Detroit's Got Soul

Book excerpt: Following the devastating 1967 rebellion in Detroit, Frank Waterman searches his soul for what he can do to give his family and community hope. Negroes have become blacks, whites have taken flight to the suburbs and the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit wants to close nearly all of its inner-city schools, including Visitation, where the Waterman family attends school and church. But the Watermans have a different idea save the schools save the children! Frank has quit the security and comfort of his position as an insurance salesman in order to direct a yet-to-be-established City Club community center near Dexter Blvd. on Detroits west side. Things heat up for the Waterman family as heroin use explodes in Detroit like an atomic bomb and the police seem to run amuck under a new tactical unit called STRESS. Meanwhile Mike, the eldest of the three Waterman children, and his St. Martin DePorres (newly merged) basketball team prepare to compete for the city title against neighborhood rival Central High School. Some of the elders in the neighborhood warn the children Be careful where you step, its a mine-field out there. But Frank tells his family and community to Keep pushing... we can reach our higher goal, because Detroits got soul.