Illinois Books

My husband and I enjoyed this book very much. It was very informative and very enlightening. I have recommended it to all of our friends who are interested in Chicago history.

Thank you.

This book was very informative and I truly enjoyed it and found it very easy to read. It appears as a school type book and in this sense being also for young adults. The only drawback is the book is only 100 pages and if it were in smaller print in a paperback, it would probably be only 60 pages or so, but nevertheless, it is very enlightening to the whole Chicago Seven Political Protest Trial.

The books sets the stage, very briefly describes the Characters, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin,, Rennie Davis, Lee Weiner, John Foines, Dave Dillinger, and Tom Heyden, also The head of the Black Panthers, Bobby Seals. Then there is the defense attorney, William Kunstler, the Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, the Prosecutor, Thomas Foran and the Judge Julius Hoffman.

There is no such thing as a completely objective book, however, it appears this book is as objective as it can get and you can decide who is right and who is wrong - in your opinion.

Personally speaking, I am no revolutionary, but I take the side of the seven to a major degree, at least their political ideas liberal freedom, as Che Chevara, however I am my own entity with my own value system. And their radicalness was also a sign of the times, times I think that at that time many person's minds had their perceptions opened from the use of psychedelics, enabling American society to have a large part of its populations of a higher conscious awareness level beyond the absolutism of political ideology in the flexible liberal element of free movement. And this is opposed to the stagnant political concepts of complete identification with the ego realty, and I'm sure especially to the Right conservative domination and power holders we have today.

The chapter on the their bios today is way too brief, but the book is about the trial, and so, it would be a good idea to read Hoffman's Auto bio and earlier books, "Revolution For The Hell Of It!," "Steal This Book," and, Rubin's "Do It!" and so forth to get a better grip. I've read a lot of the interviews of Alan Ginsberg, some of Leary's books and Ram Dass, some Che Chevara and Fidel Castro. Anyway this book was good, but to short. A little pricey too, but it comes in this really nice laminated hard cover, cosmetic and sturdy hard bound.

Lovers of Chicago's magnificent architecture will very much enjoy this unique little book. It is essentially comprised of a series of photographs (most of them from vintage postcards) of various architectural gems and highlights from Chicago's downtown, especially the Loop, which were erected between about 1866 to the mid 1930s, and many of which either no longer exist or have been significantly altered over the years. It is a look back into history.

The book is organized by area of town, i.e. Michigan Ave., Wabash Ave., State St., Dearborn St., Clark St., La Salle St., and along the river and North Michigan St. Each chapter opens with a street layout, with a key to each important building in the area, whether or not it is in the photographs. The photos/postcards follow, each identifying buildings, significant details, alterations, occasionally interior photos, and once in a while even text of the postcard on the back. The presentation is well thought out and thoroughly engrossing.

I am very glad I bought this book. I thumb through it often. If you are a fan of Chicago's architectural heritage, you ought to have a copy.

As a native Chicagoan, this book was a revelation to me. I had no idea how much the city had changed since I left 5 years ago. Millions of dollars have been spent to affect an "Environmental Renaissance" - new 'green' zones, wildlife habititats, rooftop gardens, etc. The photography is breathtaking, and the writing is almost conversational. If anyone knows Chicago better than Kenan Heise, let him or her speak up! If you are a Chicagoan, this book will introduce you to a city you never knew. If you aren't from the city, this book may convince you to move there!

I found this book on a resent trip to Chicago. It has wonderful pictures and the history of four of Chicago's great hotels -- The Palmer House, The Drake, The Chicago Hilton, and the Peninsula Hotel. I have always enjoyed my stays at the Palmer House and loved that there was a beautiful book of the history and human interest stories. We tried the Palmer House brownie recipe over Thanksgiving and all agree that it is the fudge of brownies. According to Miss Greene's book, the brownie was invented by Mrs. Palmer, the original owner of the Palmer House.

The book is beautiful and would be a great gift for anyone who travels to Chicago or lives in the city. There are several recipes in the book including the delicious Bookbinder's Soup from The Drake Hotel.

Miss Greene is an excellent storyteller. I will be watching for more books in this series, and am giving several as Christmas gifts.

This is an awesome book for parents or anyone who is always looking for something to do with children. I can't wait to get this book for every one of my friends and family members who have kids. Finally, something that fits in my purse and is a veritable treasure of information about where to go to inspire, educate and entertain children!

From its opening pages, Chicago's New Negroes delivers a knockout punch. Baldwin opens his monograph with a retelling of Jack Johnson's 1910 heavyweight victory and its impact on Black Chicago, and thus only begins to weave an epic and compelling tapestry that demonstrates how Black people "acted" rather than were "acted upon." He resituates ideas once limited to discussions of the Harlem Renaissance and moves them geographically to Great Migration-era Chicago. There, dots are connected to demonstrate the very tangible relationship between consumer culture and intellectual life.

To the reader's delight, Baldwin resists the tendency to provide a straightforward "history" of African Americans in Chicago in the early twentieth century. While the text does follow the stories and innovations of such major players as Madame CJ Walker, Thomas A. Dorsey, Oscar Micheaux and baseball's Rube Foster, it also provides a much needed space in which we get to hear the thoughts and words of everyday people, those who sat in beauty parlors, enjoyed the early years of cinema, attended sporting events, and made a way despite the racial, social and economic limitations. We soon determine that southern migrants to Chicago brought with them not country ways, but entirely new, entirely modern, ways of thinking.

For authors, allowing everyday people to speak for themselves is sometimes difficult. Yet, Baldwin manages to make these voices heard and it is a credit to his writing style. His presentation is especially adept in the sports chapter. Here, Baldwin takes the reader on a tour of Black Chicago's various "playgrounds." We have no problem envisioning the juking, the fakes, the fast forwards, the trucking, the passing and dribbling and their possible meanings for building a better world.

Through chapters devoted to the "mapping" of the Black Metropolis, beauty culture, film exhibition and filmmaking, the rise of gospel music and the sporting life, Baldwin allows a glimpse into a world of possibility, a world where popular culture is just as, if not more, worthy of study as so-called arts and letters. He forces a new understanding of even the Harlem Renaissance, an ambitious project for sure. While the book is a scholarly monograph, Baldwin's forays into social and cultural theory are so nuanced as to make the book accessible to a wider audience. And for that we should be thankful. Even though the urgent and triumphant stories within Chicago's New Negroes take place seventy five or a hundred years ago, the lessons we learn from them and the hope we take with us when we close the book are timeless. And are even more so in an era when Black culture is appropriated, diffused, and often taken for granted.

John W. Stamper is a man's man. He hit the spot with this book, this masterpiece of architectural history on Chicago's North Michigan Ave. hit home with me. I can't wait until his next book, PLEASE! John W. Stamper, WRITE MORE!

This book is a small jewel, reflecting all the riches of Chicago's fusion of architecture and landscape, with beautiful photographs, useful
maps and suggested tours. A real treasure!

This wonderful little book is part of the Images of America series, and focuses on Chicago, Illinois during and immediately after World War II. It is chock full of images covering everything from women ordinance workers through Baby Boomers and the rise of Richard J. Daley. The pictures are organized into first Wartime Chicago and then Post-War Chicago, and within those broad categories are further organized by subject.

This is a neat little book! The pictures are all crystal clear, and have well-written captions. My family lived in Chicago during WW2, and when my father marched off the rest of the family continued on. Well, with this book I could actually look in at their world, and see what it was like. I really enjoyed this book, and don't hesitate to recommend it to everyone who is interested in the history of the common people.