Book Review: Driving While Black

During the days of the horse and buggy the ability to travel was limited for everyone simply because it took too much time to go any great distance. The train helped, giving those who could afford to do so the ability to travel beyond their own surroundings. However, for African-Americans neither option afforded much of an opportunity for travel. Horse and buggy left African-Americans exposed to all sorts of dangers, especially in the south. Riding a train left African-Americans exposed to a number of Jim Crow Laws and various attitudes which could make travel down right unpleasant. This would all change when the car became something that the average person could afford. Car ownership opened the door to travel for many blacks and in Driving While Black Gretchen Sorin tells us the story of how being able to take road trips changed African-American culture while helping drive the civil rights movement forward.

I have mixed feelings about Driving While Black. The information, a mix of historical record and anecdotal evidence, is very interesting, revealing a part of our history which for the most part remains buried. Even with my family background, and with knowing some of what my past relatives faced, there is a lot that I learned from reading this book. However, there is something about the writing that caused me to struggle when it came to focusing on what I was reading. It doesn’t quite read like a textbook but there was just something that I can’t pinpoint that didn’t allow me to read for longer than a few minutes at a time. As a result I cannot give a full endorsement of this book.

If you enjoy history, this book is one you should consider reading. If you want a perspective that the majority of history books are unable to give, this is definitely a book you should read. If you read only for entertainment this might not be the right choice. I can only give one thumb up for this book, recommending it for those who truly enjoy history and for those who are open to walking (or riding) in another person’s shoes.

Driving While Black by Gretchen Soring, Published by Liveright Publishing Corporation

The U-505: A WWII Trophy and A Can’t Miss Tour

As a teen I always enjoyed visiting the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. During both family bonding time and school field trips, I was always amazed at how much there was to see even though I was afraid that the statue pillars near the front door might one day come after me. Of all there was to see in the museum my favorite attraction was and is the U-505, a captured German U-boat on exhibit inside of the museum. I wish I could have been there this past June 4th to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the capture of U-505 by a U.S. battle fleet during World War II.

Before 1944 the United States had not captured any enemy ship since the war of 1812. With German U-boats terrorizing shipping across the Atlantic, the best any country could do was damage or perhaps sink one. These ships were quite successful in cutting off shipping lanes and the German naval command hoped to use them to cut off supplies to England, turning the U-boats into a great threat to that country’s survival.

The U-505 was a type IXc submarine. This class of submarine was large and built for long range use. She was fitted with two sets of engines: battery driven electric motors for use underwater and diesel engines for when she moved along the surface. She began service under real battle conditions in 1942, seeing some success while also being labeled a ‘Hard-luck ship.’

I remember standing in line to see the U-505. Back then they did not have timed entry so we stood in a very long queue, winding our way past various objects from the museum’s WWII collection. Though it seemed like we were in line for an eternity, it was cool to be able to sit on top of a torpedo or two as the line slowly moved forward. With so many great artifacts, and a movie about the sub’s capture, the build up to seeing the ship was almost as cool as seeing the ship itself.

The museum moved the ship inside back in 2004. According to the museum’s website, a German submarine was only built to last for four years. In 1997, after more than fifty years of exposure to weather the U-505 needed repair. The museum decided that the best way to preserve the U-505 was to move the entire sub indoors, which must have been a monumental task. Having moved away from the area back in the 1980’s, I was not able to see it in its new enclosure until 2018. Boy was it a treat being able to stand beside her, coming face to face with all 252 feet of her hull. No longer did I have

to look out of a window while standing in line, I could stand right next to her imagining the fear U boats must have inspired while in water.

I vaguely remember references to her hard-luck status during tours when I was a child but it didn’t really sink in as to why people spoke of the U-505 in this way. While she started off with a successful run, things seemed to have taken a negative turn starting with her inadvertent attack on a sailing ship. As told by Hans Goebeler (a member of the U-505 crew) and reported by John P. Vanzo for the July 1997 issue of World War II Magazine, the captain of the U-505 ordered a shot across the bow of a sailing ship that was zig-zagging across the water. But instead of serving as a warning, the shot hit the sailboat’s main mast. The U-505 went on to sink what turned about to be a ship owned by a Colombian diplomat. With that Colombia declared war on Germany and the U-505’s captain was transferred out of command.

The U-505’s second captain took his own life during a battle. The ship itself suffered many problems due to sabotage by the shipyard workers whose job it was to maintain the sub (according to Vanzo’s article). Workers used tactics such as leaving the ship with leaky fuel tanks so that she left a trail of diesel fuel upon the water. Some of her welds were sub-par, said to have been weakened by pieces of rope. The success of these attempts at sabotage, along with other less than stellar outcomes during her missions, helped establish the U-505’s reputation as unlucky even before she was captured by U.S. Hunter-Killer Task Group 22.3.

On June 4, 1944 the U-505 rose to periscope depth only to find herself surrounded by the hunter-killer task group. The crew tried to submerge but were unable to get away as the task group’s depth charges drove her back to the surface. The crew abandoned ship, attempting to scuttle the U-505 to prevent her being captured. However soldiers from the U.S. task group were able to board and prevent her from sinking, stabilizing the sub so she could be secretly towed away. The U.S. did not want Germany to know they had captured the U-boat, allowing them time to learn as many of her secrets as they could. And now she reveals those secrets to tourists, like a former Midwesterner who in 2018 got to enjoy taking his sons to see one of his childhood favorites.

If you’re in Chicago I recommend the Museum of Science and Industry, and the tour of the U-505. Both are well worth the price of admission, as are a number of other exhibits such as the working coal mine. My family and I did not make it to the coal mine this time around. That will have to wait until our next trip to Chicago.

For more on the U-505:
The Museum of Science and Industry Home Page
https://www.msichicago.org/

Story of moving the U-505 inside

https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/u-505-submarine/exhibit/restoration-relocation/conserving-the-u-505/

Crewman Hans Goebeler shares his memories of the U-505

https://www.historynet.com/german-submarine-u-505-crewmember-hans-goebeler-recalls-being-captured-during-world-war-ii.htm

Holiday Inn Express Livonia, MI

A new hotel needing to iron out a few wrinkles.

I enjoy traveling. I also enjoy writing about my travel experiences. In the past I have posted reviews about hotels and tourist traps on a well known travel website. Starting in 2018 I have decided to post my experiences here at my own blog, starting with my recent stay at the Holiday Inn Express located in Livonia, Michigan.

We stayed in this Holiday Inn Express while visiting family during Thanksgiving, a gift from a Holiday Inn points member. What we found was an inn that was clean with a slight hint of new hotel smell. Our room was a good size, especially considering rates are just below average for a hotel in the U.S. We had enough room for a family of four using the hotel primarily as a nighttime basecamp. The beds were comfortably firm with just the right amount of give to allow for a good night’s rest. I especially liked having the choice of either a firm or soft pillow, each with its type sewn into the pillow case.

Blackout curtains prevented the light from the surrounding area from becoming a night time distraction. This was good considering the area is very commercialized with a highway, a shopping center and what looked like a shipping company all within visual range. While there is not much as far as a view, the room itself did allow for a comfortable stay. This hotel is good for a short visit with family or friends or perhaps for business but not for a long tourist type vacation, though it is a short drive from Detroit.

I would like to give this hotel a very positive overall review but it misses the mark in a number of small details which added up during the course of our stay. The first minus involved a miscommunication in booking our rooms. As a result when we arrived it took the desk clerk longer than expected to find our reservation even though our host attempted to sort things out the prior day. To his credit the clerk was a true professional while working to sort out the issue. But later, an odd response from another employee left me trying to figure out if I had insulted him or if I had done something unexpected when I offered him a tip. Either way I did not want to start my stay scratching my head trying to figure out if I had violated some rule of etiquette.

The free breakfast was not what I expected from a major hotel chain. The selection was decent but quality was inconsistent. Having enjoyed a warm cinnamon bun the first morning I was shocked the second morning when I bit into one that was ice cold. Both reminded me of something premade and store bought. Had both been warm I might not have cared as the first one was very good. Unfortunately these kinds of inconsistencies held true with the other warm foods served during our stay.

There is a learning curve when starting any new business. This hotel shows promise but is not fully ready to deliver. Hopefully it will move along its learning curve quickly. For now the hotel and its staff leave me with mixed feelings. The people are friendly and professional but lacking in areas of service. In all I can only give two stars to what should be a three out five star hotel. Perhaps, once this hotel grows up, it will fully meet the standards customers should expect during their stay.