I am greatly impressed with how Rockaway synthesized so much information from so many sources, Furthermore, he then packaged that content into a fairly easytoread book with many illustrations and photographs, The result is a concise and superblywritten study on the subject of the Jews of Detroit,
Rockaway mixes academic research and laymen's penmanship into a solidpage overview, Some readers may feel that he does not write enough, but I think that he adequately covers nearly every topic, The chapters start out chronologically with two chapters pertaining to the first Jews in Detroit, Then, he really starts to break down the chapters by topics: economics, immigration, religion, and class, These topics are linked to oneanother, so the chapters do mix content, However, Rockaway has done an amazing job at staying focused on the topics,
I selected this book because I was interested in Rockaway's sources and methodologies, I have read some of his other publications, and he referenced this book, Although each chapter is supported by lengthy endnotes, I have a mixture of appreciation and disappointment, Again, I am amazed at how well he synthesized content from so many sources, It appears that a majority of his sources are primary sources augmented by secondary sources, I am disappointed in a few places where he cites other secondary sources for key information, especially with regards to economics and sociopolitical data.
This may seem like a minor point but because my interest in the book is from an interest in urban studies rather than Judaism or immigration, this is significant for me.
It means that I need to hunt down more sources,
This book is written for casual reading,
The narrow focus limits the intended audience to mainly academics, students, and readers with ties to Detroit's Jewish heritage, Rockaway's writing is easy to read and digest, His heavy reliance on documentation cuts significantly into his page count and probably had an impact on him discussing the Gentile environment and its influences on the Jewish community.
With only cursory information on this topic offered in early chapters, it is nearly absent in later chapters,
The narrow focus of the book makes me a little reluctant to endorse it widely, It is an excellent book, I wish other immigrant communities documented their heritage as well as Detroit's Jews, Rockaway tapped into a rich environment full of archival material and public collections, These qualities are often absent in many other immigrant groups, A disproportionate amount of material comes from synagogue collections, so public access is probably restricted but at least those collections exist, Rockaway masterfully combed through the sources and developed a fascinating narrative of how the Jewish community united and divided in Detroit, .