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The Sack of Detroit: General Motors and the End of American Enterprise
Bottom of the pile
7
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
8/100Critics
7/100Scholars
Author:
Kenneth Whyte
Publisher:
Knopf
Date:
June 1, 2021
Whyte recounts the rise and fall of America's most important industry. At the center of his narrative are the titans of the automotive world but also the crusaders of safety, including Ralph Nader and a group of senators including Bobby Kennedy. Their collision left Detroit in a ditch, launched a new era of consumer advocacy and government regulation, and contributed significantly to the decline of American enterprise.
What The Reviewers Say
... vigorous, provocative.
This important work offers not only lessons but also worthwhile insights about the necessity for business to continually adapt in order to survive. A must for public and academic collections..
If Whyte frames the book in sometimes off-putting conservative terms—he refers to the array of landmark laws passed by the 89th Congress, including the Social Security Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Highway Safety Act (mandating seat belts and head restraints), as an 'orgy' of legislation—he does a good job of parsing the self-interests of many of the principals, while adding depth and welcome nuance to this significant American business story..
Could any book be evaluated for its separate qualities on a standalone basis, like so many subjects in grade school, then The Sack of Detroit might warrant a checkered report card, with an A- here and a C+ there. Alas, a book is the sum of its parts, and only the best ones amount to more. The flaws in Whyte’s new work tend to sully its finest features, some of which are very fine, indeed.
