Family Properties: Race and Real Estate Struggles That Shaped Chicago & Urban America - Perfect for History Buffs, Urban Studies & Social Justice Discussions

This is a fasinating look of a chapter in history that still impacts racial relations today. it is important for us all to understand the hisorical issues of racial strife-beyond slavery and the marches of K. I learned so much that I did not know and that I should have known about American history by reading this book (and following up with The Color of Law by Robert Rothstein). What were the civil right marchers fighting for and how did groups who tried to work together grow further apart. By weaving in her father and her family's involvement in this part of history, the writer makes the facts unfold in an engaging and provocative way. It is crucial for American citizens to know the racist laws that shaped segregation in our country in order to understand our society's needs today.The Jewish and white writer's father played a role in the Chicago west side housing issues when he dedicated himself to helping black families and individuals who struggled with unfair housing practices of redlining, contract selling, and others that dishonest individuals and banks practiced. He was a reputed lawyer who took many black clients cases and won, although he was often paid minimally or not at all. Yet their were blacks and whites who condemned his actions. Blacks who struggled to pay exorbitant fees would work multiple jobs and had no time or money to maintain their homes, leading to prejudices about black homeowners and rundown homes. Whites, including the writers father who owned 4 buildings that he refused to sell because he did not want to abandon blacks who were discriminated against by law and by those who took advantage of laws to exploit, lost the value of their property and sometimes ended up being labeled slumlords as their buildings declined and they struggled to earn something from their investments. Racism and antisemitism grew in a viscious circle and the two groups both felt hurt and angry and more divided.Beryl Satter does an excellent job documenting in excruciating detail how segregation, particularly in northern cities, was a consequence of government policy and exploitation by the real estate industry, and how these forces in conjunction with racial animus excluded Black Americans from full participation in American life. History blended with narrative, Satter gives a compelling account of the uphill struggle that black families faced in their attempt to own a home. Often when someone gives a account of history embedded in a narrative, they gloss over their sources and the details that support their account. Not so with Family Properties. The book is rigorously documented with footnotes and sources. Recommended without qualification.How we got where we are was caused a lot by unethical and immoral real estate practices... true in towns besides Chicago too.I'm in the mortgage business and have always wondered why certain communities are in their current condition. This book basically explains it and more. If you're in the real estate industry, this is definitely a book you should read. It really motivated me to do everything within my power to educate and assist those who have trouble defending themselves. The book basically just made me want to do something. I really appreciate the author taking the time to write this story. I've recommended this book to at least a dozen people.I bought this book after seeing Ta-Nehisi Coates recommend it in the Atlantic. It is a fascinating look at housing and housing discrimination in Chicago. Satter's research is impressive - the city's residents come alive. An important book which should be a part of our readings on race in America.Really great book...Great.This is a must-read!Excellent