According to Charlie LeDuff’s Twitter account, his most recent book DETROIT: An American Autopsy was released February 11th 2013, and it’s already receiving several reviews and news articles. Bill Shea writes:

“As for Detroit, it works. No one book can tell the entire story of the city, and there’s no right way to do it. This is one way to tell that story, and it could be done only by someone consciously embedded not only in the city, but in their own family and their own life. LeDuff is unafraid to mine his personal history for broadly identifiable examples of Detroit’s larger plight. Who in Detroit hasn’t had a relative that lost a good career and ended up in a dead-end job? Or hasn’t been touched in some way by the booze and drugs that some people use to escape the grim realities of the Motor City? There may be other reporters here who have such stories, and have worked all the beats and can write better prose, but only LeDuff, flaws and all, has had the balls to write Detroit.” -Bill Shea’s review, Columbia Journalism Review

In 2009, on VICE‘s online series, Vice Meets: Thomas Morton interviewed Charlie LeDuff. He had just returned back to Detroit from living in New York City, and decided it was time to make it home again.

He was quoted then as saying,

Detroit’s the story. It’s the story of the modern world from 100 years ago and today. That’s why you’re here. To me, right now, on this planet, this is the center of the Empire. Here you can see the collapse of the Empire…it’s here.”

Read an excerpt from his book here.

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