The Numbers

Criminal

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, True Crime

4.7 • 39.4K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When Fannie Davis and her family moved to Detroit in the mid-1950s, they hadn’t prepared themselves for how hard it would be. They had trouble finding steady work. So, Fannie found a way to take care of her family. She started small, but built a robust and lucrative operation… a business that a lot of people knew about but no one talked about. Bridgett Davis’ book is The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers. This episode was originally released in 2019. Say hello on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for Criminal comes from Squarespace.
0:03.3	If you're a business owner, you know that it matters how you present your business online.
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0:25.7	of a website or domain.
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0:31.4	With long-lasting battery life and built-in intelligence, you can stay focused on what matters
0:35.7	most.
0:36.4	Dell Technologies, built for you.
0:38.3	Dell.com slash Dell PCs.
0:44.7	Hi, it's Phoebe.
0:46.8	Today's episode is a little longer than usual,
0:49.7	because we're sharing an excerpt from the latest episode of Criminal Plus at the very end.
0:55.3	Criminal Plus is the show that Criminal co-creator Lauren Spore and I host together.
1:00.7	It's where we get to talk about things that we don't get to talk about here on Criminal,
1:05.3	the alleged health benefits of small talk,
1:08.2	neighbors suing neighbors for putting out peanuts to feed squirrels, a mass poisoning
1:13.2	in France, airline industry gossip. We recently took a microphone to Costco, and I showed
1:19.9	Lauren my route. We always talk about what we're reading. We invite listeners to read short
1:25.4	stories along with us, including my favorite,
	...

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