Author Description
"You can belong to New Orleans. You can belong to Boston or San Francisco. You might conceivably--however clandestinely--belong to Philadelphia. But you can't belong to Chicago any more than you can belong to the flying saucer called Los Angeles. For it isn't so much a city as it is a drafty hustler's junction in which to hustle awhile and move on out of the draft."This long out-of-print, hardboiled prose poem is the story of the whole spectacular span, the pulsating history of a great city: from the days of the Pottawottomies to the wide open First Ward of Big Bill Thompson and the Black Sox scandal of the 1919 World Series. The cast of characters includes Al Capone as well as Jane Addams of Hull House and socialist Eugene Debs. Chicago has always been a writer's town and a fighter's town, home to Theodore Dreiser and "furtive torpedoes, cat-bandits, bag-gage thieves, headlockers on the prowl, baby photographers and stylish coneroos..." Algren fans and Chicago fans now can rediscover an American classic by the man who inspired the ultimate tough-guy seal of approval.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
What defines the soul of a city that functions as a transient junction for hustlers rather than a permanent home for its inhabitants? Nelson Algren, a writer deeply embedded in the urban landscape of the mid-20th century, utilizes a hardboiled, lyrical prose style to dissect the contradictions of Chicago. He argues that the city is defined by its inherent instability, its history of corruption, and the grit of the people who pass through its streets.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A historical overview spanning from the era of the Pottawottomie people to the early 20th century.
- Profiles of diverse figures including Al Capone, Jane Addams, and Eugene Debs.
- A thematic exploration of the 1919 Black Sox scandal and the political machine of Big Bill Thompson.
- A stylistic blend of journalism, memoir, and poetic prose.
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive or objective academic history of the city.
- It focuses primarily on the darker, more transient elements of urban life rather than the city's institutional successes.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Critics and readers frequently identify this work as a seminal piece of urban literature that captures the specific atmosphere of mid-century Chicago. Experts highlight the text for its unique stylistic fusion, noting that it functions more as a prose poem than a traditional historical account.
Page Count:
106
Publication Date:
1983-01-01
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill
ISBN-10:
0070010129
ISBN-13:
9780070010123
Biography
Non-Fiction
History
Essays
Urban Studies
Chicago History
Americas
United States