Chicago Dreaming

Some of the best American Library Association meetings have been in the Windy City. The place is full of such history that few authors can resist documenting or imagining more in Chicago. Check your library for these!






City of Scoundrels:  The Twelve Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago  by Gary Krist. Crown (Random House), 2012.
                             
This book begins July 21,1919 with a blimp exploded over the city and crashed into a bank downtown. It ends with an epilogue in May, 1920. Before 1919, the city was expanding and full of optimism and ambitions. The disaster really made government officials and everyday residents think about their own futures. The case of a missing young girl followed, and then race unrest caused old prejudices to flare into new confrontations. Historical people like Ida Barnett-Wells and Jane Addams make appearances. The baseball scandal and other negative things that happen later are linked to this time period. Much of the book follows the politics swirling around the mayor and the governor, but the parts that focus on the human element captivate.

 The Devil in the White City:  Murder, Magic, and Madness 
                        at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson.
                        Random House, 2003. (Adult Nonfiction).

Much more gripping is this tale of Chicago in the times surrounding the 1893 World's Fair. Alternating with the story of the planning, construction, and hosting of the great exposition, is the story of a murderous doctor who has his own plans for some of the unsuspecting visitors to the city. This book won several awards for its accurate and riveting writing.


Fair Weather by Richard Peck. Penguin, 2003.
                        (Children's Fiction),

And, no mention of the Chicago World's Fair is complete without this treasure about a thirteen-year-old girl and her siblings who get to visit their aunt and go see the sights. While their "country" mother and their "city" aunt are not close, the children learn about their family and appreciate both. Grandpa almost steals the show though! Richard Peck uses historical details about life at the turn of this century and introduces some of the key figures of the time.