The World According to Fannie Davis

Meet an amazing, enterprising woman and learn about the Detroit numbers racket.

I found The World According to Fannie Davis, by her daughter Bridgett Davis, a highly satisfying read. Fannie came to Detroit from Nashville in the late 1950s and built a successful numbers business from a $100 loan. She used the proceeds from this enterprise to provide for her family, and through her limitless generosity, helped many others in need. The author paints a detailed and loving portrait of her extraordinary mother. At the same time, she provides us with an explanation of how the numbers game worked, and how the Michigan State Lottery, legalized by voters in 1972, forced operators like her mother to adapt to changing times or leave the business. Davis has much to say about charges that the illegal numbers racket exploited poor people, pointing out all the positive things achieved in Detroit's Black community that were financed with numbers money.