‘Dream Town’ explores complicated history of Shaker Heights | Book Talk

For many decades, Shaker Heights has had a reputation as a stronghold of racial tolerance, with Black and white families peacefully coexisting at home, work and school. It didn’t start that way, and beneath the surface, the reality is much more complex. In “Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity,” Shaker Heights native Laura Meckler examines the complicated history of the Cleveland suburb.

Meckler’s study is an expansion of a 2019 Washington Post article in which she followed up on a testy meeting in which a Black student pleaded with school leaders for a better education; the girl’s mother had previously accused a teacher of bullying.

Shaker Heights was founded in 1909 by the Van Sweringen brothers, reclusive railroad and real estate millionaires who developed their ideal community on land formerly owned by a Shaker colony. The lots were marketed to the wealthy, disdaining immigrants, Jews and Blacks as “Undesirables.” There were rigid architectural restrictions and tacit racial exclusions.

The tide turned after a 1955 homeowners’ meeting involving the “fear, panic, and bitterness” after a prosperous Black dentist pulled a neat switch with a friend to acquire a house that was not technically in Shaker Heights but was in the school district. A group of residents walking home from the meeting were fed up with the venom and decided to change things from the inside. It was slow going, with many hiccups.

Meckler focuses the first section of her book on the Ludlow neighborhood, which was completely white-occupied in 1955. To achieve the goal of peaceful integration, a committee formed to encourage a racial balance among residents. But Black buyers had trouble getting loans; after the committee was satisfied with the proportions, they began pursuing white buyers, leading to allegations of steering and a quota system. A housing official recalled that “From the housing office perspective, you could never do it right.”

Complaints of discrimination in education arose; the algorithm was continually tweaked, including busing students from one school district to another. Black students who were struggling in advanced classes were allowed to “slide down” to lower levels, while white students were given extra help to maintain their grades. In the 1980s, while the zoning plan was a “shining example of desegregation,” students were still being treated differently because of their race.

In her first chapter, Meckler says that she found “a decades-long, nationally recognized track record of racial integration, but also a persistent achievement gap in education.” Racial integration as an objective, not just something that happens organically or in a grudging or even combative fashion, continues to be challenging. The economic gulf between white and Black residents has gradually widened.

Meckler’s complicated analysis of a city about the size of Kent includes interviews with residents, parents, administrators and teachers.

“Dream Town” (400 pages, hardcover) costs $31.99 from Henry Holt. Meckler, the national education writer for the Washington Post, formerly covered politics and health care for the Wall Street Journal, Ohio government for the Associated Press and was a general reporter for the Canton Repository.

Events

The William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage Series 2023-2024 will bring authors Ann Patchett (“The Dutch House”) and Kevin Wilson (“The Family Fang”), Michelle Zauner (“Crying in H Mart”), Henry Winkler (“Being Henry: The Fonz ... and Beyond”), Hernan Diaz (“Trust”), Rebecca Makkai (“I Have Some Questions for You”), and Imani Perry (“Breathe: A Letter to My Sons”) and Kiese Laymon (“Heavy”). The series, at the Maltz Performing Arts Center in Cleveland, begins Sept. 27. Single tickets are $35; a subscriber package starts at $175. See the schedule at case.edu/maltzcenter.

Fireside Book Shop (29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): Former Bay Village resident Amy Young discusses “The Water Tower,” about an actress who returns to her Ohio home to find intrigue, 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Cleveland Public Library: Lisa Unger (“Last Girl Ghosted”) discusses “Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six” in a YouTube and Facebook Live event, 7 p.m. Monday.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Robert Jones Jr. joins the Online Author Talk Series, talking about “The Prophets,” finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction, 4 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.

Wadsworth Public Library (132 Broad St.): Karin Feltman signs “Fit, Fierce & Fabulous Over 50,” 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.

North Water Brewing (101 E. Crain St., Kent): Matt Fredmonsky, author of “Growth Rings,” gives a Tap Talk about the history of the Davey Tree Co., 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 S. Green Road, South Euclid): Editors and contributors to “Cleveland Noir,” featured in Book Talk on July 30, discuss the story collection, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Brecksville branch, 9089 Brecksville Road): Madeline Martin, author of “The Keeper of Hidden Books,” discusses her World War II story about a young woman who saves books from destruction in Warsaw, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Stark County Public Library: Marty Gitlin talks about “The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time” in a Zoom event from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library (1925 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Open Air Poets Ali Black, Quartez Harris and Kortney Morrow read from their works in Peace Park in front of the library, 7 p.m. Thursday.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 5071 Wallings Road): Vince Guerrieri presents “Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Dan Arman signs his three book fantasy series “Night Maiden” and “Kamatari and Minoru Go to the Library: A Night Maiden Anthology,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Boston Township Hall (1775 Main St., Peninsula): Cleveland State University professor Mark Souther talks about “Green Book: Cleveland,” a history of Northeast Ohio locations considered welcoming for Black travelers, 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday. Register at 330-657-2665.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Dream Town’ by Laura Meckler examines history of Shaker Heights