Idlewild: The Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town Ronald J.Stephens. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013.

Abstract

Idlewild: The Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town Ronald J. Stephens. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013.Idlewild, Michigan, in Yates Township, east of Baldwin in southeast Lake County is located in rural northwestern Michigan. Idlewild was a black separate resort that represented an oasis and a utopian space during the New Negro era of Jim Crow segregation (20). Primarily a vacation and retirement community today, from the 1920s to 1960s, Idlewild was one of the most popular vacation resort towns for middle-class African-American professionals and business leaders. Unlike notable African American resorts-Oakbluff's on Martha's Vineyard, American Beach on Amelia Island north of Jacksonville, and Highland Beach in Maryland-which served the upper class, Idlewild has catered to multiple classes over the course of its history (5).After a brief introduction and closing with an epilogue, Stephens discusses the significance of Idlewild in seven chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 detail events from the 1910s to the 1940s including an introduction to the historical context of the founding and the establishment of Idlewild. Of particular significance in the early years were the cooperation and partnerships between the Idlewild Resort Company, the Idlewild Improve- ment Association, and the Idlewild Lot Owners Association. The Great Depression and World War Two brought successes and challenges and involved a number of individuals who played major roles in sustaining Idlewild during this period. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 focus on two African-American men who almost singlehandedly ushered in, encouraged, and managed the economic prosperity in Idlewild from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s through their reliance on black popular music. The first, Phil Giles, moved to Idlewild in 1947. Giles opened and managed several businesses including the Flamingo Club which is noted for the different kinds of he featured there. Giles brought leadership and vision to Idlewild as well as encouraged racial uplift, cooperative economics, and employed local residents. The second, Arthur Daddy Braggs first vacationed in Idlewild in 1950. As a policy boss, Braggs used laundered profits from his illegal operations to create one of the best nightspots in Idlewild and one of the best black touring revues in the United States (157). These chapters are particularly insightful because beginning with Giles and Braggs, Stephens connects the personal narratives of entertainers who performed at Idlewild to broader social, political, and economic historical events, and he explores the Idlewild entertainment engine. …