Terror in the City of Champions: Murder, Baseball, and the Secret Society that Shocked Depression-era Detroit Paperback – August 1, 2017

This isn't just a "sports story". It is the story of the Tigers Champion season but it is also the story of Detroit in the mid-1930s. It is the story of break throughs and innovation in the auto industry, changes in society and in politics but accompanied by forces of extremism and racism.As a Detroiter, it was wonderful to be transported back to the Detroit of the 30s. The book was well researched and well written. You could walk down the streets and see the buildings. Sports have always had an important impact on any city, Stanton's description of the World Series and its impact on Detroit was both moving and hilarious. As a sports nut, I also liked knowing more about players who were only names to me.....Schoolboy Rowe, Dizzy Dean, Hank Greenberg. Being from Pittsburgh, our sports stars have special status. These "profiles" were special and made the narrative special.The twin themes of baseball and the Black Legion however showed the dark side of Detroit and the times. I knew nothing of the Black Legion. I attended a Book discussion of Terror in the City of Champions in s suburb of Detroit where I live. Not one person there had heard of the Black Legion. How could that be? That you Tom Stanton for a wonderful entraining book for all of us sports fans but also for those of us who are serious about todays urban issues.

Very interesting history on the black legion and Detroit. I also found it extremely interesting since the head of the Legion residing in my hometown of Lima Ohio

Detroit is just starting to recover from an economic depression when its sports teams go on a run that is unrivaled. At the same time, there's a dark undercurrent as the group the 'Black Legion' grows.This was an interesting read. I'd never heard of the 'Black Legion' so I really enjoyed learning about a segment of American history I knew nothing about. On the other hand, the two main storylines just seemed completely disjointed. I'm not sure how the success in sports connects to the political times in the city. It just felt a bit forced to have the two plots forced together. I think instead of being distracted by the sports aspect, I would have enjoyed the book more if they had just concentrated on the Legion.

Terror in the City of Champions is an interesting look at many events in the mid 30s in Detroit mixing sports, especially baseball, with the racist Black Legion organizations killing spree in the SE Michigan area. The focus in on baseball but Lions and Red Wings also have a voice as does Joe Louis. Detroit really was the City of Champions with three major sports titles in town at the same time, the only time ever anywhere. A couple of errors like Ossian Sweet was a doctor not a dentist, but overall seems like a love letter to Detroit sports fans with well researched meticulous detail. The chapters alternate between telling the story of sports or telling the story of nasty racist activities. Fascinating read. I knew Malcolm X blamed his fathers death on a KKK offshoot, but nothing much else about the Black Legion. This was remarkable and disturbing. I also found the voices of the opposition to police brutality could be uttered today and that was sad. On the other hand, Mr Stanton obviously loves his hometown and more people should embrace the amazing city that is Detroit, warts and all.

I very much enjoyed this description of a time far ago in Detroit history. I thought it was well done, and that it brought to life what it was like to be a Detroiter in the 1930s. It also opened my eyes, of the murderous racketeering and terrorist organization, the Black. Legion. Unfortunate ly you can see a resurgence of some of the ideas promulgated by the Black Legion today.

Tom Stanton does a masterful job of painting a vivid picture of sports life in mid-30’s Detroit by melding glory years of the Detroit Tigers with an important historical look-back at “The Black Legion”. I felt this book was similar to “Devil in the White City” in the manner in which it combined Detroit’s greatest sports year as a shiny overlap to a much darker tale that was unfolding in the city & surrounding Midwest. I highly recommend this book...very enjoyable and very well written = highly engaging!

I have lived in Michigan most of my adult life and thought I knew a lot about its history. Had no idea about the Black Legion. Although I'm not a huge sports fan, found that history interesting also. Well-written and compelling. And incredibly relevant with the current rise of hate groups in the U.S.

Even if you're not from Detroit this historical narrative offers an engaging perspective on the lives of Detroiters in the restless and racist 1930s. Sports, mainly the Tigers and Joe Louis, is the engine that makes this account dynamic. But it's the author's detail about the frightening tactics of the Black Legion that gives this slice of Depression era history its real substance.

Very informative and well researched. Thank you. The book covers a wide range of relevant subjects and as an outsider I appreciated it.

This was a really good read. Paralleling a wannabe Ku Klux gang with the Detroit Tigers season worked really well. Very nice insights into Detroit at that time that of which I was not aware. I would actually recommend it more for the political side than the baseball side.

A very good read. Informative.