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Constance McMurray's family was one of the few that didn't join in the infamous "white flight" from Detroit - leading to a shift of the neighborhood before her eyes. Discover Constance's memoir of mourning losses and moving friendships.
Detroit, 1967: The 1967 Detroit Riot becomes one of the bloodiest of the urban uprisings in America, and it erupts within a short distance from Constance McMurray's home.
In her compelling memoir Detroit White Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up in Detroit, Constance chronicles the traumatic moments of her childhood, the losses she grieved, and the family life and friendships she had.
An underlying theme of the book is race, which complements the theme of her childhood. Constance shares her feelings in in how she was taught as a young white girl to avoid her black neighbors. She was not allowed to play with the black children on her block, invite any black neighbor child into her house, or go to a black neighbor's house.
Constance also shares the strangeness and trauma of seeing every one of her white school friends abruptly leave during the "white flight" exodus - without knowing where they had gone.
This memoir offers a unique perspective on what Constance felt and experienced during this tumultuous period of Detroit's history.
About the author
Constance McMurray was proudly born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated with a BA from Wayne State University and pursued her law degree from the university's law school. During her college and post-college years, she taught in the Detroit Public Schools. After graduating from law school, she moved to Grand Rapids with her husband, Charles. They both practiced law in Grand Rapids for many years before retiring.Constance and Charles now live in Harbor Springs, Michigan. They have two adult children, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren. Constance loves being a nana, reading, and taking walks in the woods. She loves Detroit with all her heart. Detroit White Girl is her first book.
