5 Detroit-centered books to add to your summer reading list

BridgeDetroit highlighted five summer reads by Detroit-connected authors, featuring works like Ruta Sepetys' historical novel "A Fortune of Sand" set in 1920s Grosse Pointe, Donna Givens Davidson's "Divining Freedom" spanning five generations of Black Detroit history, and other fiction and memoir titles. Sepetys, a New York Times bestselling author, discussed her research process at a June 3 panel at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, explaining how she uncovers underrepresented stories and spent five to seven years researching Detroit's role as the "Paris of the Midwest" before its industrial decline. The books celebrate Detroit's resilience, creativity, and diverse voices—from fashion and art in the Jazz Age to the lived experiences of Black Detroiters navigating Jim Crow, Black Bottom, and the Civil Rights era.