Skip to content
Launch Sale! 25% Off Nearly Every Book
The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North

The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North

Adams, Michelle

Hardcover

$35.00 $26.25 Save 25%

"Splendid . . . Adams's book explores class as well as race, with a richness and sophistication that recall J. Anthony Lukas's 1985 masterpiece, Common Ground." --Jeffrey Toobin, The New York Times Book Review

"Passionate and well researched." --Louis Menand, The New Yorker

The epic story of Detroit's struggle to integrate schools in its suburbs--and the defeat of desegregation in the North.

In 1974, the Supreme Court issued a momentous decision: In the case of Milliken v. Bradley, the justices brought a halt to school desegregation across the North, and to the civil rights movement's struggle for a truly equal education for all. How did this come about, and why?

In The Containment, the esteemed legal scholar Michelle Adams tells the epic story of the struggle to integrate Detroit schools--and what happened when it collided with Nixon-appointed justices committed to a judicial counterrevolution. Adams chronicles the devoted activists who tried to uplift Detroit's students amid the upheavals of riots, Black power, and white flight--and how their efforts led to federal judge Stephen Roth's landmark order to achieve racial balance by tearing down the walls separating the city and its suburbs. The "metropolitan remedy" could have remade the landscape of racial justice. Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that the suburbs could not be a part of the effort to integrate--and thus upheld the inequalities that remain in place today.

Adams tells this story via compelling portraits of a city under stress and of key figures--including Detroit's first Black mayor, Coleman Young, and Justices Marshall, Rehnquist, and Powell. The result is a legal and historical drama that exposes the roots of today's backlash against affirmative action and other efforts to fulfill the country's promise.

EAN: 9780374250423
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: 2025-01-14
Pages: 528
Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
BISAC Subjects: United States - State & Local - Midwest(IA,IL,IN,KS,MI,MN,MO, African American & Black,
Social Classes & Economic Disparity

Prev/Next products

FAQs

Still have questions?! Drop us an email

We ship worldwide! No matter where you are, we’ll get your favorite reads to your doorstep. We partner with reliable carriers to ensure safe and timely delivery, whether you're in the U.S. or across the globe. See our Shipping Policy page for a complete list of shipping methods and transit times.

We typically process and ship orders within 24 hours. Orders placed on weekends or holidays ship the next business day. Delivery time depends on your location and the shipping method selected. Below are our default options, with upgrades available at checkout:

Domestic Orders (U.S.): USPS Economy Mail (2–7 business days) - $3.99 for the first unit, $1.00 per additional unit.

International Orders: Standard International Mail (4–10 business days) - $14.00 for the first unit, $10.50 per additional unit.

See our Shipping Policy page for a complete list of shipping methods and transit times.

We accept all major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. For added convenience, we also offer Shop Pay for orders over $35.00, which provides flexible payment options. More details will be available at checkout.

Once your order ships, we’ll email you a tracking number so you can monitor its progress and estimated delivery date. If you haven’t received your tracking email within two days of placing your order, please check your spam or promotions folder. If it’s still missing, contact us at orders@bookpop.shop, and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Yes! You can send a gift directly to someone by entering their shipping address at checkout. We also offer a gift wrap service for $3.50 per item, and you have the option to include a personalized note with your order.

If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, within 30 days of placing your order, we will refund you for your purchase with no questions asked. Full details can be found in our Returns and Refund Policy

Returns and Refund Contact Info:
returns@bookpop.shop
415.318.0274
5 Lindsay Circle
San Francisco, CA 94124

Recommended Titles

Bag (0)

Your bag is currently empty!

Wishlist