think of as a white gentrifier’s dog. It’s a breed historically connected to race, in case you aren’t picking up what I’m throwing down. This detail coming from Haimerl, who “appears white.” Right.
Near the end of the memoir, page 262 out of 269, Haimerl drops a bomb on the reader, and I wanted to call bullshit on everything she said about community building and saying “hi” to neighbors:
This review was originally published at Grab the Labels.
Black Detroit ended up being my favorite class of my entire education. Covering everything from Motown Records to the great migration, unions to organizations that met black folks when they arrived to “clean them up” and “properly” represent the race to white Detroit, there was so much to uncover. I wrote a paper about Amiri Baraka, a black poet. You may remember that one of the only all-black poetry presses was started in Detroit by Dudley Randall.
Thus, Detroit Hustle caught my attention when I was in an indie bookstore. Where is Detroit today on housing? I’d read about Detroit’s super cheap homes in the news, how artists are moving in for next to nothing. I was hesitant that the entire memoir would be about gentrification, but I purchased it. Gotta support indies, right?
Amy Haimerl grew up in a poverty-stricken area in Colorado. Her father started his own business, which he lost during the recession circa 2008. She went to college, became a journalist, and moved to Red Hook, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Even at this point, I was skeptical. She writes, “Our rent was topping $3,500 a month, and we were working just to keep our middle-class life afloat.” I’m not well-versed in the financial class system, but $3,500 doesn’t sound like the middle to me. She and her husband were active in the community — volunteering at farms, organizing free movies in the park, etc. Eventually, tourists come to the area and rent goes up. Haimerl implies the area is being gentrified, and she’s disgusted.
Luckily, just before Hurricane Sandy destroys Red Hook, Haimerl and her husband had moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan so she can take a visiting professor position. They want a forever home, though, that is in a neighborhood similar to the now-decimated, waterlogged Red Hook. She notes, “. . . we wanted a place that was forging its future, not relaxing on its accomplishments. We wanted a working-class town with an entrepreneurial spirit.” Detroit it was.
The book is well-written and easy to follow along. Really, the question is should you read this book for the content?
There are lots of parts that feel icky. The house they purchase is $35,000, which they pay for in cash. Haimerl hopes they can get a loan for the massive renovation by putting down $100,000 in cash, but they don’t. Banks aren’t willing to invest in Detroit homes that, once renovated, are still worth less than the loan because of Detroit stigma.
As time goes on, Haimerl whines that she feels like she’s obligated to apologize for being middle class. She admits her house, post-renovation, cost over $400,000. Not very middle class to me. To get an idea of the size of this house for two people with no children (and none wanted), it has 65 windows, 24 interior doors, and 4 bathrooms. When she and her husband run out of money to pay contractors, it’s donated by family.
Her privilege is everywhere. Think of the black families that were displaced after neighborhoods collapsed due to white flight, who can’t get loans because of their skin color, who were evicted during the recession. Think about this: “[Detroit] is still 83 percent African American, but you can walk through downtown and see very few black faces. . . .On the outside I look like a gentrifier. I appear white and affluent. But in my head I am still just a poor girl from [Colorado].” Erm, I’m not sure what Haimerl means when she says she “appears white.” She is white. I’m not sure why she identifies as “a poor girl” when she’s in her 40s and has been affluent for quite some time. Think about that $135,000 in cash she had for her house.
Race is oddly everywhere and no where in Detroit Hustle. The synopsis claims the memoir is more about the people of Detroit than the renovation, but I could get over how often Haimerl used the word “I.”
Yes, she acknowledges that she has privilege, but she never owns it. There’s always a “but” close behind. She mentions that their dog, a rottweiler, isn’t what people think of as a white gentrifier’s dog. It’s a breed historically connected to race, in case you aren’t picking up what I’m throwing down. This detail coming from Haimerl, who “appears white.” Right.
Near the end of the memoir, page 262 out of 269, Haimerl drops a bomb on the reader, and I wanted to call bullshit on everything she said about community building and saying “hi” to neighbors:
But standing in this party, filled with beautiful people I love, all of whom have the best of hearts and intentions for their lives and this city, I can’t help but notice that we are a gaggle of all-white faces.These neighbors she’s been writing about the whole book? They’re all white in a city with a population 83% African American. That doesn’t include the 5% of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino. Which means the percentage of white people is tiny. And she just happened to find a white community? Why keep this from the reader until the end? I think Haimerl isn’t being terribly honest with herself — or her readers. Perhaps the book should have been called Dear White Guilt: Neener, Neener, Neener, I Can’t Hear You.
This review was originally published at Grab the Labels.
July 17, 2019
Wish there was more hustle.
March 20, 2016
In Detroit Hustle, journalist Amy Haimerl recounts the story of her move, with her husband Karl, from Brooklyn to Detroit, a city that is on the brink of filing bankruptcy when they purchase their dilapidated home for $35,000. If you're looking for a how-to manual about great real estate deals, this is not the book you're looking for. While she does detail the obstacles they faced, she isn't necessarily advocating for others to follow her lead in trying to restore this city's greatness by purchasing and renovating a run-down home.
Instead she writes of the history of the city, from its glory days when the Motor City boasted of a $5 a day wage in 1914 for its auto workers, to its pride as the Arsenal of Democracy when those same auto workers built tanks, planes and bullets during the 1940s war effort, to the less- than-glorious segregation policy of the city that "red-lined" neighborhoods, essentially denying African Americans federally insured mortgages in communities where they were not welcome. Haimerl argues that this practice trapped poor black families for decades and shut them out of the chance to become homeowners. These policies ghettoized communities, leading to many of the city's later problems. In effect, generations of contributing residents were denied basic rights due to economic racism.
Haimerl, who is white, doesn't discount the lives of the people who stayed in the city when it was at its worst and now are somewhat bitter that the city they knew is being revitalized by the hipsters who have moved in. In spite of the coffee shops, fusion restaurants, and craft breweries that are opening in the city, Haimerl writes of the problems that still persist. While there is diversity in the political arena, she recognizes that the "halls of economic power" are still mostly white. This, she said, has led to frustration by the African American community who stayed behind when others fled to the suburbs, and how they now see its history as a proud black city being rewritten in terms of its current regrowth.
Haimerl recognizes that her "hustle" doesn't compare to that of an African American living in the city pre-bankruptcy. She acknowledges that 40 percent of the city's residents live below the poverty line and she doesn't pretend to know their struggle. In light of this, she admits that she and her husband appear to be a gentrifiers and she knows for certain that her education and her career have opened doors for her that many of Detroit's residents have not had access to--she doesn't deny this. For this reader, I see this as HER hustle: balancing the perception that she moved to Detroit as part of a white, privileged class, a "have" among "have nots," versus what she knows in her heart--that she has a true love for the city, its people and its history and a desire to contribute to create the kind of community where you know your neighbors and invest in a shared sense of value and responsibility within that community.
Detroit Hustle was an enjoyable book that shed light on Detroit's problematic past but also gave us a glimpse into what is being done to make it a great city once again. Anyone who takes the time to invest in a city, monetarily or emotionally, should be applauded because let's face it: We need to feel that sense of community.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.
Instead she writes of the history of the city, from its glory days when the Motor City boasted of a $5 a day wage in 1914 for its auto workers, to its pride as the Arsenal of Democracy when those same auto workers built tanks, planes and bullets during the 1940s war effort, to the less- than-glorious segregation policy of the city that "red-lined" neighborhoods, essentially denying African Americans federally insured mortgages in communities where they were not welcome. Haimerl argues that this practice trapped poor black families for decades and shut them out of the chance to become homeowners. These policies ghettoized communities, leading to many of the city's later problems. In effect, generations of contributing residents were denied basic rights due to economic racism.
Haimerl, who is white, doesn't discount the lives of the people who stayed in the city when it was at its worst and now are somewhat bitter that the city they knew is being revitalized by the hipsters who have moved in. In spite of the coffee shops, fusion restaurants, and craft breweries that are opening in the city, Haimerl writes of the problems that still persist. While there is diversity in the political arena, she recognizes that the "halls of economic power" are still mostly white. This, she said, has led to frustration by the African American community who stayed behind when others fled to the suburbs, and how they now see its history as a proud black city being rewritten in terms of its current regrowth.
Haimerl recognizes that her "hustle" doesn't compare to that of an African American living in the city pre-bankruptcy. She acknowledges that 40 percent of the city's residents live below the poverty line and she doesn't pretend to know their struggle. In light of this, she admits that she and her husband appear to be a gentrifiers and she knows for certain that her education and her career have opened doors for her that many of Detroit's residents have not had access to--she doesn't deny this. For this reader, I see this as HER hustle: balancing the perception that she moved to Detroit as part of a white, privileged class, a "have" among "have nots," versus what she knows in her heart--that she has a true love for the city, its people and its history and a desire to contribute to create the kind of community where you know your neighbors and invest in a shared sense of value and responsibility within that community.
Detroit Hustle was an enjoyable book that shed light on Detroit's problematic past but also gave us a glimpse into what is being done to make it a great city once again. Anyone who takes the time to invest in a city, monetarily or emotionally, should be applauded because let's face it: We need to feel that sense of community.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.
October 11, 2019
I was feeling a little skeptical going into this book (“young couple from Brooklyn falls in love with Detroit and renovates a mansion!”), but I ended up enjoying it. The author and her husband seem like kind, humble people who are very aware of the complicated dynamics of bringing some new wealth and culture to a historically impoverished community. They moved to the area right around the same time my wife and I did, so it was nice to re-live the last few years of Detroit history (and notice how fast some things have changed).
A few highlights:
1) The relationship between the author and their contractor. The way they value this long-term relationship is a good illustration of the sort of meaningful community connections Detroit can offer.
2) The authors’ renovation story is a healthy counterpoint to HGTV culture. Improvements are slow, expensive, and realistically out of realm of “do it yourself” jobs.
3) There’s a story near the end of an author getting frustrated in a conversation with someone who was overrun with Detroit positivity and couldn’t understand why people won’t just “move on” from the city’s past difficulties. I very much appreciated the author’s sober-minded view of the city.
A few highlights:
1) The relationship between the author and their contractor. The way they value this long-term relationship is a good illustration of the sort of meaningful community connections Detroit can offer.
2) The authors’ renovation story is a healthy counterpoint to HGTV culture. Improvements are slow, expensive, and realistically out of realm of “do it yourself” jobs.
3) There’s a story near the end of an author getting frustrated in a conversation with someone who was overrun with Detroit positivity and couldn’t understand why people won’t just “move on” from the city’s past difficulties. I very much appreciated the author’s sober-minded view of the city.
April 8, 2016
As someone who grew up in the Detroit area, I am always excited to read books about the revival going on in this once magnificent city. This book by Amy Haimerl gave me a more personal view of the changes in the city and I'm glad that there are people like Amy and her husband Karl who want to do their small part to help Detroit come alive again.
Amy and Karl lived in NY and were looking for somewhere to live where they could afford to buy a house for cheap and re-hab it. They cashed in their savings and bought an abandoned house in Detroit for $35,000. "The house...has no plumbing. No electricity. No heat...There is essentially nothing left inside the walls. Every pipe, every radiator, every wire is stripped. Every door is missing...What we have is a pile of bricks with character." So begins their journey in Detroit. As they meet their neighbors and work on their house, they learn how to make Detroit their home.
I'd like to think that more people like Amy and Karl can save Detroit and maybe they can...one neighborhood at a time.
(Thanks to goodreads for a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.)
Amy and Karl lived in NY and were looking for somewhere to live where they could afford to buy a house for cheap and re-hab it. They cashed in their savings and bought an abandoned house in Detroit for $35,000. "The house...has no plumbing. No electricity. No heat...There is essentially nothing left inside the walls. Every pipe, every radiator, every wire is stripped. Every door is missing...What we have is a pile of bricks with character." So begins their journey in Detroit. As they meet their neighbors and work on their house, they learn how to make Detroit their home.
I'd like to think that more people like Amy and Karl can save Detroit and maybe they can...one neighborhood at a time.
(Thanks to goodreads for a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.)
July 12, 2016
Amy Haimerl and her husband couldn't afford Brooklyn so they bought a "fixer-upper" in Detroit. And by fixing it up, I mean something fairly close to a gut rehab. The house had no utilities when they purchased it because everything had pretty much been ripped out of it.
I was hoping this book would be as good as the other recent Detroit stories including "Once in a a great city" and "Detroit: an American autopsy." This book, however, spends more time talking about the authors upbringing, her relationship with her husband, and how she doesn't want to be a "gentrifier" but realizes that she can't help but be. I didn't get a lot of valuable insights, even about the rehabbing of the house. Amy and her husband seemed to contract every aspect of the rehab including painting so no great stories of the struggles of being handy. Overall, if you want to read something about Detroit, find a different title. If you want a millennial memoir, maybe this is for you.
I was hoping this book would be as good as the other recent Detroit stories including "Once in a a great city" and "Detroit: an American autopsy." This book, however, spends more time talking about the authors upbringing, her relationship with her husband, and how she doesn't want to be a "gentrifier" but realizes that she can't help but be. I didn't get a lot of valuable insights, even about the rehabbing of the house. Amy and her husband seemed to contract every aspect of the rehab including painting so no great stories of the struggles of being handy. Overall, if you want to read something about Detroit, find a different title. If you want a millennial memoir, maybe this is for you.
April 25, 2020
“Oh golly gee when it really got down to it we just borrowed money from our parents that we never talk about paying back but we aren’t bad people because of the type of dog breed we have.”
August 14, 2018
It was fine. Enjoyable and an easy read but I was expecting something different. Three stars for the enjoyable factor; two stars for substance. I was really hoping it would be more detailed on the house reno/restoration stuff because I love that shit. But it was definitely 75 percent memoir, 25 percent house.
Most of the book consisted of the author trying to convince the reader (and maybe herself) that she’s a poor girl from a small town rather than someone who has lived in big cities most of her life and is privileged enough to get more money from her network of family and friends whenever she wants. Seriously, I thought the money pit angle was going to be interesting to see how they financed this house but it’s all easily resolved: “I needed thousands and thousands of dollars more than expected. Where will I ever get this money? Oh, wait, just remembered my dad offered me 75k! And Karl’s family is pitching in with everything else we need!” Also the whole I can’t be a gentrifier because I have a pit bull thing was ridiculous, regardless of whether it was tongue-in-cheek.
I also couldn’t help but wonder why she’s buying coffee and doughnuts every morning when she’s allegedly struggling to pay her contractor and tax bill. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to make coffee at home? I mean, clearly she’s not living frugally as one usually does when they’re borrowing money from everyone they know to stay afloat. I wouldn’t normally judge about that but she goes out of her way to mention it.
Toward the end, all the name-dropping got to me as well. It’s like, we get it. You are friends with all these business owners and new Detroit elite. Honestly, I don’t know if anyone outside Detroit would know of or care about specific names of every person she knows in Detroit and every business she frequents. I got a little kick out of it since I recognized many people and places but it was definitely overkill.
Most of the book consisted of the author trying to convince the reader (and maybe herself) that she’s a poor girl from a small town rather than someone who has lived in big cities most of her life and is privileged enough to get more money from her network of family and friends whenever she wants. Seriously, I thought the money pit angle was going to be interesting to see how they financed this house but it’s all easily resolved: “I needed thousands and thousands of dollars more than expected. Where will I ever get this money? Oh, wait, just remembered my dad offered me 75k! And Karl’s family is pitching in with everything else we need!” Also the whole I can’t be a gentrifier because I have a pit bull thing was ridiculous, regardless of whether it was tongue-in-cheek.
I also couldn’t help but wonder why she’s buying coffee and doughnuts every morning when she’s allegedly struggling to pay her contractor and tax bill. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to make coffee at home? I mean, clearly she’s not living frugally as one usually does when they’re borrowing money from everyone they know to stay afloat. I wouldn’t normally judge about that but she goes out of her way to mention it.
Toward the end, all the name-dropping got to me as well. It’s like, we get it. You are friends with all these business owners and new Detroit elite. Honestly, I don’t know if anyone outside Detroit would know of or care about specific names of every person she knows in Detroit and every business she frequents. I got a little kick out of it since I recognized many people and places but it was definitely overkill.
February 24, 2016
I was really excited to get my grubby little mitts on an ARC of this book. Though it didn't turn out to be quite what I expected when I first heard about it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it would be more of blow by blow of a couple doing a DIY rehab of an old Detroit home. What it was, was Haimerl sharing the story of what happened in her life that led up to the decision of buying in the West Village neighborhood of Detroit and their subsequent life. As someone who grew up in Metro Detroit, worked in A2 and now lives on the west coast..er.. not THAT west coast, Michigan's west coast, it was fun reading someone experiencing Michigan with fresh eyes. From her explaining Michigander's use of the term party store for convenience stores to reviewing Detroit's complex bankruptcy to her experience rehabbing an old house that isn't worth what she and her husband invested in it, she crams a lot into such a short book. Definitely a book I'm sharing with others.
December 12, 2022
This was a pretty breezy read, but not what I expected. I thought it was going to detail more of the renovation of the author's house, and that it was diy-style. Nope, she just pays a contractor. Now, there's nothing wrong with hiring a contractor, but to write a book about a renovation that you had virtually no part in is just kind of strange to me.
I also thought it was… interesting?... that Haimerl says she's middle class, yet sort of views herself as poor, and seems to lack an understanding of her own privilege; though, to her credit, she does seem to be trying to understand.
I found it very strange, though, that she brought up "gentrification" so much throughout the book, and made it seem like she was doing her best to cross racial barriers, only to reveal at the end of the book that, actually, all of her friends and everyone in her neighborhood are white.
Note: There was quite a lot of profanity in the book, especially the f-bomb.
I also thought it was… interesting?... that Haimerl says she's middle class, yet sort of views herself as poor, and seems to lack an understanding of her own privilege; though, to her credit, she does seem to be trying to understand.
I found it very strange, though, that she brought up "gentrification" so much throughout the book, and made it seem like she was doing her best to cross racial barriers, only to reveal at the end of the book that, actually, all of her friends and everyone in her neighborhood are white.
Note: There was quite a lot of profanity in the book, especially the f-bomb.
January 22, 2017
Good, not great. Found the author a tad naïve, albeit very well intentioned. As the NYT house tour article put it, "a triumph of feelings over financial facts. It does not end in ruin, but it does end in debt." While I'm all for community building and rehabbing a home, I found the author's financial choices to be questionable. That said, the book had an interesting take on gentrification. And the writer was thoughtful and compassionate.
Here's some photos of their home in said article: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/yo...
Here's some photos of their home in said article: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/yo...
March 20, 2018
It was easy and pleasant to read but I didn't really see the hustle part. She just paid some people to build the house for her...
September 25, 2018
This book is more about Haimerl, than it is about Detroit. She leaves Brooklyn because the prices are to high to rehab a house in Detroit. But how many people can afford to pay $400,000 in cash to rehab a house. Because it is in Detroit the author cannot get a mortgage to finance the house. She finds a wonderful contractor to renovate the house that was gutted when they bought it. The house has historic value and is registered on the Historic District list so it must follow the historic guide lines. Amy, a newcomer to Detroit seems to lecture the reader on what Detroiters want, need and demand. At times her lectures become and irritant. She explains the Detroit bankruptcy. She is also very proud of frequenting local bars, restaurants, and parks. I liked some of the info Amy gave, but I have read other books about Detroit that I liked better.
July 19, 2016
Haimerl offers her window on contemporary Detroit homesteading with a kindness and self awareness I appreciated. I struggled with much of the first 100 pages of the book, not because it was not interesting -- it was -- or relevant. I was eager to get to Detroit. On reflection, I refocused on the fact that it is a Memoir not a current events piece. And Haimerl story of growing up in a single wide not a double wide, her discussion of her adoptive father's work life and the like ground Haimerl and her story. Her descriptions of life learning journalism and her mentors and friendships evoked for me memories of stories of Harper Lee and Mollie Ivins in NYC.
July 21, 2018
The woe is me and plight the author wants the reader to feel is difficult to swallow. But as a Michigander, I loved learning about Detroit and the deep dive into that time period. A perspective from someone who got their hands dirty would have been more palatable making this memoir hard to recommend.
Want to Read
May 12, 2016This looks just splendid. Here's a very thoughtful interview with the author in one of my fave Bk rags.
August 4, 2017
Admission: I am a sucker for house-restoration memoirs. I don't know why, considering that I've never owned or restored a home, I'm not especially handy, and the likelihood that I will change any of that in the near future is approximately nil. I think I just like the inherent possibility of them, the idea of taking something that is just about falling down and turning it into not only a home. I want details: I want a written tour of the house, one that tells me about each room and what its quirks are and what's wrong with it and what the people restoring it choose to do with it.
Considering that it was page 247 before I knew that the house had three bedrooms and three and a half baths, it is safe to say that this was not that book.
Of course, the house Haimerl and her husband bought had more of a history than your average falling-down house: it was in Detroit, a broken city only barely beginning to crawl back from the depths of bankruptcy and worse. Haimerl and her husband had previously lived in New York, and they picked Detroit for its culture and its blue-collar roots, I guess. I'm afraid some of Haimerl's explanations of thought processes left me rolling my eyes quite a bit, though: Cleveland? Detroit without the cache. Philly? Maybe. Portland or Seattle? Hell, no. No tourist towns, with their happy lattes and endless bike lanes. Yes, those things are lovely and we enjoy them, but we wanted a place that was forging its future, not relaxing on its accomplishments. We wanted a working-class town with an entrepreneurial spirit. (14)
Haimerl talks a lot about Detroit's attempts to pull itself up by its bootstraps, but she also spends a huge amount of space wrestling with the question of gentrification and whether or not she and her husband are contributing to it. She can't be a gentrifying hipster, she says, because she has blue-collar roots and a pit bull. And yet she can come in and spend $400,000 on a house and its renovation; she's thrilled with the new vegan and organic options popping up in the neighbourhood. Revitalisation? Or gentrification? Can it be both? I don't know. But I do know that I don't see much in this book of the people who had lived in Detroit for years and weren't seeing the benefits of revitalisation/gentrification, and who weren't able to put almost half a million dollars into changing their lives. I look at that, and at the snub of places like Portland (which reads to me as rather exceptionally hipster in its 'it's already been discovered, so it's not cool anymore' feel, though of course it probably wasn't meant that way) as, well, yeah. It's kind of hard to argue that there isn't any hipster-ism or gentrification going on here. My point isn't to sling mud on Haimerl for where she moved. It's more that, for all the discussion of gentrification, the book doesn't seem to land that far from where it started on the subject.
I will happily read about contemporary Detroit and I will happily read about houses, but ideally I'd want a broader view of the former, and...I don't want the custom-built 'boudoir' (where apparently Haimerl is supposed to drink her morning coffee and read a book?) to get more description than literally any other room in the house: One wall is lined with floating shelves for shoes, each shelf sitting on a custom-made cleat that mimics the detail of the trim surrounding the windows. They built the closet by customizing pieces from IKEA, giving me rods for my dresses, blouses, and pants and skirts. There are drawers for my delicates and high shelves for all of my purses, scarves, and hats. Two felt-lined drawers house all of my jewelry. A dedicated light switch illuminates not only the closet but inside the jewelry drawers as well. (256–257) I suspect it might have helped to have a narrower scope for the book (e.g., Detroit's shifting landscape or restoring a house), but as it is I don't think this one's really going to stay with me.
Considering that it was page 247 before I knew that the house had three bedrooms and three and a half baths, it is safe to say that this was not that book.
Of course, the house Haimerl and her husband bought had more of a history than your average falling-down house: it was in Detroit, a broken city only barely beginning to crawl back from the depths of bankruptcy and worse. Haimerl and her husband had previously lived in New York, and they picked Detroit for its culture and its blue-collar roots, I guess. I'm afraid some of Haimerl's explanations of thought processes left me rolling my eyes quite a bit, though: Cleveland? Detroit without the cache. Philly? Maybe. Portland or Seattle? Hell, no. No tourist towns, with their happy lattes and endless bike lanes. Yes, those things are lovely and we enjoy them, but we wanted a place that was forging its future, not relaxing on its accomplishments. We wanted a working-class town with an entrepreneurial spirit. (14)
Haimerl talks a lot about Detroit's attempts to pull itself up by its bootstraps, but she also spends a huge amount of space wrestling with the question of gentrification and whether or not she and her husband are contributing to it. She can't be a gentrifying hipster, she says, because she has blue-collar roots and a pit bull. And yet she can come in and spend $400,000 on a house and its renovation; she's thrilled with the new vegan and organic options popping up in the neighbourhood. Revitalisation? Or gentrification? Can it be both? I don't know. But I do know that I don't see much in this book of the people who had lived in Detroit for years and weren't seeing the benefits of revitalisation/gentrification, and who weren't able to put almost half a million dollars into changing their lives. I look at that, and at the snub of places like Portland (which reads to me as rather exceptionally hipster in its 'it's already been discovered, so it's not cool anymore' feel, though of course it probably wasn't meant that way) as, well, yeah. It's kind of hard to argue that there isn't any hipster-ism or gentrification going on here. My point isn't to sling mud on Haimerl for where she moved. It's more that, for all the discussion of gentrification, the book doesn't seem to land that far from where it started on the subject.
I will happily read about contemporary Detroit and I will happily read about houses, but ideally I'd want a broader view of the former, and...I don't want the custom-built 'boudoir' (where apparently Haimerl is supposed to drink her morning coffee and read a book?) to get more description than literally any other room in the house: One wall is lined with floating shelves for shoes, each shelf sitting on a custom-made cleat that mimics the detail of the trim surrounding the windows. They built the closet by customizing pieces from IKEA, giving me rods for my dresses, blouses, and pants and skirts. There are drawers for my delicates and high shelves for all of my purses, scarves, and hats. Two felt-lined drawers house all of my jewelry. A dedicated light switch illuminates not only the closet but inside the jewelry drawers as well. (256–257) I suspect it might have helped to have a narrower scope for the book (e.g., Detroit's shifting landscape or restoring a house), but as it is I don't think this one's really going to stay with me.
June 18, 2021
This was a quick and easy read that falls far more under “memoir of author and a house” than “cool read about Detroit.” The Detroit that Haimerl loves and meets and explores is almost exclusively a White, gentrifying, privileged, wealthy one. She talks about the financial troubles that the city faces, and names that Detroit is 83% Black, but we almost never (that we know) encounter Black residents or see their neighborhoods or look at their schools and we certainly never hear their voices. It’s a book about White privilege.
And Haimerl knows it. She struggles with this. She spends the first 25% of the book telling about her down-home, struggling roots, I would guess to give credibility to the idea that she *isn’t* one of those clueless gentrifying White folks. And she eventually comes to the conclusion that she is “gentrified and gentrifying.” But I have utterly no idea what that means. That her hometown that she no longer lives in has been gentrified? That doesn’t mean she has. That she escaped a life of high-school-diploma-work-at-the-convenience-store-get-married? That’s not “being gentrified.” No one came in, gussied her up in the middle of her down-and-out community, and left her there. When you’re a person, moving up the economic ladder is simply called “moving into the middle class,” not gentrifying. Haimerl’s attempts to deny the absolute truth of her actions (she sure makes it sound like everything changed RIGHT as she got to Detroit, as if nothing was changing before she, personally, arrived) denies the truth of all the ground-level local activists who have been there forever and whose stories she declines to tell.
If Haimerl had simply decided to tell the story of renovating a house in Detroit, I would have liked this better. I do understand it needed the context of Detroit’s financial woes. But either include a contrasting story just as in depth of a Black resident who has been there all along, or own that you are a wealthy White childless couple who are part of the gentrifying of Detroit. You can even own that Detroit needs this kind of capital. But don’t ignore the advantage you have and bring with you by pretending that owning a pit bull instead of a golden retriever makes you someone else.
The house story was fun and well written, which was why I gave this 3 stars. I didn’t enjoy the perspective on the rest.
And Haimerl knows it. She struggles with this. She spends the first 25% of the book telling about her down-home, struggling roots, I would guess to give credibility to the idea that she *isn’t* one of those clueless gentrifying White folks. And she eventually comes to the conclusion that she is “gentrified and gentrifying.” But I have utterly no idea what that means. That her hometown that she no longer lives in has been gentrified? That doesn’t mean she has. That she escaped a life of high-school-diploma-work-at-the-convenience-store-get-married? That’s not “being gentrified.” No one came in, gussied her up in the middle of her down-and-out community, and left her there. When you’re a person, moving up the economic ladder is simply called “moving into the middle class,” not gentrifying. Haimerl’s attempts to deny the absolute truth of her actions (she sure makes it sound like everything changed RIGHT as she got to Detroit, as if nothing was changing before she, personally, arrived) denies the truth of all the ground-level local activists who have been there forever and whose stories she declines to tell.
If Haimerl had simply decided to tell the story of renovating a house in Detroit, I would have liked this better. I do understand it needed the context of Detroit’s financial woes. But either include a contrasting story just as in depth of a Black resident who has been there all along, or own that you are a wealthy White childless couple who are part of the gentrifying of Detroit. You can even own that Detroit needs this kind of capital. But don’t ignore the advantage you have and bring with you by pretending that owning a pit bull instead of a golden retriever makes you someone else.
The house story was fun and well written, which was why I gave this 3 stars. I didn’t enjoy the perspective on the rest.
January 7, 2021
This is an interesting glimpse into the mind of someone seriously struggling with self-identification and acceptance as they, and their partner, make decisions that lead them to spend over $400,000 on a contractor to renovate their newly acquired $35,000 home in Detroit.
From a public administration standpoint, it is socioeconomically and psychologically quite interesting.
But if you are looking for a gritty Detroit reno story this isn't it. The home is renovated by a contractor and the nuts-and-bolts renovation portion of the story, of which there isn't much, revolves around the stress of deciding if they need a downstairs bathroom (Yes. Always. Period.) and the nuances of adhering to the historical societies regulations ( Fines for backyard gardens in a city that is burning and where people are starving...don't even get me started!).
I, as with other reviewers apparently, was expecting the focus to be on the actual home buying and renovation process. As someone who has flipped a few homes (both with and without contractors) and is likely to be moving to Detroit at some point (according to my husband's boss), this book wasn't what I hoped it would be, but was still thoroughly enjoyable and useful nonetheless.
The only caveat being this book feels....uncomfortable, at times. As another reviewer put it, "it feels icky" in parts. There is quite a feeling of entitlement, as others have mentioned. It, unfortunately, sings through to a degree that can only come from someone who insists they are aware of their entitlement but are truly not. I have known a few people like this, and it was hard not to picture their faces as I read the narrative. Thankfully, the writer appears to have the best of intentions and a good heart, which softens those sharp, though repetitive, notes.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to checking out a number of the restaurants and kayak tours mentioned.
From a public administration standpoint, it is socioeconomically and psychologically quite interesting.
But if you are looking for a gritty Detroit reno story this isn't it. The home is renovated by a contractor and the nuts-and-bolts renovation portion of the story, of which there isn't much, revolves around the stress of deciding if they need a downstairs bathroom (Yes. Always. Period.) and the nuances of adhering to the historical societies regulations ( Fines for backyard gardens in a city that is burning and where people are starving...don't even get me started!).
I, as with other reviewers apparently, was expecting the focus to be on the actual home buying and renovation process. As someone who has flipped a few homes (both with and without contractors) and is likely to be moving to Detroit at some point (according to my husband's boss), this book wasn't what I hoped it would be, but was still thoroughly enjoyable and useful nonetheless.
The only caveat being this book feels....uncomfortable, at times. As another reviewer put it, "it feels icky" in parts. There is quite a feeling of entitlement, as others have mentioned. It, unfortunately, sings through to a degree that can only come from someone who insists they are aware of their entitlement but are truly not. I have known a few people like this, and it was hard not to picture their faces as I read the narrative. Thankfully, the writer appears to have the best of intentions and a good heart, which softens those sharp, though repetitive, notes.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to checking out a number of the restaurants and kayak tours mentioned.
April 2, 2020
On the surface, Detroit Hustle is about the excitement, anticipation, and the trials and tribulations of renovating a house in Detroit. Haimerl discusses how and why she and her husband decided and managed to go to Detroit to create a life for themselves. On a deeper level, Haimerl’s memoir addresses the difficulty of entering the city as an outsider – a gentrifier – and what that means for the future of Detroit.
I love how the author’s memoir is embedded with this theme and questions the role we all play in our cities’ futures. One lesson I learned from this book is that as citizens, we owe it to Detroit, to learn from the past, collaborate to revitalize it, but never change the city’s essence. We need to celebrate the city in its present state, not change it to what the people who are moving in think it should be. Haimerl doesn't deny that Detroit needs growth and revitalization; however, she emphasizes that the people who have resided there for decades should not be forgotten. Most of these residents are the ones who were abandoned during the mid-twentieth century when discriminatory housing policies limited who could move to the suburbs and find the best jobs. These residents are the ones who have developed small businesses and created homes for themselves in a city that was abandoned. Rising housing costs should not push these residents out. They deserve to have a voice.
Haimerl discusses how she works to fight against gentrification. The author gets involved in the community, solicits old and local businesses, collaborates with neighbors to clean up vacant lots in her neighborhood, and is a mentor of sorts for newcomers to the city. I highly recommend this book if you are fascinated by architecture, want to renovate a historical home, or if you are interested in the social intricacies of urban areas.
I love how the author’s memoir is embedded with this theme and questions the role we all play in our cities’ futures. One lesson I learned from this book is that as citizens, we owe it to Detroit, to learn from the past, collaborate to revitalize it, but never change the city’s essence. We need to celebrate the city in its present state, not change it to what the people who are moving in think it should be. Haimerl doesn't deny that Detroit needs growth and revitalization; however, she emphasizes that the people who have resided there for decades should not be forgotten. Most of these residents are the ones who were abandoned during the mid-twentieth century when discriminatory housing policies limited who could move to the suburbs and find the best jobs. These residents are the ones who have developed small businesses and created homes for themselves in a city that was abandoned. Rising housing costs should not push these residents out. They deserve to have a voice.
Haimerl discusses how she works to fight against gentrification. The author gets involved in the community, solicits old and local businesses, collaborates with neighbors to clean up vacant lots in her neighborhood, and is a mentor of sorts for newcomers to the city. I highly recommend this book if you are fascinated by architecture, want to renovate a historical home, or if you are interested in the social intricacies of urban areas.
December 4, 2020
A fairly interesting book by someone who almost bankrupted herself and her husband by having an urge to move to Detroit, buying a rundown house and spending huge amounts of money renovating it.
This book was also mildly educational; I realized how difficult it is to repair damaged buildings in damaged neighborhoods, and why demolition is often the best answer. Renovation is often more costly than the resale value of the house; banks will rarely make loans in such circumstances, because if they have to foreclose and sell the house, they will not get their money back. And because middle-class people like the author rarely have the money to renovate without a loan, homes go unrenovated. The city of Detroit has tried to solve the problem by auctioning off damaged houses. People are quite willing to bid on them, but often they refuse to close because they cannot get the loan that they need to repair the house. She writes that in 300 auctions in the first year of the program, "fewer than half of the winning bidders will actually take possession."
Although a few other cities are more violent than Detroit, Detroit differs from other cities in its level of social order. The author discusses a visit to Brooklyn, where there are hundreds of metal shopping carts in a grocery store, and copper wire all around. She writes that in Detroit, all of these items would "quickly disappear"- that is, they would be stolen and sold to a scrap metal facility.
This book was also mildly educational; I realized how difficult it is to repair damaged buildings in damaged neighborhoods, and why demolition is often the best answer. Renovation is often more costly than the resale value of the house; banks will rarely make loans in such circumstances, because if they have to foreclose and sell the house, they will not get their money back. And because middle-class people like the author rarely have the money to renovate without a loan, homes go unrenovated. The city of Detroit has tried to solve the problem by auctioning off damaged houses. People are quite willing to bid on them, but often they refuse to close because they cannot get the loan that they need to repair the house. She writes that in 300 auctions in the first year of the program, "fewer than half of the winning bidders will actually take possession."
Although a few other cities are more violent than Detroit, Detroit differs from other cities in its level of social order. The author discusses a visit to Brooklyn, where there are hundreds of metal shopping carts in a grocery store, and copper wire all around. She writes that in Detroit, all of these items would "quickly disappear"- that is, they would be stolen and sold to a scrap metal facility.
July 8, 2017
Detroit Hustle: A Memoir of Love, Life & Home by Amy Haimerl (Running Press 2016) (977.434). This is a tale of rehabbing a grand old house in Detroit in the 2010's when Detroit was uninhabitable for all intents and purposes regardless of the author's good intentions and her boosterism for her adopted city. The author requests that this book be seen as about urban homesteading and not about gentrification. The author winds up with a 3000 square foot four bathroom house for $400,000. The muggers, the criminals who live the next street over, the thieves, the lack of decent public schools, and the lack of city services (inconsistent garbage pickup, police response time of over an hour on emergency calls) are all thrown in for free. No offense to our author, who seems like a very nice person, but I wouldn't live in Detroit on a bet – even if the rehabbed house was offered to me for free. The key to why the author was willing to assume the risk to fix the house? She's a New Yorker who lived in a 425 square foot apartment prior to moving to Detroit. She was willing to lay out $400000 to live in a crime-infested ghetto simply because she was naive and didn't know any better! This is a post-yuppie millenial fable if ever there was one. My rating: 7/10, finished 7/7/17.
May 12, 2017
Amy Haimerl grew up in a small, working-class town in rural Colorado, so blue collar, hard scrabble towns are in her blood. While she and her husband are living in Red Hook Brooklyn where the cost of living is getting higher and higher, they decide to start looking for somewhere to live where they can afford to buy a house. They end up in Detroit. And while rumors of $1 houses in Detroit abound, there is a lot of red tape involved in buying and fixing up an abandoned house in Detroit...namely most banks won't give you a mortgage. After finding their dream home and cashing out their 401ks and borrowing money from family they spend two years rehabbing a historic home in Detroit. Amy writes about not only their adventure in renovating a home, but also some of the history and current issues with Detroit. She also delves into the whole issue of gentrification and what that can mean for both sides of the issue. Overall, an interesting book about how one couple realized their dream of home ownership and are helping to revitalize the city of Detroit.
August 1, 2018
3.5 stars for this one. I picked it up because I don't know a thing about Detroit so I thought it would be interesting. I'm not particularly interested in either houses or remodeling, but this was a lot more than that. I'd mostly characterize it as a love letter to Detroit. I can totally relate since that is how I feel about Seattle. I loved how the author and her husband were so smitten with the city and how they worked hard to embrace it and create a life there. I was really surprised about how low the prices still are for a lot of the houses (I've been searching the real estate there now!), but hope that somehow there becomes an easier path for people wanting to invest in Detroit. The fact that people need to essentially pay for all the fixing up of what are essentially gutted homes with out of pocket cash is kind of crazy! I liked reading about how the author struggled with the fact that she is a gentrifier and thinking about her role in the city, though she seemed like she tried to deny it a bit. All in all a very interesting book that was eye opening to me.
November 15, 2020
Detroit Hustle is not just about Amy Haimerl's time in Detroit, but a memoir of how she got there in the first place and why she, and her husband, would put such effort into rehabilitating a hundred year old house. Haimerl does a good job of discussing the issues with moving to Detroit and taking on a project. It is impossible to get a mortgage and old houses are not only expensive to fix up, they are expensive to maintain. Unlike many people, Haimerl was able to get family support until finally getting a mortgage. As a business writer, Haimerl may have spent more time on the finances, personal and those of the city, than most writers would have. But it is important, especially if you do not have the skills to do the work yourself, which Amy and her husband mostly don't.
Amy and her husband were not just looking for a house, they were looking for a community and they found it. That part was really nice. Detroit has a lot to offer and it is good to see some people can appreciate it.
Amy and her husband were not just looking for a house, they were looking for a community and they found it. That part was really nice. Detroit has a lot to offer and it is good to see some people can appreciate it.
June 16, 2017
Spectacular and approachable. Funny. I have a feeling I will pick this one up for a second read at some point.
My husband and I hope to purchase an old multi-plex in Old east Dallas and do renovations to make a home for us and some tenants. We are very concerned with doing it right (not quick), upholding the integrity of the building and the integrity of he surrounding neighborhood - Bringing in new life by way of a property but also being cognizant of current gentrification trends and trying to not fall prey.
My favorites were the last couple of chapters as she thinks through the footprint that she and her husband (and others) are making on their communities and her earnest look at gentrification and ways to build a community by also valuing and supporting those that are they and not only the new and shiny.
I hope to visit Detroit soon and put a visual to the places that Amy writes about.
My husband and I hope to purchase an old multi-plex in Old east Dallas and do renovations to make a home for us and some tenants. We are very concerned with doing it right (not quick), upholding the integrity of the building and the integrity of he surrounding neighborhood - Bringing in new life by way of a property but also being cognizant of current gentrification trends and trying to not fall prey.
My favorites were the last couple of chapters as she thinks through the footprint that she and her husband (and others) are making on their communities and her earnest look at gentrification and ways to build a community by also valuing and supporting those that are they and not only the new and shiny.
I hope to visit Detroit soon and put a visual to the places that Amy writes about.
March 18, 2021
This book was another great one to settle in with at the end of the day. While the discussion of gentrification feels a little wonky, I appreciated that Haimerl approached it at all, and was honest about how she felt and what she was thinking. A genuine love for the history of a home and the soul of a city shines through, and the ties back to her personal history were reasonably effective.
My major qualm with the book is the title - it feels like the "hustle" part is lost during the latter half of the novel, mainly because the work was contracted out. While Haimerl certainly had to work hard to manage finances, that aspect of the novel isn't represented as hustle so much as just stress. What the title makes out to be a central theme just kind of disappears halfway through.
Overall, the book was a solid read and very good for de-stressing at the end of the day. It forces you to fall in love with the types of areas the book is set in, which has been a real pleasure.
My major qualm with the book is the title - it feels like the "hustle" part is lost during the latter half of the novel, mainly because the work was contracted out. While Haimerl certainly had to work hard to manage finances, that aspect of the novel isn't represented as hustle so much as just stress. What the title makes out to be a central theme just kind of disappears halfway through.
Overall, the book was a solid read and very good for de-stressing at the end of the day. It forces you to fall in love with the types of areas the book is set in, which has been a real pleasure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2023
I'll be honest. I'm not a big fan of memoirs. I rarely read them. But I bought "Detroit Hustle" on a whim. I grew up just outside Detroit. And even though I only lived in Michigan for 8 years, that's where I feel I grew up. I've been in Detroit many times. So the "Detroit" hook tempted me with this memoir. There was the usual description of Haimerl's early life and loves. This didn't particularly interest me. She has descriptions of her love of Detroit. This aspect was of more interest to me. Where this book really shines in her descriptions of Detroit: her struggles to square being a getrifier and part of the gentrified; the huge difficulties folks have rehabbing, financing and creating a home in Detroit; and her descriptions of daily life in 21st century Detroit. These were all quite excellent and are the reasons I bought this book. So while this book had all the parts of memoirs I dislike, it also had good insights into Michigan living. Highly recommended for people from southeastern Michigan. Recommended for fans of memoirs and city life, in general.
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