Detroit Michigan Then And Now - From Boom To Bust

Nov. 9, 2009 - PRLog -- Though many people today think of the Sixties as a bygone era, Boomers hold these years dear within their hearts and minds. In the 60's Detroit symbolized the American Dream. Now all of that has changed.

On Labor Day in 1960, when JFK gave the keynote speech in downtown Detroit, the city was thriving. Businesses were doing well, education was well-funded and in top form, the city abounded with talent, especially among young people, and it was the all-important hub of Labor in the US. When Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, and subsequently the city exploded into race riots in 1967, all of that began to change.Erica Miner's newest novel, FourEver Friends, tells the tale of four teenage girls set in 1960's Detroit. It is a time she remembers fondly.

"As a high school student at that time," states Ms. Miner, "I was full of hope for my city, my country, and my generation. I remember how wonderful it felt to anticipate the great changes to come. Since then my beloved city has been in a downward spiral, and with the current recession Detroit is hurting more than any other city in the US: the auto industry woes, the 15+% unemployment, are just the tip of this iceberg."

Originally Ms. Miner wrote the book as a love letter to her four ‘BFFs’ and to the school that gave us them an astonishing foundation that they were able to draw on. The book can now be seen as somewhat of a snap shot that captures a better time, lived in a better place.

In FourEver Friends, Ms. Miner takes us back to an era that Baby Boomers look to with nostalgia and young adults look to with curiosity. The 1960's were a time of new hope and idealism that ultimately dissolved into volatility and violence. In a specialized inner city Detroit high school, four teenage girls have established the roots of lasting friendship. Their backgrounds are different, but their passion for classical music and angst over raging hormones link them irrevocably. The girls' school is a cultural melting pot of race and ethnicity in which students are judged by their intellect and talents, not the color of their skin or religious upbringing.

"As heartbreaking as it is for me to observe the troubles of the (no longer) Motor City," stated Ms. Miner, "I still see Detroit in my mind as it once was. My fictionalized memoir FourEver Friends, takes a trip down memory lane to a time when the Boomer generation navigated the waters of their adolescence against the background of JFK’s election, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the advent of the Beatles, and other major socio-political events. Even though some of these events could be considered in a negative light, those were the best days the city and the people there had ever experienced. This book will bring back fond memories of those times."

Erica Miner will be appearing on The Authors Show Radio (www.TheAuthorsShow.com) on Nov 12, 2009. FourEver Friends is now available at Ms. Miner's website at www.ericaminer.com, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble. She can be contacted by email at emwriter@earthlink.net.

FourEver Friends
Erica Miner
Nightengale Press
ISBN - 9781933449739

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Violinist turned author Erica Miner has established a reputation as an award-winning screenwriter, author, lecturer and poet.

A native of Detroit, she studied music at Boston University, the New England Conservatory of Music, and the Tanglewood Music Center. After experiencing a variety of highs and lows in her quest to forge a career in New York City, Erica won the coveted position of violinist with the Metropolitan Opera Company. When injuries from a car accident spelled the end of her musical career, she drew upon her lifelong love of writing for inspiration and studied poetry and screenwriting, winning awards in both categories.

In addition Erica has developed a number of writing lectures, workshops and seminars on writing. Erica is available for interview and can be reached by using the information below.