A compelling and meticulously researched account, *The Containment* shines a spotlight on a pivotal moment in the fight for racial equality in education.

Michelle Adams expertly narrates the history and consequences of *Milliken v. Bradley*, weaving together the stories of Detroit’s activists, leaders, and the Supreme Court justices who shaped this landmark case. Through vivid portraits and gripping legal analysis, the book explores the battle to integrate Detroit’s schools, the controversial “metropolitan remedy,” and the judicial decisions that cemented segregation in the North.

An eye-opening examination of the systemic barriers to equality, this book connects past struggles to present-day debates on affirmative action and racial justice. A must-read for history enthusiasts and anyone seeking to understand the roots of America’s education inequities.

This was history related to my hometown of Detroit, Michigan, that I had no idea even existed. I devoured this book it was so educational and easily digested. With the exception of the opening in which all of the government players and basic history is told as a resource for the story. I think it probably functions better in print than in audiobook format. Otherwise, this was surprisingly engrossing.

I'm about a decade younger than the author of this book, and I was also born & raised in Detroit. Though I attended Detroit Public Schools and am proud of the quality education I received.

I had no idea about any of the history covered in this about attempts by Detroit officials to bus Black Detroit kids out to suburban schools and equalize the educational experience for all Michigan students. I think this author and I were from similar families and born in a similar time. While we agree that the school disparities are unfair and in violation Brown vs. Board of Education. I think on a national level, we need to level the playing field in public schools so that children in poor areas receive the same resources as kids in wealthier school districts. I prefer that to bussing Black kids to white schools.

I want Black teachers and administrators for Black students. Desegregation destroyed Black schools and disenfranchised Black teachers. That created a boom in the school to prison pipeline. White students do better with Black teachers, but Black students do worse with white teachers. Teaching in the US is dominated by white women, and they statistically are substandard teachers for Black students. Suburban Metro Detroit schools are hostile to Detroit kids and, by default, Black kids. Why would we want to bus our kids to that environment? Let's bring suburban resources to inner city schools instead.

While the author and I have different solutions to this problem, we both very much agree this is a horribly unjust and, by default racist way to handle school resources. I was also totally unaware of the efforts to bring the Brown school desegregation decision to the North. What a lofty goal. I'm personally grateful I wasn't bused to a suburban school. School integration was a brutally traumatic event for most Black students. None the less the disparity between school districts is criminally negligent on the governments part.

This important nonfiction history book is wonderfully narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Janina Edwards. Ms. Edwards brings a lightness to the heavy parts of this history that is much appreciated by me as the reader. Her voice also has a stoic quality that really works with the history being covered in this.

This is phenomenally researched, fascinating, and extremely timely. As the US outlaws DEI programs and guts voting rights programs, we find ourselves and our nation headed back to formal, possibly legal, segregation.

Thank you to Michelle Adams, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

The Containment by Michelle Adams dives into segregation and fairness, focusing on Detroit and the Supreme Court case Milliken v. Bradley. Listening to the audiobook wasn’t easy—it’s packed with important info that comes at you fast—but it was worth it. Adams’ personal ties to Detroit made it feel real, and hearing how segregation affected actual people, not just numbers, really hit home. One thing that stuck with me was how Judge Stephen Roth proposed integrating Detroit schools with suburban ones to address racial imbalance, but the Supreme Court shot it down, keeping things divided. Even though it’s a lot to take in, this book is an eye-opener about the long-term impact of legal and educational inequality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michelle Adams for helping me understand more of our history through such a personal lens.

In The Containment, Michelle Adams tells the story of Milliken v. Bradley, a lawsuit brought against the state of Michigan and the Detroit Public Schools claiming that they still were segregated.

What made this case different was how it approached the segregation claim. The NAACP claimed that racial segregation led to defacto segregation by the schools, and had to prove how this was a violation of the students' rights.

Readers who know anything about the unmatched influence Richard Nixon was able to exert on our court system know how his SCOTUS changed the landscape into the one we know and recognize today. The Containment shows the clash of these pro-business, conservative values, quite the switch from the Warren court that preceded them, with the changing values of America in the 70s.

Michelle Adams does a fantastic job making this subject clear and accessible, even for those who aren't super knowledgeable about the law. Pair this with Janina Edwards' narration, which really made the book for me, and this book is a must read for those who want to know how we got here (here being the mess that is the US). Perfect for fans of Supreme Injustice, Elizabeth Hinton, and American history.