Autopsy of an Engine: and Other Stories from the Cadillac Plant

by Lolita Hernandez

“ Autopsy of an Engine is the most surprising love story I’ve read all year. The workers in the Cadillac factory who populate this book may not be related, but in the hands of the amazing Lolita Hernandez they become one moving multicultural family. Writing with tenderness and humor she gives voice to the piston crew and the timing chain women, the foremen and the chassis line. Some of these stories just break your heart. I stayed up all night reading and for weeks afterward Abbie, who brought a ghost factory back to life, haunted my dreams. This is a passionate cry from the factory floor, a story you can’t forget from a voice that has not been heard before.”—Ruth Reichl Full of magic and soul, these 12 stories bring to life the spirits that populated Detroit’s Clark Street Cadillac factory until its last smokestack was airlifted out in 1994. Each story is a tribute to the grit, passion and bravado that transformed Detroit into the Motor City and the Cadillac into America’s premier luxury car. They are also a heartbreaking testament to the decline of the auto industry and the loss of jobs that turned Motown inside out, creating a haunted landscape of abandoned factories and decaying boulevards. Told from the diverse perspective of unionized assembly line workers and management, janitors and engineers, payroll clerks and retirees, these stories capture the raw and vibrant hum of humanity that found its way into every piston, spark plug and belt, even as the last Fleetwood rolled off the line, its engine purring into the Detroit night. They are about family, friendship, resilience, loyalty, and letting go, but mostly they are about the dreams and magic created in the strangest city of all—Detroit’s last Cadillac factory. In Hernandez’s stories, you will meet America—full of love, loss, pride, sweat, dreams, music, comfort food and engine oil—and, in them, you will recognize yourself. Lolita Hernandez ’s writing is greatly influenced by the rhythms and language of her Trinidad and St. Vincent ancestors, and is tempered by over 30 years as a UAW worker, 21 of them at the Cadillac Plant in Detroit. Her poetry has been widely anthologized and stories from this collection have appeared

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

180 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Dann Zinke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a business-y type book about the operations of a car factory, but this is instead a collection of fictional vignettes based on characters and co-workers the author knew during her days as a UAW worker. The prose is dry and the stories don't always go anywhere. Character development is poor. What few similes and metaphors exist are either boring or strained. Maybe someone who has lots of sentimental attachment to the Clark St. Cadillac plant (now closed over 30 years) would enjoy this, but it wasn't for me.

[Michael Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In July, 1985, I was hired to my first job out of college - a timekeeper position in the Hourly Payroll Department at the Cadillac Motor Car Fleetwood Assembly plant in Detroit. I worked the second shift as its only timekeeper, which had me walk through the entire plant every evening. This plant assembled the bodies of the Caddys that were transported a couple miles to the Clark Street facility for final assembly, where the chassis and engine merged.

Lolita Hernandez's collection of stories about the Clark Street facility took me back to that time and place. The language, the characters, and the atmosphere brought me back to my experiences of life in the Cadillac plant. I enjoyed this book very much.

[Jilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short stories are sparkly with magic. Loved loved loved this book.

[Rashmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Vibrant Autopsy" by "Sanah Singh" is a delightful bunch 💐of heartwarming 🖊️ poetry. All the poems will seize you on a conveyance of warmth.

The entire piece of poetry touched my heart ❤️ and spirit. Anyone can relate to these poems.

It's a fascinating array that upholds enthusiasm and self-love.

The book 📖 is gracefully sifted into 4️⃣ parts.
🍂 I wonder
🍂 I feel
🍂 I long
🍂 I am

All four portions carry poems with unique and catchy titles. 

The most stunning thing about this book is the cutest illustrates. The sketches were so amazing. I truly love them ( even try to copy them too 🙈).

The language and cover are also good 🌟.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, thought this was a collection of essays by former Cadillac plant workers so the first couple of pages were not what I was expecting. Beautiful, melancholy writing.