They Lied to Us About Detroit: The New Book and Series Exploring What Really Destroyed the Motor City
Detroit’s story is one of the most fascinating—and most misunderstood—in America.
For decades, people have tried to explain Detroit’s rise and decline with one simple answer: the auto industry, the 1967 rebellion, suburbanization, corruption, crime, or population loss.
But Detroit’s real history is far more complicated.
That is the idea behind our new book, They Lied to Us About Detroit, and the companion History Loves Company video series, They Lied to Us.
Together, the book and series explore the people, policies, neighborhoods, industries, buildings, and turning points that shaped Detroit from its earliest years through the city we know today.
What Really Destroyed Detroit?
The first episode of the new series asks the question at the center of the project:
What Really Destroyed Detroit?
The answer cannot be reduced to one event.
Detroit’s story includes the rise of the automobile industry, the Great Migration, housing discrimination, redlining, freeway construction, urban renewal, suburbanization, deindustrialization, population loss, political decisions, and decades of changing economic conditions.
The goal of They Lied to Us About Detroit is not to replace one simplified story with another.
It is to go deeper.
To ask better questions.
And to understand how one of the most powerful industrial cities in the world became the Detroit we know today.
Watch What Really Destroyed Detroit? on the History Loves Company YouTube channel:
A Detroit History Book Designed to Go Beyond the Screen
The YouTube series lets us visit the places where Detroit history happened.
The book allows us to go deeper into the context behind them.
Historic neighborhoods. Factories. Mansions. Highways. Commercial districts. Lost buildings. Surviving landmarks.
The two projects are being built to work together.
Watch the story. Read the story. Then go explore it for yourself.
When Will the Book Be Available?
Signed first-edition preorders are now open.
We are currently hoping to have the first printed copies of They Lied to Us About Detroit in hand within approximately 30 days.
That is our current production target rather than a guaranteed delivery date. Once the first printing arrives and is inspected, we will begin fulfilling preorder copies.
If you want to be part of the first printing, you can reserve your signed copy now through The Foundry by History Loves Company.
Preorder the Signed First Edition
https://thefoundryhlc.com/products/they-lied-to-us-about-detroit-signed-first-edition-preorder
While You’re There, Explore The Foundry
The Foundry is more than the place where the book is being sold.
It is the physical home of a growing community of independent businesses, makers, creators, vintage sellers, local products, and History Loves Company projects.
When you visit the Foundry website to preorder your book, take a look around and discover some of the other businesses and products being built there.
Shop The Foundry
And if you are local to Metro Detroit, come visit us in person.
The Foundry by History Loves Company
35 W Huron St
Downtown Pontiac, Michigan
I’m there often, so if you stop in, there’s a good chance you may run into me working, filming, meeting with someone, or talking history.
If you see me, come say hello.
More Than a Book
They Lied to Us About Detroit is part of something much bigger.
History Loves Company is documenting Detroit neighborhoods, historic homes, architecture, lost buildings, preservation stories, Michigan history, and the people who shaped the places around us.
The book is one piece.
The YouTube series is another.
The Foundry gives those stories a physical home.
And HistoryLovesCo.com is where we are continuing to build the larger archive.
If you love Detroit history, historic architecture, Michigan history, preservation, or simply discovering the stories hiding behind the places you pass every day, this project was made for you.
Detroit deserves more than a soundbite.
They told us what happened. Now we’re going back to find out for ourselves.
Watch the Series
Preorder the Book
https://thefoundryhlc.com/products/they-lied-to-us-about-detroit-signed-first-edition-preorder
Shop The Foundry
