188 The Michigan Historical Review Stryker briefly profiles thirty musicians and several cooperative groups from the 1940s to the present. A pattern emerges in the presentation of information where personal stories about the musicians and their music, often based on interviews and conversations the author had with each of them, give way to some biographical information, and conclude with his reflections on important recordings or performances. His writing is captivating and weaves easily between anecdotes, quotes from the artists, and personal stories. Flowing with adjectives, his descriptions of the musical style of each musician bring life to the music in a fresh and unique manner. The chapters on saxophonist Joe Henderson and drummer Elvin Jones are highlights for this reader, as I found myself being drawn to the unique approaches of these two giants of the music through Stryker’s beautifully crafted use of language. Each chapter tells a story and connects the artist to the city in a meaningful way. A recurring theme of mentorship and civic pride runs its course throughout the book. Many of the musicians received formal training in schools, including Cass Tech High School and Wayne State University, but the perpetuation of the music was, and continues to be, the result of musicians encouraging one another, sharing ideas, and modeling the passion and vitality of Detroit jazz for each succeeding generation. Whether the reader is a devoted or novice fan of jazz, Mark Stryker knows Detroit—its music, musicians, and people—and with Jazz from Detroit, he introduces a wider audience to one of the city’s greatest treasures. Bill Sears Interlochen Center for the Arts Gerald Van Dusen. Detroit’s Birwood Wall: Hatred and Healing in the West Eight Mile Community. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2019. Pp.192. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Paper: $21.99. When a book evokes memories as Gerald Van Dusen’s Detroit’s Birwood Wall does for me, they are mixed. In one sense, I am transported back to 1950 when we were the second black family to move on the other side of the wall built in the early forties as a barrier separating the races. We were glad to have our own home and looked forward to a better life. On the other hand, there was the racism, the slights and insults that visited us daily, and then came the “For Sale” signs that popped up overnight like mushrooms, signaling white flight. Book Reviews 189 At the beginning of his book, Van Dusen recalls walking the long, six-foot high narrow wall and once tumbling from it. We walked it too, but the other wall we had to negotiate was less tangible, more metaphorical. Besides Van Dusen’s good job of explaining the history and purposes of the wall, he places it within a city’s evolution and history of often insurmountable barriers. “When the Birwood Wall was constructed in 1941, Detroit’s housing crisis had already reached the city’s outskirts,” Van Dusen writes. The wall, he continues, “. . . made clear that the FHA (Federal Housing Authority) was not interested in making any significant breakthroughs with respect to racial integration.” (48) Even so, black families migrated to the area from other parts of the city where restrictive covenants were still in place. Van Dusen tackles this problem by following the ambitions of several families, none more illustrative than Alfonso Wells, who arrived in the neighborhood prior to World War II and became a formidable community activist. A nearby playground is named in his honor and his image is depicted on the wall, now colorfully decorated with civil rights icons and historic moments. The wall stretches about a half mile from Eight Mile Road, or three blocks south into the community, but in Van Dusen’s capable hands it extends well beyond, even ramifying to Ferndale and Royal Oak on the other side of the road. His recollection of the Duke Theater that stood at the intersection of Eight Mile Road and Wyoming brought back memories of a number of joyful Saturday afternoons. For Van Dusen the wall is not a barrier that confines his research or his determination to sketch a larger picture of Detroit’s housing patterns...