Herb Boyd — journalist, activist, teacher, and author or editor of 23 books — talks about his latest publication, a Great Michigan Read book, Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-determination. The book looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroit – a blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores the city’s past, present, and future and its significance to the African-American legacy and the nation’s fabric. It brings into focus the major figures who have defined and shaped Detroit, including William Lambert, the great abolitionist; Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records; Coleman Young, the city’s first black mayor; diva songstress Aretha Franklin; Malcolm X; and Ralph Bunche, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.