City of Scoundrels: The Twelve Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago

The subtitle of City of Scoundrels is rather misleading: while several of the figures involved in the "12 Days of Disaster" that took place in Chicago in the summer of 1919 certainly helped to shape that city in profound ways, Gary Krist doesn't really prove that those twelve days in particular were some sort of formative moment or systemic break. Really, the events described here are a kind of microcosm that bring together several different aspects of the history of early twentieth-century America. From blimp crashes in the Loop to race riots, child abductions to bare-faced political corruption, Krist documents moments that reveal a lot about the history of power, race, and technology in Chicago that stood on the verge of the Roaring show more Twenties. Read City of Scoundrels for that "snapshot in time" feel, but not for something bigger than that. show less

This is the first book that I have read by Krist and I am definitely a fan. I picked up "City of Scoundrels" as it was about Chicago, a city that I visited for the first time in 2013. I wanted to find out more about the city and its history. The action in this book centres on the years 1919 to 1920. And what tumultuous years they were!

Krist grabbed my attention right away with his account of the Wingfoot, a blimp that caught fire over the city and crashed into a bank causing death and injuries in the building. From there he led into the politicking and larger than life characters who had their fingers in the pie as they tried to gain control of the city. His account finished up with the race riots that raged for over a week which were show more exacerbated by a transit strike.

I never knew that Chicago had such a tumultuous past. The only notorious history I had heard was about the years that the gangs held sway. Krist concentrated on the years before Capone and his ilk came into power. What an enthralling history. It read like the best fiction. I will definitely look for more books by Gary Krist. show less

In 1919, Chicago seemed on the verge of transforming itself from a provincial Midwest city to one of the first cities of the world. It's flamboyant mayor "Big Bill" Thompson was poised to implement Daniel Burnham's architectural plan for the city, which would not only improve thew city's looks, but also provide thousands of patronage construction jobs for his constituents.

But then, between July 21 to July 31 a series of disasters befell the city: a prototype of the Goodyear blimp crashed and burned through the roof of a downtown bank, a six-year old girl disappeared and was found dead in a north side basement, a racial incident on of the city's beaches ignited one of the worst race riots the country had ever seen, and a transit strike show more paralyzed the city.

The outcome of these events, transformed not only Chicago, but also played into the machinations in the infamous "smoke-filled room" at the 1920 Republican Presidential convention.

Meticulously researched and written in vivid prose, this book is an essential primer for anyone who wants to understand how Chicago politics became Chicago politics. show less

Blatant machine politics, racial, ethnic and labor unrest. Murder and gang warfare. Epic battles between Springfield and City Hall. Accusations of buying of political appointments and a showdown over public transit. Big dreams and even bigger plans to transform the face of the city. A blustery, compelling, charismatic mayor fond of making great pronuncements not always based in fact. Chicago in the 21st century? Nope. Chicago, 1919. It's refreshing and disturbing that some things never change. The only major difference I can see is that no one really flies dirigibles around the city anymore. Nice little side stories of Carl Sandburg and Ring Lardner, too. I had no idea Sandburg lived in Maywood for a time. Totally worth reading.

From July 21st through August 1st, 1919 Chicago was a city of turmoil. This non-fiction account of that time reads like a good historical fiction novel, but as the author states in the forward all the events are factual and no dialogue is invented. Mr. Krist draws from public record, newspaper accounts and personal diaries to piece together what happened during those 12 days. On a calm and comfortable Monday afternoon the Wingfoot Express blimp exploded over the city sending burning debris (and bodies) crashing into a bank. While the city mourns the 13 tragic deaths from the explosion a 6-year-old girl goes missing starting the hunt for a dangerous pedophile. Already reeling, Chicagoans also witness the very public suicide of a judge, show more suffer through a transit strike and endure the infamous race riots.

Mr. Krist chronicles these events in order and intersperses the narrative with excerpts from political documents outlining the conflict between mayor “Big Bill” Thompson and Governor Lowden, readings from the diary of a debutante in love with an unsuitable young man and various other personal and public documents. This allows the reader a glimpse into the gritty politics and racial tensions of the city and the feelings of citizens affected by what was going on around them.

Mr. Krist’s writing is never dry and the book moves along without a hitch to make it an enjoyable read. If textbooks were written in this manner, students would be lining up to take history classes. While it may be a positive for other readers, if I had to make a negative comment I would be that, for this reader, the narrative was a little heavy on the politics. show less

I had not at all heard about the accident that is one of the major threads in this book -- the crash of the Wingfoot Express (hydrogen fueled) airship in the middle of Downtown Chicago in the summer of 1919, which kicked off a fortnight of hell for the city. I found the book to be quite interesting, especially in that it covers the race riots that followed (and were unconnected) quite well. Recommended.

This audio book was selected on a whim, as I have no particular interest in Chicago. But I do love history and was glad to learn some Chicago history. There were numerous dramatic threads that maintained my lively interest, such as the dirigible collision and the missing girl. Though some parts dragged a bit, it was still worth reading (or listening to). And now, with this background of Chicago history of 1919 to 1920, I can move on to the gangster era of the 1920's.