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In the 1950s, America enjoyed massive growth and affluence, and no companies contributed more to its success than automakers. They were the biggest and best businesses in the world, their leadership revered, their methods imitated, and their brands synonymous with the nation\\u2019s aspirations. But by the end of the 1960s, Detroit\\u2019s profits had evaporated and its famed executives had become symbols of greed, arrogance, and incompetence. And no company suffered this reversal more than General Motors, which found itself the main target of a Senate hearing on auto safety that publicly humiliated its leadership and shattered its reputation.
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\\nIn The Sack of Detroit, Kenneth Whyte recounts the epic rise and unnecessary fall of America\\u2019s most important industry. At the center of his absorbing narrative are the titans of the automotive world but also the crusaders of safety, including Ralph Nader and a group of senators including Bobby Kennedy. Their collision left Detroit in a ditch, launched a new era of consumer advocacy and government regulation, and contributed significantly to the decline of American enterprise. This is a vivid story of politics, business, and a sudden, seismic shift in American priorities that is still felt today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KENNETH WHYTE is the author of Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise of William Randolph Hearst, a Washington Post and Toronto Globe and Mail Book of the Year, and a nominee for four major Canadian book awards. He is a publishing and telecommunications executive and chairman of the Donner Canadian Foundation. He was formerly editor in chief of Maclean\\u2019s magazine, editor of the monthly Saturday Night magazine, and founding editor of the National Post. He lives in Toronto.