Besides recounting the exemplary life of Monsignor John Joseph Egan, An Alley in Chicago briefs us on the firebrand priests and lay people who radiated the power and élan that made Catholics across the country look to the heartland, to Chicago's Catholic moment. They sought leadership in marriage education, in neighborhood empowerment, in urban ministries, in ecuminism, in race relations, in community organizing, from these indefatigable Chicago leaders--and they got it.

Besides recounting the exemplary life of Monsignor John Joseph Egan, An Alley in Chicago briefs us on the firebrand priests and lay people who radiated the power and -lan that made Catholics across the country look to the heartland, to ChicagoAIs Catholic moment. They sought leadership in marriage education, in neighborhood empowerment, in urban ministries, in ecuminism, in race relations, in community organizing, from these indefatigable Chicago leaders-and they got it.

Besides recounting the exemplary life of Monsignor John Joseph Egan, An Alley in Chicago briefs us on the firebrand priests and lay people who radiated the power and élan that made Catholics across the country look to the heartland, to Chicago’s Catholic moment. They sought leadership in marriage education, in neighborhood empowerment, in urban ministries, in ecuminism, in race relations, in community organizing, from these indefatigable Chicago leaders—and they got it.

My history as a Chicagoan, my history as a photographer, the history of the city, and, in a small way, the history of photography - without any plan or anticipation, these photographs brought these histories together for me." City Spaces will be a welcome addition to those interested in fine art photography, architecture, Chicago, and the urban scene."--BOOK JACKET.

From Chicago historian Adam Selzer, expert on all of the Windy City’s quirks and oddities, comes a compelling heavily researched anthology of the stories behind its most fascinating unsolved mysteries. To create this unique volume, Selzer has collected forty unsolved mysteries from the 1800s to modern day. He has poured through all newspaper, magazine, and book references to them, and consulted expert historians. Topics covered include who really started the great Chicago fire, who was the first “automobile murderer,” and even if there was actually a vampire slaying at Rose Hill cemetery. The result is both a colorful read to get lost in, a window to a world of curiosity and wonder, as well as a volume that separates fact from fiction—true crime from urban legend. Complementing the gripping stories Selzer presents are original images of the crime and its suspects as developed by its original investigators. Readers will marvel at how each character and crime were presented, and happily journey with Selzer as he presents all facts and theories presented at the time of the “crime” and uses modern hindsight to assemble the pieces.

Rebel Garages catalogs and celebrates the Chicago's domestic garage as a unique yet ubiquitous architectural and urban condition. This book shares interviews, policy proposal and case studies to argue that, though small in size, the rebel garage can help transform the way we see the city at large. Using the garage and alley as a model, Rebel Garages proposes that architects can use their design expertise to connect regulatory concerns to the on-the-ground use of buildings and streets.

What do you do if your alley is strewn with garbage after the sanitation truck comes through? Or if you’re tired of the rowdy teenagers next door keeping you up all night? Is there a vacant lot on your block accumulating weeds, needles, and litter? For a century, Chicagoans have joined block clubs to address problems like these that make daily life in the city a nuisance. When neighbors work together in block clubs, playgrounds get built, local crime is monitored, streets are cleaned up, and every summer is marked by the festivities of day-long block parties. In Chicago’s Block Clubs, Amanda I. Seligman uncovers the history of the block club in Chicago—from its origins in the Urban League in the early 1900s through to the Chicago Police Department’s twenty-first-century community policing program. Recognizing that many neighborhood problems are too big for one resident to handle—but too small for the city to keep up with—city residents have for more than a century created clubs to establish and maintain their neighborhood’s particular social dynamics, quality of life, and appearance. Omnipresent yet evanescent, block clubs are sometimes the major outlets for community organizing in the city—especially in neighborhoods otherwise lacking in political strength and clout. Drawing on the stories of hundreds of these groups from across the city, Seligman vividly illustrates what neighbors can—and cannot—accomplish when they work together.

They came by boat from a starving land—and by the Underground Railroad from Southern chains—seeking refuge in a crowded, filthy corner of hell at the bottom of a great metropolis. But in the terrible July of 1863, the poor and desperate of Paradise Alley would face a new catastrophe—as flames from the war that was tearing America in two reached out to set their city on fire.

"These images by Roland L. Freeman capture daily life in black American culture during its transition from rural to urban settings and also show how tradition, continuity and change interact in the experience of a people"--International Center of Photography website, viewed January 6, 2023.

This lyrical tale of a young man’s first foray into adulthood offers “a moving ode to the city of Chicago and the singular nature of its people” (Booklist, starred review) On the last day of summer, a young college grad moves to Chicago and rents a small apartment on the north side of the city, by the lake. This is the story of the five seasons he lives there in the late 1970s, during which he meets gangsters, gamblers, policemen, a brave and garrulous bus driver, a cricket player, a librettist, his first girlfriend, a shy apartment manager, and many other riveting souls, not to mention a wise and personable dog of indeterminate breed. A love letter to Chicago, the Great American City, and a wry account of a young man’s coming-of-age during the one summer in White Sox history when they had the best outfield in baseball, Chicago is a novel that will plunge you into a city you will never forget and may well wish to visit for the rest of your days.