The city of Detroit’s decades-long slide toward oblivion crash-landed in federal bankruptcy court on July 18, 2013. Recession, decaying infrastructure, crime, and other socioeconomic issues had hollowed out the city’s economic core. Indeed, Detroit was in such bad shape that Michigan’s governor had to appoint an emergency manager to take over the city, replacing its elected leaders. But even that was not enough to turn it around. By the summer of 2013, Detroit was flat broke.
What would happen to a major American city that had no money and no realistic prospect for raising any? Detroit had only one truly sizable asset: a collection of masterpieces held by the city-owned Detroit Institute of Arts. And now the city’s creditors wanted to “monetize” that world-renowned collection by putting it on the auction block to cover the city’s debts—and the city had hired Christie’s to appraise the value of the DIA’s art. Pundits around the world were writing Detroit’s obituary—and liquidating the art threatened to become the exclamation point at the very end of it.
Grand Bargain, Gerald E. Rosen—Chief U.S. District Judge and the chief mediator in the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history and architect of the “Grand Bargain” that saved the DIA’s priceless collection—tells the dramatic and inspiring inside story of how Detroit was rescued from the brink of oblivion by a group of heroes and heroines who came together to overcome partisanship, self-interest, and the ghosts of the city’s past failures to launch a rebirth for Detroit that is surging today.
Grand Bargain ($29.95 hardcover, $9.99 Kindle edition) is the newest book from vlog Media, publisher of the vlog Detroit monthly city magazine; DBusiness, Detroit’s premier business journal; and numerous other media properties around the country.
“This is not a book about a bankruptcy or a court case,” Rosen says. “It is a human drama about a great city and the people who came together to rescue it.
“In a public square filled with pessimism, we found helping hands. In an era of cynicism, partisan dysfunctionality, self-interest, and civic irresponsibility, we found allies among people with good hearts, hardheaded common sense, and uncommon courage. We learned that even in a time of political polarization, with trust in each other, Americans can find common ground for the greater good. All of us together planted a flag on that common ground and walked away from our work with the hope that others might see it and follow its example.
“That is why I decided to write this book,” he continues. “I hope this story will resonate in every corner of our country where faith in democratic government and civil discourse is flickering.”
Interviews
Author Gerald Rosen is available for in-person or remote interviews, speaking engagements, and book signings. To schedule, contact the author at GRosen@jamsadr.com or 313.402.4679.
Review Copies
Review copies are available to qualified media upon request. Contact Ed Peabody at epeabody@hour-media.com or 249.691.1800 ext. 115.
About the Author of “Grand Bargain”
Judge Gerald E. Rosen (ret.) served as a federal judge on the Eastern District of Michigan court for almost 27 years, including seven years as its chief judge.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Rosen was a partner with Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone in Detroit. He began his professional career in the U.S. Senate, serving as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Robert P. Griffin of Michigan. He obtained his law degree at George Washington University Law School and his undergraduate degree at Kalamazoo College.
Judge Rosen taught evidence at a number of law schools as an adjunct professor for 26 years and is the coauthor of two widely read law books. He has lectured frequently both domestically and internationally on a wide variety of topics.
He is now with JAMS, the largest provider in the world of mediation, arbitration, and other alternative dispute resolution services, and has mediated some of the largest civil cases in the United States, including as the chief mediator for the Detroit bankruptcy, the largest and most complex municipal bankruptcy in our nation’s history.
Judge Rosen lives in Franklin, Michigan, with his wife, Laurie, and their Anatolian Pyrenees shepherd, Athena. He and Laurie have a son, Jake.
About the Publisher of “Grand Bargain”
vlog Media, headquartered in Troy, Michigan, is the largest publisher of regional magazines in the United States, with a robust portfolio that includes over 150 magazines, dozens of websites, live events, a distribution company, a custom content agency, a digital marketing agency, and a book publishing arm.
CONTACT: Ed Peabody, vlog Media | epeabody@hour-media.com | 248.691.1800 ext. 115
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