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One More Time by Royko, Mike Published by University of Chicago Press 1st (first) edition (2000) Paperback

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Culled from 7,500 columns and spanning four decades, from Royko's early days to his last dispatch, the writings in this collection reflect a radically changing America as seen by a man whose keen sense of justice and humor never faltered. 17 photos.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

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About the author

Mike Royko

40 books48 followers
Pulitzer prize columnist, Mike Royko was nationally known for his caustic sarcasm. Over his 30 year career he wrote for three leading Chicago newspapers, "The Daily News", "The Sun-Times", and "The Chicago Tribune", and was nationally syndicated.

The Polish-Ukranian son of a cab driver, Royko grew up on Chicago's southside and never left the city. At age 64, he died in Chicago of complications arising from a brain aneurysm in the spring of 1997. Royko was survived by his wife, Judy, a 9-year-old son, Sam, and 4-year-old daughter, Kate, as well as two grown children from his first marriage. His first wife, Carol, died in 1979.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
Profile Image for H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov.
2,115 reviews817 followers
January 22, 2020
I grew up in Chicago and, like many of my fellow Chicagoans, I grew up with Mike Royko. His column in the afternoon newspaper, The Chicago Daily News, helped me understand Chicago politics and the plight of those who had to earn their living or survive on the streets of The Windy City.

Royko was a Nelson Algren kind of guy from the next generation. He was a newspaperman and he wrote like a newspaperman. His sentences were mostly spare and his adjectives didn’t get out of control. Yet his compassion was often front and foremost, which led many to say that “he had the soul of a poet.” Those saying that were not the aldermen on Chicago’s City Council nor its “Mayor for Life” Richard J. Daley (see Royko’s book Boss).

Royko wrote a daily weekday column and each week you could count of him illuminating a new facet of the difficult life many Chicagoans had to cope with and how “the powers that be” were often indifferent to that. He did not spare himself in his criticism. (See, in this book, his piece on why, after decades, he moved from the old Milwaukee Avenue neighborhood to a lake view high rise.)

This collection includes pieces from the Daily New and his later post at the Chicago Tribune. Many focus on issues that are somewhat dated but others, such as the death of his wife, are timeless.

He loved to tease Chicagoans who only supported the Cubs when they were winning. He could supply trivia about the Cubs of yore such as:

“Which current Cub swears the most? It’s a tossup between Ron Santo and Leo Durocher. Expert observers say Durocher swears more when he is angry; Santo, when he is happy.”
And,
“Moe Drabowsky, born in Ozanna, Poland is still considered the best pitcher Ozanna… ever produced. The best hitter was the immortal Ziggy Grobnik, Slat’s father. He once hit his wife twelve times without a miss. But that’s another game.” Chicago was/is the largest Polish city in the world, with the exception of Warsaw.

Civil rights, gun control, graft and corruption were regularly discussed. Abuse of children and spouses were identified and personalized. His story about Joseph and Mary arriving in Chicago instead of Bethlehem is a classic on how the Chicago bureaucracy treats the poor and homeless.

This book has selections from the 1960s through the 1990s and is a good way to understand urban history in America’s Heartland. 4.5*
Profile Image for Jim.
1,423 reviews93 followers
July 21, 2017
There is no one like Royko. I think no one has represented Chicago as he has and it's the Chicago of the working stiffs, the immigrants and ethnic groups, and the most "American" of all big cities. I always liked how he stuck up for the little guy against the politicians, the bureaucracy, the greedy and the selfish. I regularly read his column from the late 60s right through the 70s. Then lost touch in the 80s and after. So most of the earlier columns are ones I remember, but the later ones, especially after he started writing for the Tribune, are ones I was unfamiliar with. Interesting that his very last column was about the Cubs....a diehard North Sider Cub fan to the end ( I'm a White Sox fan).
Profile Image for John Martin.
Author 25 books186 followers
March 3, 2012
When I was a newspaper copy boy in the late 1970s, one of my jobs was to clear the telex machine, rip the paper where appropriate and arrange all the incoming stories into piles - news, sport, features etc. Mike Royko's columns were syndicated then and even came to our little newspaper in Tasmania, Australia. I spent waaaaaaaay too long poring over his humorous/poignant/indignant/teasing columns to get the other piles right for when the cranky old news editor started work and began tasting the copy. I was the last in a long line of copy boys he called Idiot Boy. I think I was Idiot Boy 26 but at least I was well read.
Imagine my delight when - now a cranky old journalist myself - I found this gem of a collection. No more curly-whirly pieces of paper.
There's a column for every mood. My favourite is Royko capturing the sense of "wow" as he sits with an elderly man and the rocket head to the moon in 1969. I think all young journalists should read that one.
Bugs in food, the Vietnam vet without a face and Frank Sinatra offering to let Royko pull his hair rate closely behind. Mike Royko made us laugh, he made us tear up.
Profile Image for Joy.
280 reviews2 followers
June 11, 2010
I laughed, I cried...no, I didn't hurl (though Royko's description of czernina did sound pretty gross). I felt like I got to know Chicago's personality a lot better through reading this book. It's a wonderful compilation of columns written about the average Chicago...Slats Grobnik (sorry, no Joe here), government corruption, social justice, poverty, and some of America's truly defining historical moments. The writing is clever, funny, and down-to-earth, and Royko is such a tough guy that that I couldn't help but tear up when he got sentimental about things like racial equality, child abuse, mistreatment of veterans, family, and love. I also couldn't help but giggle about how outrageously sissy Royko found the idea of softball with gloves, over his hilarious characterization of the city's immigrant groups from Greeks to Poles to the Irish, and his consistent derision towards the big apple. I definitely want to read more where this came from-- I'm kind of dazzled by Royko's personality-- could I call him a cynical idealist? I found it so interesting that when push came to shove, he chose not to hang Mayor Daley out to dry; maybe he would have thought of it as some sort of betrayal to his beloved city. On the contrary, Royko seemed almost fond of Daley and his absurd political machinations. But those sorts of endearing inconsistencies, perhaps even his toleration and love of the imperfect, the unloved, or the down-and-out, make Royko worth reading.
Profile Image for Jill.
544 reviews16 followers
January 8, 2010
This was my first foray into the columns of the legendary Mike Royko, and I have to say they weren't lyin'! He is the embodiment of Chicago...in his columns I don't see the Chicago of Michigan Ave. and Millenium Park. His Chicago is lower Wacker drive, and the old ethnic neighborhoods (many not so old or ethnic any more). I work right across the street from the original Billy Goat's Tavern on lower Michigan...a world apart from the restaurants and shops just a few blocks away. It has intrigued me since I saw it, reminding me that there was at one time a very different city in Chicago than the one I know today. Mr. Royko is a straightshooter, which I love. He gets to the heart of issues and is not afraid to say what he (and many others probably) think. Highly recommended!!!
Profile Image for David Allen.
Author 4 books13 followers
October 26, 2019
Mike Royko's individual collections can be hit or miss. "One More Time," which winnows down 30 years of columns into a best-of, is a winner. He sticks up for Rodney King, predicts OJ will go free, eulogizes John Belushi, forces the Veterans Administration to help a destitute vet and critiques his own feet. Royko could go for the jugular, the tear ducts or the funny bone. His writing, especially his closers, is frequently astonishing.
Profile Image for John of Canada.
1,116 reviews61 followers
November 7, 2019
This was a really good look back at history,and Chicago specifically.I used to read his syndicated columns regularly.It's always a pleasure reading someone who looked at both sides of an issue.If anyone knows of a modern writer who is of a similar quality,please let me know.
34 reviews6 followers
April 4, 2012
Leroy Bailey had a face before it was shot off in combat in Vietnam.

When he returned home to the country that sent him to fight communism in Southeast Asia, the U.S. Veterans Administration said it wouldn't pay for surgery to fix what remained of Bailey's face. His injuries had almost certainly stolen from him the possibility that an employer would hire him and the chance that a woman would love him. Bailey knew no surgery could repair his features so they would ever be anything other than repulsive to most of us. He'd come to accept that he would spend most of his life in his brother's basement knitting hats to earn just a little money.

All he wanted was the chance to eat solid food again. And for that, Bailey needed an operation. Instead, the agency that was entrusted to care for people who had served their country ruled that he could spend the rest of his life spraying liquid nourishment down what was left of his throat.

So Mike Royko of The Chicago Daily News wrote a column assaulting a bureaucracy that cares more for policies than for people. The next day President Richard Nixon announced that the Veterans Administration would pay for Bailey's surgery after all.

That's just a small victory, to everyone besides Leroy Bailey. Royko himself occasionally despaired of winning only such minor triumphs, which he compared to putting a bandage on a hemorrhage. But he never gave up.

For more than 30 years, Royko wrote one of the most influential columns in the history of journalism in the United States. In a career that took him to three different Chicago newspapers, he wrote almost 8,000 columns and printed one almost every week day.

In One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko, his wife, Judy, and some of their friends have selected 110 of their favorite pieces of his writing. The selections represent his work from his first column on Sept. 6, 1963, an account of his conversation with a tavern owner forced out of his building, to his last on March 21, 1997, an argument that the Chicago Cubs lose so many games because of their owners' and managers' racial prejudices. (Royko, 64, died a little more than a month after writing that last column.) Historian Studs Terkel provides a loving introduction and Lois Wille, who worked with Royko at each of the three newspapers, provides perspective as she introduces each section with bits of warmly written biographical background.

The pieces selected demonstrate the remarkable range of Royko's gifts. Royko has a reputation for being cantankerous, even mean. And his prose does lacerate those who deserve it. For example, in his review of a sculpture Pablo Picasso created for public display in downtown Chicago, Royko suggests that the Spanish artist who never visited the city nevertheless understood the selfishness of its citizens. "It is all there in that Picasso thing -- the I Will spirit. The I will get you before you will get me spirit."

But underlying all his work is a deep respect, even affection, for most people, at least for the ones who try to do their best. When Jackie Robinson died in 1972, Royko remembered being in the stands in 1947 when the baseball hero broke the sport's color barrier. The admiration of Robinson's fans made him realize that despite what many bigots had been warning, "I was sure that Jackie Robinson wasn't bad for the game."

He even provides a surprising defense of Lyndon Baines Johnson that concludes, "Maybe he wasn't the best president we might have had. But we sure as hell aren't the best people a president has ever had."

And while much of what Royko writes about is serious, he can be very funny as well. He suggests that proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment could have secured its passage in Illinois if they had bribed the state's legislators, and they would have had enough money left over to get themselves a highway as well. And he remembers a kid who refused to play the part of Cyrano de Bergerac in a play because he didn't want to be a "pimp."

On the subject of words of wisdom, Royko had words of his own: "There was my grandfather's favorite saying: 'Never trust a Russian.' He said that long before the Cold War began. So I asked my grandmother what he meant by it, and she provided me with another saying: 'Never trust your drunken grandfather.' "

There are some omissions that are unfortunate, although fairly minor. For example, in at least three of the early columns reprinted in One More Time, Royko refers to opponents of racial integration as "broads." He certainly knew that many bigots are men, and it would have been interesting to read the column one expects he must have written that describes the observations underlying his emphasis on the prejudices of some women. And there is a piece here in which Royko reprints a letter from Frank Sinatra. The singer complains about a column Royko wrote and he challenges Royko to pull Sinatra's hair in public to prove it's not fake. Royko's response is complete enough that we understand the situation, although it would have been helpful if they'd included the column that sparked Sinatra's indignation and motivated his threat to punch Royko in the mouth.

But the pieces that are included are enough to demonstrate why Royko was beloved by almost everyone besides Sinatra and Chicago mayor Richard Daley, whose legendary political machine Royko took apart in his landmark book Boss. Royko earned the devotion of legions of fans. He so richly deserved his industry's acclaim that his 1972 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary elevated the prestigious journalism award at least as much as it did Royko himself.

If you like to read good non-fiction, you should read Royko's writing. And if you would like to write good non-fiction, you should read Royko's writing. His work inspires reflection, outrage and laughter. It could easily inspire you as well.
Profile Image for Dan Witte.
158 reviews15 followers
June 1, 2024
I’m a proud Chicago native, born and raised in this amazing city and still stubbornly clinging to my shot-and-a-beer heritage well into my supposedly golden years. And all through my life, until the day he died, Royko’s column was must-read in whichever of the city’s various newspapers he happened to be writing for at the time. He habitually ran afoul of the powerful and possibly elected, had a legendary spat with Frank Sinatra, and created timeless fictitious characters like Slats Grobnik and Dr. Kookie. Royko’s stuff went viral back when the term was used to describe disease transmission, and when people actually talked to one another, face-to-face, in dime stores and barber shops and bars, etc. This collection of his columns may only be of interest to Chicagoans of a certain age, but his penchant for stirring up trouble by speaking truth to power should incite reverence across all generations and cultures. Royko wrote a book about Chicago’s legendary Mayor Richard J. Daley, one of the most powerful machine politicians of all time, and if you read it today, and ignore the fact it was written about Daley, you’d be forgiven if you thought the subject was Donald Trump. Tyranny knows no political identity besides power, and it takes the courage of truth tellers like Royko to remind us.
Profile Image for Tom.
88 reviews1 follower
December 20, 2013
This is a fine collection of Royko's columns spanning his long career from the early 60's to the late 90's. The consistent quality and originality of the columns, published five times a week for over thirty years, are a true, never to be duplicated accomplishment. The book revisits a type of journalism that no longer finds a home in the modern world. I speak, not just of the disappearance of the daily newspaper as a forum for local interest, but more of Royko's penchant for speaking truth to power which no longer exists. Newspapers, such as they are today, live in a constant state of fear that their access to government will be cut off. This totally stifles the type of criticism and satire that Royko executed so skillfully. These columns can induce tears as well as laughter. I highly recommend this collection.
Profile Image for Peter.
7 reviews
May 10, 2012
If you've never read this guy, read this guy starting with this book. It has it all...the Chicago stuff, the national political commentary, the humor, his feud with Rupert Murdoch, his heartbreaks with the Cubs. If nothing else, there are two columns (essays, really) in this book that are worth the cost of admission: "Jackie's Debut a Unique Day," which he wrote the day Jackie Robinson died, and the column he wrote after his wife passed (I'll look up the name and edit it in), which is heartbreaking without resorting to cheap sentimentality. Royko wasn't perfect, and he wrote *a lot* of columns, but he was pretty damn good, and this book is the best of his best.
Profile Image for Amy.
16 reviews
March 8, 2017
I like to read old journalism to get a sense, from the past, of what may be possible in the future. Unfortunately, Royko doesn't age well and I couldn't get through the book without cringing. Reading his work with a modern lens, his columns appear glib, full of privilege and lacking in self-awareness. Should this be a surprise? Not really. That said, the kind of shoe-leather reporting that makes Breslin still an interesting (if also cringey) read isn't as prevalent here, so his insights and assumptions seem less earned. Breslin's better.
Profile Image for Vicki.
724 reviews15 followers
October 31, 2009
This book is so well done -- really poignant and funny and indicative of a time and place. Read it, and you feel like you're back there in that time (even if you weren't really there at that particular time). I love the way its broken up, and the selections that are included. A great Royko reader. Or a great Chicago reader -- they're more or less the same thing. A terrific book.
Profile Image for Tom C..
168 reviews5 followers
July 12, 2018
Fantastic. My parents, both from the Chicago area, are huge Royko fans and read most of his stuff as it was written. This collection is both entertaining and revealing. Roykos approach is witty and insightful. ...and the topics, well, same as they ever were. Its amazing how little things really change. Awesome read.
9 reviews1 follower
September 13, 2011
Great collection of articles. Very funny. Although my favorite was not funny but about the death of his wife titled: 'A November Farewell'

My other favorite (which is funny) is titled: 'Demoition Derby' aka 'Who actually demolished Carlos Rodriguez's beautifully renovated house?'
Profile Image for Gina.
Author 1 book26 followers
September 9, 2012
I keep this book by my bed and read and re-read Royko columns when I'm in between novels. Absolutely loved this guy as a writer. He makes me laugh -- as well as cry -- and his insightfulness remains engaging even after so many years. A great book to own.
Profile Image for Tiah.
Author 10 books70 followers
Read
August 8, 2019
My Grandmother gave me this book during my brief stint in Chicago. You can practically taste the town while reading this collection. He was a true master of the written word.
Profile Image for Marisa.
305 reviews7 followers
November 11, 2021
To quote/misquote “Moonstruck”: “Mike Royko is a genius. An artistic genius”! If I could give this book ten stars I would! Mike Royko was the most celebrated columnist of his time, maybe of all time. Born and bred in Chicago, Mike Royko bluffed his way into a writing job while he was serving in the military because he didn’t want any of the other jobs that were available. After he left military service, he changed his career path from possibly becoming a lawyer to continue with his writing by getting his first official newspaper job. And oh my words am I glad that he did! Some people and their works or accomplishments literally transcend time. Every generation looks at them, plays them, listens to them and stays fascinated by them. Like DaVincis “Mona Lisa” or Mozarts compositions. Mike Royko is the DaVinci of writers. Almost every story that he wrote could still be relevant and interesting to readers today. His works should be required reading for every Millennial and Gen Z’er. He was so far ahead of his time. Before “Cancel Culture” was an every day expression, Mike Royko wrote about it. Before the “Black Lives Matter” movement, Royko wrote it. He was a staunch and fearless supporter of the underdog. He was a merciless critic of corruption, especially corrupt politicians and Chicago city officials. His favorite target was Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. He also hilariously trolled New York City and it’s people, hating how people would compare it to Chicago as another large metropolitan city. Starting in the 1960’s and ending with his tragic death in the 1990’s this book is the first of two volumes containing Mikes greatest columns with a heartwarming introduction by one of his best friends, and a summary of each time period before the columns. I now completely understand why my mom(a Mike Royko fan for many years) always told me she could never read this book in public. You will literally laugh until you cry or cry until you laugh. Here is a list of my favorite columns:
1. “It Wasn’t Our Clout She Stole But a Counterfeit”(1967) Literally the first column, it’s classic Royko word play and he wins EVERY TIME.
2. “Cops Threaten Law and Order” (1968) A typical Royko column, Mike doesn’t beat around the bush when writing about the police officers who attacked reporters covering a demonstration.
3. “A Jumbo Gripe on Airplanes” (1969) You will learn about Mikes biggest phobia: flying.
4. “Let’s All Drink to Billy Goat” (1970) A tribute to the owner of the famous Chicago bar Billy Goats Tavern, Mikes friend William “Billy Goat” Sianis
5. “A Faceless Man’s Plea” (1973) Defender of the underdog and the downtrodden, Mike wrote this column after the VA hospital refused to pay for an “unnecessary” operation to restore the face of a young man who served in Vietnam so that he would be able to eat food instead of a liquid diet for the rest of his life. After the hospital suggested the surgery in the first place and promised him that it would be covered.
6. “Mr. Sinatra Sends a Letter”. (1976) Contains the actual letter Frank Sinatra wrote to Mike Royko after he criticized the Mayor for allowing Sinatra to have 24 hour police protection at his Hotel while he was in Chicago.
7. “Don’t Let Food Bug You”. (1978) Warning: Do not read after eating, before eating, or if you have a weak stomach. Or if you just drank a lot of water because you might pee your pants from laughing. It just depends on your humor. Depends. See what I just did there lol!
8. “John Wayne’s True Grit”. (1979) One of Mikes tributes to a favorite actor or other famous personality that he admired then beautifully pays tribute in classic Royko style.
9. “A November Farewell”. (1979) Written in third person, this is the heartbreaking tribute to Mikes wife after her unexpected death. It tells the story of how they found their Wisconsin lake house. Now he closes it for the season alone, the first and last time.
10. “A Nose Rub of Sorts for Ditzy Word Jocks”. (1990) The University of Missouri School of Journalism came up with a list of offensive words that journalists shouldn’t use. Mike Royko tells it like it is. FRIED CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN.
11. “Horrors of the Past Are G-Rated Today”. (1995) A story that is obviously Mike and his young son debating about what movies to rent (get ready for Blockbuster nostalgia) for the weekend. He finally agrees to let his son rent three old horror movies. Hilarity follows.
12. “Look Up in the Sky, It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Mike!” (1995) Mike journals his experience after his second wife Judy guilts him into flying on a plane with her.

I could literally name twenty more but these are my top favorites. This fills my “Non Fiction” spot for Book Bingo.
Profile Image for Paulatics.
215 reviews5 followers
March 26, 2025
A collection of Royko’s columns from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. I was born and raised in Chicago, but did not read his stuff at the time. My father worked for Mayor Daley. There was only so much criticism one could tolerate of the man who paid the bills. These columns are brilliant, yet ordinary observations by a smart guy. He spoke genuine “Chicagoese” which I loved singing into my ears.
Profile Image for John.
503 reviews17 followers
November 28, 2017
Having visited Chicago many times, and also having an interest in good journalistic writing, I was attracted. He writes about issues that everyone else writes about, but turns them inside out to find kernels of truth. Then there's the humor. I laughed out loud with gun lobby satire to the to the tune of The Star Spangled Banner, beginning with "Oh, say can you see by the pawn shop's dim light, what a swell .38 with its pearl handle gleaming." Or, when the University of Missouri published a list of words that shouldn't be used because they might offend someone (buxom, airhead, digbat, ditz, gyp, jock, petite, shiftless, senile, codger, etc.) he proceeds to write a column using many of them. His satirical style is unmatched, his wit razor-sharp, his prose incisive and direct. Great reading!
Profile Image for Vance.
9 reviews3 followers
June 15, 2013
I read this book several years ago based on the recommendation of an Army buddy raised on the southside of Chicago. This book is about a journalistic legend that lived and breathed Chicago and had the talent to write about both the good and the bad of the Windy City. I thought I should put out this review since I recently met a person from Chicago where I live now in Vancouver, WA. In our conversation he told me that he had never heard of Mike Royko. Being raised in Texas myself I had never heard of him until that moment when I was introduced to him by a native Chicagoan. I have read the book and still go back and read parts even to this day to remind myself have true newprint journalism used to be. An amazing read by an ever more amazing person.
Profile Image for Ryan.
5 reviews
March 24, 2007
Royko was one of the best newspaper columnists of all time. You can learn more about what the Chicago of his era felt like in five of his columns than you could in five histories.
This collection of columns is a good place to start for anyone unfortunate enough to have never read his work.
Royko was hilarious, wise and good-natured with just the right amount of bastard in him.
You can know a lot about what's wrong with newspapers these days by wondering why the business doesn't produce his kind anymore.
230 reviews17 followers
June 4, 2023
Around for nearly the last third (1/3) of the 20th century, Mike Royko kept his finger on the pulse of Chicago. The syndicated newspaper columnist used his wry sense of humor and the knowledge he gained from his viewers or through research to keep his readers informed and interested. Shortly after he passed away in April of 1997, his second wife Judy, his son David and several of Mike's colleagues got together to read his 7500+ columns he wrote and reprint the 110 best ones. The end result was this book--aptly titled "One More Time" and printed two years after Mike's death.

Except for a brief stint in the U.S. Air Force and moving to the north suburb of Winnetka during the last few years of his life, Royko himself was a lifelong resident of Chicago as well as a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. His popularity amongst his readers earned him many honors including the third Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1972. We also got to meet a fictional character he created: "Slats Grobnik". Readers would occasionally get to know Slats for over three decades of Mike Royko's columns.

Despite offers from other large cities such as New York and Washington, DC, Mike wanted to remain in Chicago. He preferred to stay in his hometown where he had the freedom to write about whatever he chose. He also felt the most comfortable being in the Windy City. Mike thought that living and working elsewhere would keep him on the clock, 24/7. While Mike Royko continued to reside in Chicago, his weekday columns eventually extended to around 600 other newspapers.

After several years working in small area newspapers, Mike Royko's first column appeared in the (afternoon) Chicago Daily News on September 6, 1963. Though it didn't cause too many ripples at first, one could tell (in retrospect) that Mike would go on to have an amazing newspaper career. Royko remained with the Daily News until its closing on March 4, 1978. He then transferred to its daily morning paper--the Chicago Sun-Times.

However, Mike's tenure at the Sun-Times was short-lived. Its owners Marshall and Ted Field sold the paper to the Australian magnate Rupert Murdoch in 1984. Along with several of his fellow writers, Royko responded by resigning from the Sun-Times. Mike once quipped that: "No self-respecting fish would ever want to be wrapped up in [Murdoch's] paper." He then moved on to the rival paper--the Chicago Tribune, where he remained until his untimely death in 1997. (Yet after his departure the Sun-Times, the paper reprinted several of Royko's columns for a time. They resumed reprinting his articles in 2018.)

Mike Royko once stated that people would always remember Mark Twain's writings yet they'd forget about him once he had passed away. But I don't think that's true. Both Mark Twain and Mike Royko seemed to be way ahead of the curve. They both had a wry sense of humor that resonated with their readers as well as made them stop and think about their work. Not many writers can hold a claim to that theory nowadays. It's time to stop and put down the phone (or tablet) and to look at the world through your own eyes!

Even way back when, Mike Royko wrote about hot-button topics that are still prevalent in today's society. Issues included gun control, political incorrectness, corruption in high places and insensitivities towards one another. Mike knew how to use the "freedom of the press" as an award-winning journalist. He may have aroused some anger in others while he obtained countless readers and accolades. Yet Mike was never afraid to tell the truth and to fight for the underdogs out there.

Between writing his weekday columns, Mike Royko authored"Boss", a 1971 biography about Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley who passed away in 1976. Amongst his other books, Mike had four editions of his newspaper columns from his 34-year career. Columns that are featured in "One More Time" include:

* The death of his first wife Carol (age 44) in 1979
* Recovering from Carol's passing and caring for their two sons, Robert and David
* Chicago mayors including both Daleys, Jane Byrne and Harold Washington
* Fighting for the rights of military veterans, abused children, etc.
* The death of comedian John Belushi, whose family were longtime friends of the Roykos. (John's character, Chicago news columnist Ernie Souchak in the 1981 film "Continental Divide", was inspired by Mike Royko, whom John affectionately dubbed "Uncle Mike")
* Several articles on the Cubs--including a tribute to Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson (Mike and a friend saw Jackie's debut game at Cubs Park--aka. Wrigley Field--on May 18, 1947; the Dodgers won 4 to 2 over the Cubs and Mike caught a foul ball from Jackie!) and Mike's last article on how the Cubs were NOT cursed by the Billy Goat!!!

After suffering a brain aneurysm during a vacation down in Florida in March of 1997, Mike Royko passed away a month later from congestive heart failure in Chicago. He was 64 years old. Survivors included his second wife Judy, three sons and a daughter. Mike's memorial service was held in June at his beloved Wrigley Field--just over 50 years after he and a friend attended Jackie Robinson's debut at Cubs Park. Mike Royko may be gone for over 25 years yet readers may still ponder about what kind of syndicated columns he could've written for his readers. Some of them may have included:

* The year 2000 and the new millennium
* Barack Obama winning the 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections plus his years in the Illinois and U.S. Senate
* Major League Baseball retiring Jackie Robinson's number 42 for all their teams
* Name changes to the Sears Tower and Standard Oil buildings
* Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics which took place in Rio
* The death of Saturday Night Live (SNL) comedian Chris Farley in December of 1997
* The Chicago White Sox's 2005 World Series title and the Blackhawks' three Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015
* The Chicago Bulls winning their fifth and sixth NBA titles in 1997 and '98
* And, of course, the Chicago Cubs World Series win in 2016!

"One More Time" is definitely a must-read for any fans of Mike Royko and his columns. He is definitely missed here in Chicago and the newspaper world. Looking forward to reading and reviewing several more of his books down the line. Thanks for the memories, Mike! And make sure to have a "chizbooga" and some "cheeps" from the Billy Goat in the sky for me, too!!!

Rating for "One More Time": *****
Profile Image for Margaret.
109 reviews
November 14, 2007
Now I understand why Mike Royko was a living legend of a newspaperman. I was about 16 when he died and too young to appreciate his columns. This man had a unique grasp of the dynamics of his native Chicago as well as a dry sense of wit in his social criticism of the developments in American culture and politics across his three and half decade career. I wish I could be so damn pithy even one day of the week.
Profile Image for Benjamin.
328 reviews3 followers
July 29, 2020
An excellent compilation of columns by Mike Royko, whom I used to read in the Chicago Tribune. Funny, touching, made you laugh and made you think.

Update 2020: Picked this up off my shelf after 15 or so years to read again. Still enjoyable as a slice-of-life of Chicago, but some columns just did not age well. Reading now, Royko sometimes comes off as a cranky old man even in some of his early articles from the ‘60s.
Profile Image for James Rozoff.
Author 21 books19 followers
April 16, 2015
It's hard to look back so many years later and read old newspaper columns and appreciate them as much as when they were first published. Royko wrote about current events, many of them reflecting Chicago politics. But Royko was great, one of a kind. The world is worse off for his absence. There could have been better articles chosen for this collection, but there are some here that are not only powerful but relevant for today.
Profile Image for Jerry.
Author 10 books27 followers
April 19, 2017
If you’re looking for a grand overview of Mike Royko’s essays, One More Time is a great place to start. It includes his very first essay from September 6, 1963, and provides some of his best works from the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties, ending with his very last column from March 21, 1997, which was, fittingly, about both the Cubs and Sam Sianis of the Billy Goat Tavern.
Profile Image for Kendra.
475 reviews28 followers
October 31, 2017
I forgot how much I loved reading Mike Royko's columns! Even when I disagree with him or when his curmudgeonliness makes him seem antediluvian, I love his prose and the way he can make me reconsider my opinions and perspectives.

Reading this collection now, in late 2017, felt like deja vu - so much of what Royko wrote about is back in the news again today. Maybe it never left entirely, but America today feels a lot like America during the 60s and 70s.
Profile Image for John.
30 reviews2 followers
May 22, 2007
This guy's got to be one of the best columnists ever to write. If you want to understand Chicago, you have to read Royko. Whether his target is Daley, Sinatra, or Mrs. Smith from Ohio who wrote him a letter, he doesn't pull any punches. He's extremely funny, doesn't suffer fools of any variety, and has a great social conscience in a no-nonsense midwestern kind of way.
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