On This Page
Description
?Chicago is a tale of two cities, ? headlines declare. This narrative has been gaining steam alongside reports of growing economic divisions and diverging outlooks on the future of the city. Yet to keen observers of the Second City, this is nothing new. Those who truly know Chicago know that for decades ?even centuries ?the city has been defined by duality, possibly since the Great Fire scorched a visible line between the rubble and the saved. For writers like Alex Kotlowitz, the show more contradictions are what make Chicago. And it is these contradictions that form the heart of Never a City So Real. The book is a tour of the people of Chicago, those who have been Kotlowitz ?s guide into this city ?s ? and by inference, this country ?s ? heart. Chicago, after all, is America ?s city. Kotlowitz introduces us to the owner of a West Side soul food restaurant who believes in second chances, a steelworker turned history teacher, the ?Diego Rivera of the projects, ? and the lawyers and defendants who populate Chicago ?s Criminal Courts Building. These empathic, intimate stories chronicle the city ?s soul, its lifeblood. This new edition features a new afterword from the author, which examines the state of the city today as seen from the double-paned windows of a pawnshop. Ultimately, Never a City So Real is a love letter to Chicago, a place that Kotlowitz describes as ?a place that can tie me up in knots but a place that has been my muse, my friend, my joy. ? show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Grit, which could mean either dirt or determination, is part of the Chicago mystique. Nelson Algren compared it to loving a woman with a broken nose. Kotlowitz consciously models his essays on Algren's "Chicago: City on the Make" but keeps it real, reminding us of our discomfort with the city's seedy past and needy present.
A good quick read. Like several long feature articles about different people and places in Chicagoland.
A good quick read. Like several long feature articles about different people and places in Chicagoland.
Alex Kotlowitz loves Chicago. You will too after reading this book.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Chicago Books
87 works; 4 members
Author Information
6+ Works 2,496 Members
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago
- Important places
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Travel, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 977.311 — History & geography History of North America North central United States Illinois Cook; Chicago Chicago
- LCC
- F548.3 .K68 — Local History of the United States, Canada and Latin America United States local history Illinois
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 244
- Popularity
- 131,531
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.90)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 3
