Illinois Books

In Passionately Human, No Less Divine, Wallace Best describes the difficulties blacks faced in migrating from the south to the north during the first half of the 20th century. Not only did they suffer from economic hardships and homesickness, but perhaps most daunting was the cultural transition from rural to urban life. Rather than portraying these migrants as vicitms, Best aptly focuses on the agency of these rural blacks in both their religious and everyday lives. Through an enlighening study and analysis, Best takes tremendous pains to show how rural blacks, and particularly black women, were not merely puppets in an established order, but agents in a rapidly shifting social order they themselves were bringing to pass.

Best dispels the myth perpetuated by many modern day sociologists that class differences were the main cause of divergent preferences in church membership and demonstrates that differences in church preference were largely determined by familial and community relationships that were brought with them from the south. In other words, one was most likely to attend the church one's relatives or hometown community attended, regardless of denomination.

Best highlights the work of two prominent black female ministers, Lucy Smith and Mary Evans, who, while very different in style and approach, each had trememdous impact on black culture in Chicago. With her more reserved style, Evans seemed to appeal to the more educated black population while Smith's more down-to-earth and emotional style seemed to captivate the hearts of southern blacks in a manner which reminded them of home and was a balm to their homesick hearts. Smith's focus on first tending to the physical and material needs of newcomers brought the masses to her doors. Best closes the book with a description of Smith's funeral which counted over 100,000 attendees including some of the city's most prominent citizens.

Through colorful descriptions and revealing photographs, Best makes a tremendous contribution to the existing body of work on this era. It is must-read for anyone interested in the history of Chicago, the Great Migration of blacks from the south to the north during the first half of the 20th century, the role of black women in church and community, or contemporary black religious life in general.

First, let me say that this book is so much more than a book of religious history. It is an interdisciplinary exploration of urbanization, migration, and religious change. It tells the story of the encounter of poor black sharecroppers with urban industrial life, and how both were transformed in the process. It tells this complex story through the lives and experiences of a handful of extraordinary men and women of faith--people like gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and preacher Elder Lucy Smith, whose 1930s radio hour was among the first to broadcast live worship services. Together they formed what Best calls `a new sacred order' in Chicago during the Great Migration.

Best knows the history of the black church like no one else. And he does not shy away from examining this transformation in all its complexity, including the tensions created by issues of gender, class, and sexuality. Indeed, Best maintains that one of the innovations of Great Migration religious institutions was an integration of the sacred and the secular--a church that struggled to be "passionately human, but no less divine." These were places of worship, but also places for meeting the more worldly needs of congregations. Women dominated many of these congregations and at least one was a major stop on the gay nightlife circuit of the 1930s. It was truly a time of cultural transformation, when the very meaning of "church" was up for grabs.

On finishing this remarkable book, you can almost hear the refrain of "sweet home Chicago" wafting out of a South Side storefront church. Amen.

This book centers on the history of railroad development and expansion in Indiana and Illinois at the turn of the century as well as the lives and times of the movers and shakers that propelled this activity. I particularly enjoyed reading about where and why certain rail lines were built and then why some of them otlived their usefulness. It is interesting to see what exists in todays world and then read about how it started and occurred during the glory years of railroad construction in the Midwest. The insights on personalities, motivations and strategies of people like Wm. Riley McKeen, his supporters (Chauncey Rose) and detractors (Samuel Ives) were also extremely enlightening and entertaining. I grew up in Illinois and Indiana and always wanted to know more about the history of the Pennsylvania RR "Lines West". (Most PRR history books discuss the eastern portion of the railroad.) This book explains much about "Lines West" in an informative and entertaining fashion.

The extraordinary true story about a scrupulous midwestern entrepreneur who built a small local railroad into a strong regional system -- known as "The Vandalia" -- and resisted repeated efforts to be acquired for nearly 30 years or until he was ready to relinquish the reins. Belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in Indiana or Illinois history or the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad. A highly readable and entertainingly-written research masterpiece addressing an area of corporate history not often broached. Required exploration of corporate minutes, court files and private correspondence. "A railroad's history, telling it through the life of the man who made it what it was." Outstanding photos and diagrams. A keeper.

Thurston is history professor at Miami U.,Ohio,his books include: "life & terror in Stalin's Russia".(1996)..which might be considered subtitle for this well documented book. Of 5.74 million Soviet POW's, an estimed 60% died in prisons by end 1941. Stalin refused aid to all POWs held..even his own son. Contributors include German & Russian top scholars.

Robert Thurston and Bernd Bonwetsch ably collaborate to edit The People's War: Responses To World War II In The Soviet Union, an informative wealth of writings drawn from notable scholars and historians on how ordinary soviet citizens responded to the experiences, horrors, and deprivations of war, including Stalinist leadership and the Nazi invasion of the motherland. The contributors draw upon a wealth of archival and recently published material, much of which was not previously available until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Here detailed is the calculated destruction of a Jewish town by the Germans, an chilling picture of life in occupied Minsk, cultural developments, women's roles in combat, the morale of ordinary Red Army troops, and more. A balanced, comprehensive picture of civilian life behind the front lines, candid descriptions of command structure and the repressive power of the soviet state, and the reaction, cooperation, and opposition to them by the soviet people, all provide a wide ranging, complex, and revealing historical portrait not previously possible and highly recommended for students of Soviet studies, World War II history, and the endurance of the human spirit under even the most difficult of circumstances.

A series of story-like pieces about life in the center of Illinois. Bradway is excellent at getting to the central truth of incidents and relationships. Particularly compelling are the pieces that deal with her family and their relationship to the rest of the human world. Also a compelling and dark story about the effect of industrial pollution on the river system. Pieces about rock and roll and experiences of the midwesterner outside of the midwest (LA, NYC). A beautiful stylist Bradway brings a caring perspective to her subjects. The essays are personal without that becoming the reason for the words.

This finely-wrought collection of personal essays poignantly renders life in the midwest that is not Chicago, not cornfields, not well-scrubbed, not Norman Rockwell. Bradway is neither nostalgic nor derisive but, rather, sympathetically honest, in the ways the best writers are of places they love and yet which often disappoint them. The essays, several of which originally appeared in such pinnacle magazines as The North American Review and Doubletake, mix memoir and journalism. She writes about herself, yes, but mainly about people and places sometimes out of sorts with each other and the world beyond. The Mellencamp echoes (and she devotes an essay to him) ring true, as does her lucid prose throughout. Interspersed among the essays are poignant and provocative photgraphs. Having grown up in an Iowa town myself, I recognize this place, these people, this voice. But my friends and my students, who have grown up in midwestern cities and cities beyond, recognize them, too. If you're seeking vapid romanticism or scathing contempt, skip this book. If you're wanting something authentically distanced, yet close enough to carry the tone of life as it is here and was, please read.

this book is about my dad's sister aunt molly jackson.my dad was biil garland .aunt molly was called pistol packin momma because she rode horseback across the mountains to deliver babies. she always carried her pistol with her in case there was trouble.she had a gruff voice ,but a twinkle in her eye when she would tell her stories.she believed in helping people and, her songs reflected this.she was a treasure.aunt molly is a part of our mountain heritiage we should never forget.i teach my children and grandchildren about my mountain heritiage

I first heard about "pistol packin' mama" when I was a child. They played the song on the radio then announced that Molly Jackson had died. My mother told me then that she was my granny's half-sister. What child is not going to be fascinated by being related to someone with that sort of nickname? My grandma, Lona Isabelle, is the Garland that did not leave Kentucky. She married Matt Doolin and proceeded to have lots of children. At least one of her sons was killed in the coal mine. She told me lots of stories but never once mentioned Molly. My cousins and I were understandably curious but could not find out anything about her. We saw Jim and Sarah when they came to visit, but they never mentioned her either. We have all tried to find out about her in various libraries with very little luck. I have just started using the internet and this was one of the first things I looked up.I found this book and ordered it, hoping it would give me some idea about who she was. I received the book yesterday and could not put it down. Obviously all of my family will be as interested as I am. I think it will be fascinating to anyone interested in labor relations, women's roles in history, or Appalachian living. It was well worth the money to me and you will be getting more orders from our family. I want to thank Shelly Romalis for taking the time to research and write this book.

Since the previous reviewer wrote, Mr. Swink passed away. The publisher is working on a new edition, which is expected to be out in summer or fall of 2003. There are only a few copies left of the current reprint. I'm waiting anxiously for the new edition.

Probably the most authoritative guide to plants that grow in and around Chicago. The entry for each plant even contains a map showing where it was found. This is the capstone work for Chicago's foremost Horticulturist.

Most informative book. Being raised in Chicago in a Polish family and now living in Atlanta,this book brought back fabulous memories and also some wonderful recipes were found and used.

This book blends a cookbook featuring authentic Polish cuisine with the history of the Polish immigrants and their descendants in Chicago. We bought a copy for each of my daughters. They used it as a guidebook. When they and my wife visited Chicago this weekend, the book sent them on a journey to uncovered a bakery with exceptional Polish pastries. I am still enjoying these. What more can I say!

How the U.S. tramples dissent

Review by Eric Ruder | December 14, 2001 | Page 9

The official purpose of President Woodrow Wilson's American Protective League (APL)--with 350,000 agents by the end of the First World War--was to help the government with food rationing, setting up draft offices and investigating the loyalty of Americans who wished to travel abroad.

In reality, the APL--established in 1917--"quickly became a largely out-of-control quasi-governmental, quasi-vigilante agency which established a massive spy network across the land," writes Goldstein.

APL agents bugged, infiltrated, disrupted and attacked radical organizations and union meetings. Not surprisingly, as Goldstein points out, "[t]he head of the APL urged his chief lieutenants to obtain financial support from leading businessmen `who usually are the ones benefited in a property sense by the protection afforded by our organization.'"

But the APL was just a warm-up for the Palmer raids--named after Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer--which, beginning in late 1919, led to the roundup of thousands of immigrants and the forced deportation of hundreds on the grounds that they were "communists."

Palmer laid the groundwork by stoking panic and racist fears of "alien filth." Like U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft today, Palmer issued warnings of violent attacks against the government--which never materialized.

The Palmer raids happened in the midst of massive strikes in the steel and coal industries and meant that thousands of strikers were arrested on minor charges, such as laughing at police. In the end, they targeted the remnants of the Industrial Workers of the World and the newly founded Communist Party (CP). In one day in 1920, 5,000 to 10,000 CP members were rounded up in 30 cities.

Goldstein's book is an exhaustive accounting of the U.S. government's history of repression--from putting down the great labor uprisings of the 1870s to the FBI infiltration and decimation of Black revolutionary groups and peace organizations in the 1970s.

It shows how politicians justify attacks on civil liberties by appealing to the "need for security," but also how they use their expanded powers to go after anyone who dares to dissent.

This book provides a great detailed resource of past political repression. Wonderful reference for a research paper. Unfortunately, in light of current events we need an update!

In Goldstein's view, poltical repression hasn't just happened once in awhile or been of only marginal importance. Instead, "Political repression contributed significantly to the failure of the labor movement as a whole to achieve major power until the 1930s, the destruction of radical labor movements, the destruction of radical political movements, and the continuing self-censorship which Americans have imposed upon their own exercise of basic political freedoms."

Stephen Augustus Hurlbut - forger, card cheat, extortionist, profiteer, and falling-down drunk - Lincoln's and Grant's politician general. His personality shortcomings illuminate military campaigns, occupation, reconstruction, and politics in the Civil War years - before, during, and after - and hold lessons for future "administration" of occupied lands.

Stephen A. Hurlbut was a controversial figure throughout his whole life. He seemed incapable of giving anything more than mixed results in all his endeavors. Born in South Carolina, he practiced law in Illinois beginning in 1845. He served as a Whig in the state legislature just prior to the Civil War, and then was appointed brigadier general of volunteers in 1861. He served in northern Missouri for a time, but had little understanding of guerilla warfare. He did much better at Shiloh defending the Union left. He also commanded well at Corinth and Meridian, but failed to seize the initiative after the Confederates were defeated at Hatchie's Bridge. Although he was loyal and dutiful, he was not a strong leader of men. He was also a heavy drinker, which got him into hot water. He was extremely harsh toward southern sympathizers, blacks, and Jews, and it was a mistake making him commander of the Department of the Gulf in September 1864: he was charged with corruption and was antagonistic toward the Louisiana authorities. His drunkenness was also becoming a major handicap. After the war he became a Republican leader in Illinois and helped organize the GAR. He was a minister to Colombia, 1869-72, and then minister to Peru during the Peru-Chile War, where he drunken behavior was an embarrassment to the US. He died in Lima in 1882. Jeffrey Lash's account of Hurlbut's life is informative and well written and pulls no punches. Except for having the ability to organize for his political causes, this southerner with a Yankee heritage was only mildly competent in as well as out of uniform. Lash's efficient and well-fitted biography is better than Hurlbut probably deserves. Recommended.

Reviewed by Kathleen Dowdell for Reader Views (6/06)

For people who love the city of Chicago or who are interested in the intricate details of how cities are laid out to accommodate diverse activity, this book was meant for you. This is a well written and thoroughly researched documentation of the history of zoning in the city of Chicago. Zoning, regulations that separate residential and industrial activity, is a complex process whose idea germinated from Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago, which supported the need for the city to control its cultural and economic identity. After years of planning and drafting, the Chicago City Council adopted the zoning ordinance on April 5, 1923, thus the beginning of the development of Chicago as we see it today.

As zoning needs changed in the 1950's, planners sought to establish Chicago as a world- class city and used zoning to do just that. They began to promote high-rise, high-density office and residential development based on population forecasts which predicted dramatic growth in the city. As controversial as zoning became over the years, the city gained much experience in working with developers, residents, and grass-roots organizations that wanted a say in how their neighborhoods were being developed. Skyscrapers were shooting up everywhere and many were concerned they would smother the openness of the retail districts and views of the lake. Over the years, height and volume limits increased making Chicago what it is today, the architectural genius and much coveted work/leisure city of the world.

Published in 2006, "The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning in Chicago" gives a brief overview of the early development of Chicago from the time it incorporated as a village in 1833 through today. There are some interesting aerial views of the city as well as residential and commercial developments. This would make a nice gift for an architectural historian or people who work in commercial or residential planning and development.

A Cook's Guide To Chicago: Where To Find Everything You Need And Lots Of Things You Didn't Know You Did by Marilyn Pocius is expanded and updated second edition of an informed and informatively detailed exploration into the great city of Chicago's tasty delicacies and dishes. Inclusive of recipes ranging from Yucca With Marilyn's Mojo; Genna's Spinach Risotto; and Lee's Borscht to Pickled Pink; Double-Ginger Rhubarb Chutney; and Chef Tim's Vietnamese-Style Pork Tenderloin, A Cook's Guide To Chicago offers readers not only the addresses, histories, and tastes of remarkable restaurants, but easy-to-follow and "kitchen cook friendly" recipes from them as well. A Cook's Guide To Chicago is very strongly recommended for all readers with an interest in the culinary arts and for those wishing to discover the most intriguing culture of the amazing Chicago area.