Author Talk: Judge Gerald Rosen on Detroit's Grand Bargain

The Author Series Committee at the Detroit Public Library is pleased to welcome Gerald Rosen, a retired U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. His new book, Grand Bargain: The Inside Story of Detroit's Dramatic Journey from Bankruptcy to Rebirth provides a dramatic inside story of Detroit’s bankruptcy from from Rosen's perspective as the chief negotiator.

“This is not a book about a bankruptcy or a court case,” Rosen writes. “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. I hope this story will resonate in every corner of our country where faith in democratic government and civil discourse is flickering.”

Copies of Grand Bargain will be available for purchase at the event!

About Gerald Rosen: GERALD E. ROSEN served as a federal judge on the Eastern District of Michigan court for almost twenty-seven 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 US Senate, serving as a legislative assistant to US Senator 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 twenty-six 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.

Questions? Email [email protected] for help!

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