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Don't Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It
Multiple times a day, in cities across the US and beyond, a simple yet powerful message is repeated by the well-meaning, the ignorant, and the “don’t go” – avoid at all costs those Black and Brown disinvested neighborhoods that have become bywords for social disorder and urban decay.
This book is a collection of intimate stories and evocative photos that uncover the hidden influence of both subtle and overt “don’t go” messages and the segregation they perpetuate in Chicago. Told by everyday people to Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan – a Black artist and a White academic who met through their shared passion for anti-segregation work – the stories paint a rich picture of life in a segregated city.
One by one, the storytellers upend pessimism with candid, deeply personal, humorous, and heartbreaking tales, and with novel ideas for simple actions that can serve as antidotes to both racism and “place-ism.”
By inviting readers into the lives of regular people who have ignored the warning to stay away from “don’t go” neighborhoods or who live in those very same neighborhoods, the stories in Don’t Go illuminate the devastating consequences of racial segregation and disinvestment as well as the inevitable rewards of coming together.
This book is a collection of intimate stories and evocative photos that uncover the hidden influence of both subtle and overt “don’t go” messages and the segregation they perpetuate in Chicago. Told by everyday people to Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan – a Black artist and a White academic who met through their shared passion for anti-segregation work – the stories paint a rich picture of life in a segregated city.
One by one, the storytellers upend pessimism with candid, deeply personal, humorous, and heartbreaking tales, and with novel ideas for simple actions that can serve as antidotes to both racism and “place-ism.”
By inviting readers into the lives of regular people who have ignored the warning to stay away from “don’t go” neighborhoods or who live in those very same neighborhoods, the stories in Don’t Go illuminate the devastating consequences of racial segregation and disinvestment as well as the inevitable rewards of coming together.
232 pages, Hardcover
Published November 26, 2024
24 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 11, 2025
I really liked this book with one caveat. I've heard all of these reasons to 'don't go' and it is great to see people at various stages of their journey to identifying and recognizing the racism/irrationality of the fear.
My caveat:
Many of the stories where someone overcame fear to see a new neighborhood they were warned to 'don't go' involved public transit. Our trains and busses are the arteries of our city and taking public transit with people who are different from you is a shared experience that can overcome preconceived ideas of segregation.
The authors identify strategies and ways to counteract 'don't go' messengers but I think they overlook the centrality of public transit/not driving.
My caveat:
Many of the stories where someone overcame fear to see a new neighborhood they were warned to 'don't go' involved public transit. Our trains and busses are the arteries of our city and taking public transit with people who are different from you is a shared experience that can overcome preconceived ideas of segregation.
The authors identify strategies and ways to counteract 'don't go' messengers but I think they overlook the centrality of public transit/not driving.
July 2, 2025
A collection of interviews with various people on being told "don't go" to the south or west sides of Chicago. They talk about their experiences when going anyway (or in some cases their experiences of living in one of the "don't go" areas). As the interviewees note, these places did not in fact hold up to the ominous messaging. And going helped in many cases to reconceptualize how they thought about these areas. Most of the interviewers were conducted via Zoom during the COVIC pandemic in the wake of George Floyd's murder and subsequent protests so it would be interesting to read follow up interviews if the authors ever decide to revisit this particular project. But in any case, this book offers some interesting insights into some of the myths surrounding Chicago.
March 16, 2026
very interesting collection of interviews of chicagoans going to the “don’t go” places and confronting the cultural separations of north/west/south side.
November 24, 2025
This is a book about racism in Chicago, what could be summarized weakly as the lingering effects of redlining policies and more strongly as a contemporary, interview-based, look at racism, what it looks like today and how it affects everyone negatively, including in a big picture of a city working.
The authors themselves are the stand out of the book. Both come off as expressly personable to the point of envy at their ability to prompt a variety of subjects in sub-optimal (COVID lockdown through Zoom) conditions to express meaningful and emotive statements. To whatever extent someone might argue with their contentions of segregation still existing and needing to be disrupted, the book is persuasive. Importantly, too, the authors look to include practical steps or otherwise a sort of discussion or guide to thinking about segregation in the reader's own life.
But I do not understand the why of this book. If it was a documentary for example, I would understand, where you would hear all these sorts of narratives interwoven with the author's own, and with the ability to highlight individual statements like the book currently does in cut out text boxes amid the interviews. I could even see it as a coffee table sort of book, serving as a sort of guidebook to different neighborhoods and with greater visual representation in general.
But where the authors try to create thematic groupings, the stories are largely the same set of mores and tropes. The interviewees often get poetic, which translates poorly in a format like this. The parts that stood out were the 'rough edges' to the project, things like gentrification, violence, and other negative experiences, that get treated peculiarly, raised disinterestedly. And if I wanted to lean into critique, there is a self-congratulatory element. It is a book about difficult conversations, that mentions and is for your to have them with others, but in itself focuses on the 'converted,' up to the point that it felt like benign racism in itself. I would not think it decorous for people to be talking about my neighborhood in the way that they are talking about some of these other neighborhoods.
So I want to like the book, and it is legitimately inspiring at points, but also something that feels itself as out of place as the sort of situation it (rightfully) condemns.
The authors themselves are the stand out of the book. Both come off as expressly personable to the point of envy at their ability to prompt a variety of subjects in sub-optimal (COVID lockdown through Zoom) conditions to express meaningful and emotive statements. To whatever extent someone might argue with their contentions of segregation still existing and needing to be disrupted, the book is persuasive. Importantly, too, the authors look to include practical steps or otherwise a sort of discussion or guide to thinking about segregation in the reader's own life.
But I do not understand the why of this book. If it was a documentary for example, I would understand, where you would hear all these sorts of narratives interwoven with the author's own, and with the ability to highlight individual statements like the book currently does in cut out text boxes amid the interviews. I could even see it as a coffee table sort of book, serving as a sort of guidebook to different neighborhoods and with greater visual representation in general.
But where the authors try to create thematic groupings, the stories are largely the same set of mores and tropes. The interviewees often get poetic, which translates poorly in a format like this. The parts that stood out were the 'rough edges' to the project, things like gentrification, violence, and other negative experiences, that get treated peculiarly, raised disinterestedly. And if I wanted to lean into critique, there is a self-congratulatory element. It is a book about difficult conversations, that mentions and is for your to have them with others, but in itself focuses on the 'converted,' up to the point that it felt like benign racism in itself. I would not think it decorous for people to be talking about my neighborhood in the way that they are talking about some of these other neighborhoods.
So I want to like the book, and it is legitimately inspiring at points, but also something that feels itself as out of place as the sort of situation it (rightfully) condemns.
December 10, 2025
See my review on StoryBoard.
July 30, 2025
My grandfather had a saying that he liked to trot out at every opportunity about the difference between the North Side and the South Side of Chicago, especially when it came to crime: “When something happens on the South Side, they’re making a federal case out of it, but when it happens on the NORTH Side, they’re HUSHING IT UP!” Although Grandpa was no soothsayer, this statement of his seems to have only become more true over time.
As a South Side resident, I frequently say that this side of Chicago gets an outrageously bad rap, and that’s nothing to say of the West Side, which (most unfairly!) has an even worse reputation. So I felt somewhat vindicated the whole time as I read and enjoyed Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It. This nonfiction book features insightful interviews with twenty-nine people from different parts of Chicago who examine the various “don’t go” messages they have received, and the impacts this has had on their lives.
It is challenging (if not impossible, at times) to find any South or West Side representation on many “Best of Chicago” lists in local magazines and newspapers. For people who move to Chicago like Jeff, it can feel like the South and West Sides of Chicago don’t get much of a chance at all: “So when I moved here, I looked at some magazine, like a ‘Best Neighborhoods for New People Moving to Chicago’ issue, where they just mention all the neighborhoods on the North Side. And Hyde Park. So they have always had one South Side neighborhood in the ‘best neighborhood’ list.”
“Don’t go” messages can come from authority figures—like in Danica’s story, a professor at the University of Chicago warns social work students against going near Cottage Grove and King Drive: “Just think about the bias being set up for these people who were there to learn how to serve underserved populations. Those warnings are going to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like, they’re teaching people not to attribute a crime or an outburst to mental illness or some kind of trouble at home, but to the fact that the person lives near Cottage Grove and 69th.” It was easy for me to think of the self-fulfilling prophecy that Danica mentions in her story later when Eva, who works as a case manager for Medicaid patients, describes the attitudes of her colleagues: “I’ve definitely heard White colleagues express hesitation to go to certain neighborhoods. Some people even cut the visit short, or don’t spend as much time with the individual during their assessment. Just trying to go and get in and get out. I wonder about this. I mean, the reason you’re doing a home visit in the first place is because it’s so helpful to see someone face to face, to assess their immediate environment and their safety in their home environment. A lot of the folks we visit are people with disabilities or chronic illness, and lots of folks are very isolated. You can’t really do this job effectively over the phone, or in a shortened time.”
Many people like Tom describe receiving a skewed and incomplete picture of Chicago: “When I was growing up, no one would ever say, ‘Let’s check out these really cool murals in Little Village on the West Side. Or the Pullman historical site on the South Side.’ That was never a thing. Now I wish I could have said, ‘Why? Why don’t we go somewhere interesting? I’d rather go there than visit Navy Pier over and over and over again.’” To speak for myself, this book makes me want to become more familiar with even more neighborhoods in a Chicago than I already am, especially the South and West Sides. Chicago is a beautiful world-class city, and it is humbling to read Roberto (who first comes to Chicago as an international student from Spain) talk about Chicago neighborhoods and realize just how correct he is: “One thing that was shocking to me is how many people in Chicago had been to my country, to Spain. They went to Madrid, Barcelona, to a university in Spain, but they have never been to Woodlawn, Englewood, or Garfield Park. When they discover I’m from Spain, Chicagoans often ask me what I like about Chicago. I tell them I love the neighborhoods—but people often confess to me that they have never been to the neighborhoods I have visited. Then I say, ‘Well, that could change tomorrow. You don’t need a passport or a plane.’” I rate Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It as five-out-of-five-stars and recommend this book to everyone as a must-read!!
As a South Side resident, I frequently say that this side of Chicago gets an outrageously bad rap, and that’s nothing to say of the West Side, which (most unfairly!) has an even worse reputation. So I felt somewhat vindicated the whole time as I read and enjoyed Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It. This nonfiction book features insightful interviews with twenty-nine people from different parts of Chicago who examine the various “don’t go” messages they have received, and the impacts this has had on their lives.
It is challenging (if not impossible, at times) to find any South or West Side representation on many “Best of Chicago” lists in local magazines and newspapers. For people who move to Chicago like Jeff, it can feel like the South and West Sides of Chicago don’t get much of a chance at all: “So when I moved here, I looked at some magazine, like a ‘Best Neighborhoods for New People Moving to Chicago’ issue, where they just mention all the neighborhoods on the North Side. And Hyde Park. So they have always had one South Side neighborhood in the ‘best neighborhood’ list.”
“Don’t go” messages can come from authority figures—like in Danica’s story, a professor at the University of Chicago warns social work students against going near Cottage Grove and King Drive: “Just think about the bias being set up for these people who were there to learn how to serve underserved populations. Those warnings are going to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like, they’re teaching people not to attribute a crime or an outburst to mental illness or some kind of trouble at home, but to the fact that the person lives near Cottage Grove and 69th.” It was easy for me to think of the self-fulfilling prophecy that Danica mentions in her story later when Eva, who works as a case manager for Medicaid patients, describes the attitudes of her colleagues: “I’ve definitely heard White colleagues express hesitation to go to certain neighborhoods. Some people even cut the visit short, or don’t spend as much time with the individual during their assessment. Just trying to go and get in and get out. I wonder about this. I mean, the reason you’re doing a home visit in the first place is because it’s so helpful to see someone face to face, to assess their immediate environment and their safety in their home environment. A lot of the folks we visit are people with disabilities or chronic illness, and lots of folks are very isolated. You can’t really do this job effectively over the phone, or in a shortened time.”
Many people like Tom describe receiving a skewed and incomplete picture of Chicago: “When I was growing up, no one would ever say, ‘Let’s check out these really cool murals in Little Village on the West Side. Or the Pullman historical site on the South Side.’ That was never a thing. Now I wish I could have said, ‘Why? Why don’t we go somewhere interesting? I’d rather go there than visit Navy Pier over and over and over again.’” To speak for myself, this book makes me want to become more familiar with even more neighborhoods in a Chicago than I already am, especially the South and West Sides. Chicago is a beautiful world-class city, and it is humbling to read Roberto (who first comes to Chicago as an international student from Spain) talk about Chicago neighborhoods and realize just how correct he is: “One thing that was shocking to me is how many people in Chicago had been to my country, to Spain. They went to Madrid, Barcelona, to a university in Spain, but they have never been to Woodlawn, Englewood, or Garfield Park. When they discover I’m from Spain, Chicagoans often ask me what I like about Chicago. I tell them I love the neighborhoods—but people often confess to me that they have never been to the neighborhoods I have visited. Then I say, ‘Well, that could change tomorrow. You don’t need a passport or a plane.’” I rate Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It as five-out-of-five-stars and recommend this book to everyone as a must-read!!
February 14, 2025
I really love the concept behind this book and appreciated the chance to hear people’s stories, but I have to admit by about 3/4 of the way through I was tired of reading about how (largely) white people bravely overcame their fears of a huge part of the city. I appreciated the tangible tips and also think there’s an element overlooked of the real work it takes to disrupt segregation and gentrification. Still, I was happy to have read it.
September 15, 2025
Very thought-provoking and encourages readers to be curious.
May 16, 2025
This book is powerful not because it contributed deep, academic insights about segregation in Chicago, but because of effective and relatable stories about the narratives that Chicagoans encounter surrounding poor neighborhoods. This makes it pretty different from most stuff that I read, but certainly impactful to me. As a transplant to the city, I have had many experiences similar to those described in the story, hearing about neighborhoods where one should not go. So this book was quite valuable for adding nuance and empathy to that perspective, and perhaps making me think twice about these neighborhood heuristics in the future.
March 16, 2025
Very thought provoking. Everyone should read it.
June 11, 2025
This is really a must-read for every Chicagoan.
February 12, 2025
I'll stand ten toes to the ground on this and I won't stop saying it: don't say you love Chicago if you never go to the South or West Side (Sox Park, MSI, and the United Center don't count).
My fiancee and I love Chicago, and we've been steadily visiting every single branch of the Chicago Public Library as part of an effort to get to know the city more and see more of the city and its various neighborhoods. When I tell folks this, they generally respond very positively to it. I always find that funny, because as you can imagine, this quest requires that we regularly travel to the South and West Sides of the city, even though we live on the Far North side.
I can't even begin to count the number of times I've heard some variation of "don't go" or fear mongering about the South/West sides of Chicago. Is there crime and poverty? Of course. Do we regularly see homeless people on these visits? Yes. Have we ever had a single truly dangerous encounter? No. We regularly, proudly, ride public transit all around our city - another thing that people we know from the suburbs refuse to do because of fear of "safety" from "those folks". We've never had a single serious thing happen to us. I'll admit, the first few times I was nervous simply because I'd never been there. But one of the best ways to counteract that nervousness is to actually try something new, and realize that there is so much out there and a lot of stuff you've heard is BS propaganda.
That's something the authors of this book do a wonderful job showing, by highlighting the stories of numerous different Chicagoans who have been told at various points were they should and shouldn't go - and their stories learning to unpack and break through these stereotypes. These conceptions that Black and Brown neighborhoods are warzones that are verboten is not only unbelievably racist, it has a massive material consequence. It makes it harder for businesses and organizations in these neighborhoods to thrive because they don't get any foot traffic, it restricts opportunities because lenders see the land as intrinsically unvalued. Some of the stories mentioned here were truly mindboggling. Chicago cops straight up telling white folks at bus stops that they'd drive them out of these neighborhoods if they wanted, even though literally nothing had occurred. University staff acting like stepping one block off campus will get you immediately killed. AirBnB guests cancelling bookings upon arriving simply because the neighborhood "looked sketchy".
I really really appreciate the personal touch this book has and how it talks about normal people trying to push back against the nonsense they hear from folks. I think in general, conversations about urban planning and transit need to be more forceful about addressing the intrinsic white supremacy that is embedded in how we talk about Black and Brown neighborhoods. Don't tell me you care about the health of the city if you would never come with me to a local restaurant in North Lawndale or Englewood. I don't want to hear a single thing you have to say about transit if you won't ride the Red Line past Sox-35th.
My only critique of this book is it doesn't really remind folks that we do need to go beyond the individual conversations and push for investment and opportunities in these communities if we want to break segregation. The South and West sides have been intentionally underinvested in for decades. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. We need to reverse that trend and that requires folks who don't live in these communities to do more than just visit these neighborhoods - they need to push their elected representatives to bring money, resources, and jobs to the South and West side. The problems they face are real, but they are not intrinsic - they can be fixed, by investment. But the people of these neighborhoods need more people to speak up and push for and with them, because they've been screaming for decades to deaf ears.
My fiancee and I love Chicago, and we've been steadily visiting every single branch of the Chicago Public Library as part of an effort to get to know the city more and see more of the city and its various neighborhoods. When I tell folks this, they generally respond very positively to it. I always find that funny, because as you can imagine, this quest requires that we regularly travel to the South and West Sides of the city, even though we live on the Far North side.
I can't even begin to count the number of times I've heard some variation of "don't go" or fear mongering about the South/West sides of Chicago. Is there crime and poverty? Of course. Do we regularly see homeless people on these visits? Yes. Have we ever had a single truly dangerous encounter? No. We regularly, proudly, ride public transit all around our city - another thing that people we know from the suburbs refuse to do because of fear of "safety" from "those folks". We've never had a single serious thing happen to us. I'll admit, the first few times I was nervous simply because I'd never been there. But one of the best ways to counteract that nervousness is to actually try something new, and realize that there is so much out there and a lot of stuff you've heard is BS propaganda.
That's something the authors of this book do a wonderful job showing, by highlighting the stories of numerous different Chicagoans who have been told at various points were they should and shouldn't go - and their stories learning to unpack and break through these stereotypes. These conceptions that Black and Brown neighborhoods are warzones that are verboten is not only unbelievably racist, it has a massive material consequence. It makes it harder for businesses and organizations in these neighborhoods to thrive because they don't get any foot traffic, it restricts opportunities because lenders see the land as intrinsically unvalued. Some of the stories mentioned here were truly mindboggling. Chicago cops straight up telling white folks at bus stops that they'd drive them out of these neighborhoods if they wanted, even though literally nothing had occurred. University staff acting like stepping one block off campus will get you immediately killed. AirBnB guests cancelling bookings upon arriving simply because the neighborhood "looked sketchy".
I really really appreciate the personal touch this book has and how it talks about normal people trying to push back against the nonsense they hear from folks. I think in general, conversations about urban planning and transit need to be more forceful about addressing the intrinsic white supremacy that is embedded in how we talk about Black and Brown neighborhoods. Don't tell me you care about the health of the city if you would never come with me to a local restaurant in North Lawndale or Englewood. I don't want to hear a single thing you have to say about transit if you won't ride the Red Line past Sox-35th.
My only critique of this book is it doesn't really remind folks that we do need to go beyond the individual conversations and push for investment and opportunities in these communities if we want to break segregation. The South and West sides have been intentionally underinvested in for decades. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. We need to reverse that trend and that requires folks who don't live in these communities to do more than just visit these neighborhoods - they need to push their elected representatives to bring money, resources, and jobs to the South and West side. The problems they face are real, but they are not intrinsic - they can be fixed, by investment. But the people of these neighborhoods need more people to speak up and push for and with them, because they've been screaming for decades to deaf ears.
April 3, 2025
Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of this book and think pretty much everyone in the city of Chicago should read it, if for nothing else, to be inspired to explore areas of the city you may not have spent much time in. A lot of it resonated with me, as a southern transplant who has slowly but surely made my way south through the city over the last ~decade. I had my own little get-over-the-hump discovery of the south side by working in Hyde Park and exploring the surrounding neighborhoods as a result.
I do wonder, though, if it would be a bit hard for someone unfamiliar with Chicago to understand? Which, perhaps, is the point of the book! But these are really hyperlocal stories and experiences that you need to have an understanding of the city to grasp, I think.
One other thing I want to mention that is not brought up a ton in here — admirable as it is, exploring the parts of this city mentioned most in this book can be logistically challenging…without a car (I hate to say it, but you know I’m right!). It might legitimately take you 1-2 hours to reach some of these neighborhoods, depending where you start, via train and bus. I think that’s a larger accessibility and ingrained segregation issue that the city needs to address, and it’s of course worth the effort, but Chicago is a huge place. Beyond the psychological barriers explored in great detail in this book, the geography and inefficiency with which you can traverse it makes bridging these gaps even more difficult.
Case in point - when I was in college in Evanston, I basically thought Chicago was — Evanston, Wrigleyville, Water Tower Place, because that’s what was the easiest to access from where I was. I now know how horrifically wrong that was, but the way the city is set up forces us into our little cubby holes. Don’t really have a closing thought and am just rambling now, but yeah. Read the book!
I do wonder, though, if it would be a bit hard for someone unfamiliar with Chicago to understand? Which, perhaps, is the point of the book! But these are really hyperlocal stories and experiences that you need to have an understanding of the city to grasp, I think.
One other thing I want to mention that is not brought up a ton in here — admirable as it is, exploring the parts of this city mentioned most in this book can be logistically challenging…without a car (I hate to say it, but you know I’m right!). It might legitimately take you 1-2 hours to reach some of these neighborhoods, depending where you start, via train and bus. I think that’s a larger accessibility and ingrained segregation issue that the city needs to address, and it’s of course worth the effort, but Chicago is a huge place. Beyond the psychological barriers explored in great detail in this book, the geography and inefficiency with which you can traverse it makes bridging these gaps even more difficult.
Case in point - when I was in college in Evanston, I basically thought Chicago was — Evanston, Wrigleyville, Water Tower Place, because that’s what was the easiest to access from where I was. I now know how horrifically wrong that was, but the way the city is set up forces us into our little cubby holes. Don’t really have a closing thought and am just rambling now, but yeah. Read the book!
October 4, 2025
While the stories in this book come from people who live in Chicago, and there are a lot of neighborhoods named that will be particularly meaningful if you have lived here, I suspect this book would resonate with just about anyone in the US who has lived in a city of any meaningful size. There are places deemed safe, and places you are warned away from, and Johnson and Krysan have collected stories that reflect the damage that kind of labelling does.
I was lucky enough to see them speak about this book, and even in the presentation they turned much of the attention to the stories of the people in the audience. Rather than create an overly academic interpretation of this phenomenon, they have rooted their investigation in people's stories, told in their own words.
It's powerful and vulnerable and, unfortunately, feels almost like whiplash from the feeling in 2020 (when the interviews took place) that maybe Americans were ready to make real change to the structures of racism in this country to the current state of affairs, where our neighbors and their children are being kidnapped and terrorized based on the color of their skin.
I wouldn't let the heaviness of the work that lies ahead of us right now in 2025 prevent you from reading this book. It's very readable, and I think the authors did a great job of making it actionable. Furthermore, anything that reminds us that we are here in the city, in this country, on this planet together and we are truly not so different from each other, despite the many forces that would have us believe otherwise, is worth the small investment of time it takes to read this short and compelling collection.
I was lucky enough to see them speak about this book, and even in the presentation they turned much of the attention to the stories of the people in the audience. Rather than create an overly academic interpretation of this phenomenon, they have rooted their investigation in people's stories, told in their own words.
It's powerful and vulnerable and, unfortunately, feels almost like whiplash from the feeling in 2020 (when the interviews took place) that maybe Americans were ready to make real change to the structures of racism in this country to the current state of affairs, where our neighbors and their children are being kidnapped and terrorized based on the color of their skin.
I wouldn't let the heaviness of the work that lies ahead of us right now in 2025 prevent you from reading this book. It's very readable, and I think the authors did a great job of making it actionable. Furthermore, anything that reminds us that we are here in the city, in this country, on this planet together and we are truly not so different from each other, despite the many forces that would have us believe otherwise, is worth the small investment of time it takes to read this short and compelling collection.
August 22, 2025
I am giving 4 stars for the concept of this book because as a qualitative researcher who gets extremely frustrated with the limitations and bureaucracies around research, this was my SHIT.
Thank you to Tonika and Maria for actually getting conversations going, reaching out to Chicagoans over Instagram, interviewing them, and compiling this collection of 25 stories of "Don't Go."
As someone new to Chicago, this book resonated with a lot of my experiences moving here and speaking with younger people/other transplants. I have a friend who never leaves the Loop. I have another friend who Ubers everywhere instead of taking the CTA. Another friend claimed that Buena Park "isn't even Chicago anymore." That was a funny comment because Loop to Wrigley is such a small fraction of the city.
But a lot of this book resonated with my experiences before Chicago. It's always weird to me when someone says to me "oh, are you okay?" or "isn't that area dangerous?" when they've never visited or lived there.
Everyone should read at least the first third of this book (which I felt to be the strongest). People should think about why they think about neighborhoods and people the way they do. This book has inspired me to have the words to resist fearmongering and question people's assumptions about neighborhoods. But above all - incredible, huge props. Getting real stories about difficult topics, providing sociological context in the book, beautiful curation of photographs/stories and other visuals - incredible. Thank you.
Thank you to Tonika and Maria for actually getting conversations going, reaching out to Chicagoans over Instagram, interviewing them, and compiling this collection of 25 stories of "Don't Go."
As someone new to Chicago, this book resonated with a lot of my experiences moving here and speaking with younger people/other transplants. I have a friend who never leaves the Loop. I have another friend who Ubers everywhere instead of taking the CTA. Another friend claimed that Buena Park "isn't even Chicago anymore." That was a funny comment because Loop to Wrigley is such a small fraction of the city.
But a lot of this book resonated with my experiences before Chicago. It's always weird to me when someone says to me "oh, are you okay?" or "isn't that area dangerous?" when they've never visited or lived there.
Everyone should read at least the first third of this book (which I felt to be the strongest). People should think about why they think about neighborhoods and people the way they do. This book has inspired me to have the words to resist fearmongering and question people's assumptions about neighborhoods. But above all - incredible, huge props. Getting real stories about difficult topics, providing sociological context in the book, beautiful curation of photographs/stories and other visuals - incredible. Thank you.
April 18, 2025
3.5
The half-star deduction might be unfair. I had hoped the book would spend more time diving into the current scholarship on segregation, but it did not (nor did it intend to). The book is unapologetically a compilation of stories and anecdotes. The stories are uncritically accepted as true (despite some of the non-narrator characters coming across as unbelievably one-dimensional) and then discussed by Tonika and Maria.
Overall, I found the book incredibly helpful. It caused me to reflect on my tendencies to think of and refer to certain parts of town as "worse" than others, to take a single negative experience and assume it accurately represents a whole city or neighborhood, and to repeat things I've been told without critically examining them. The book definitely made me think differently about my own city, and since reading it, I've visited several local businesses I had previously overlooked. As self-reflection and changing the way we think about, discuss, and interact with our city was (I think) largely the goal of this project, I think they succeeded. I found Tonika and Maria's perspectives and summaries to be helpful and balanced. Some of the people they interviewed came across triumphalistic and preachy at times.
The half-star deduction might be unfair. I had hoped the book would spend more time diving into the current scholarship on segregation, but it did not (nor did it intend to). The book is unapologetically a compilation of stories and anecdotes. The stories are uncritically accepted as true (despite some of the non-narrator characters coming across as unbelievably one-dimensional) and then discussed by Tonika and Maria.
Overall, I found the book incredibly helpful. It caused me to reflect on my tendencies to think of and refer to certain parts of town as "worse" than others, to take a single negative experience and assume it accurately represents a whole city or neighborhood, and to repeat things I've been told without critically examining them. The book definitely made me think differently about my own city, and since reading it, I've visited several local businesses I had previously overlooked. As self-reflection and changing the way we think about, discuss, and interact with our city was (I think) largely the goal of this project, I think they succeeded. I found Tonika and Maria's perspectives and summaries to be helpful and balanced. Some of the people they interviewed came across triumphalistic and preachy at times.
September 28, 2025
Such an important book. I met Tonika in 2019 when I'd heard about her Folded Map Project and wanted to attend her opening in Englewood. I was the epitome of the result of being told Don't Go my whole life. I actually reached out to her and told her this and she was beyond gracious, reassuring me it would be great. I went, it was great, and I started doing things and going places in Chicago where I hadn't gone before.
So while I didn't learn anything new in the book except one specific coffee shop in Englewood that I'll visit, it's a reminder that I need to spread the word and make some change. A couple of my friends and I are committed to going to places, spending our time and money there, and spreading the word about how great they are
So while I didn't learn anything new in the book except one specific coffee shop in Englewood that I'll visit, it's a reminder that I need to spread the word and make some change. A couple of my friends and I are committed to going to places, spending our time and money there, and spreading the word about how great they are
January 9, 2026
I picked this book up in a museum shop in Chicago last November. Interesting read about different neighborhoods in Chicago, most I am unfamiliar with. I think despite not living in Chicago, the lessons learned from the individual stories can be applied anywhere in the US. Living in KC, there is a lot of segregation. The questions asked by those who challenged to go where they were told not to are ones that I think about often, and their stories provided a level of reassurance to explore new areas with the desire for connection and learning something new.
I think I would've preferred the stories if they were more in an interview style rather than individual essays (hence the 4 stars).
I think I would've preferred the stories if they were more in an interview style rather than individual essays (hence the 4 stars).
June 17, 2025
I appreciated that this book made me think about the ways I interact with the city. Am I only visiting parts of the south and west side for restaurants/attractions? How can I expand my visits from just a quick visit to see a thing, to a visit where I actually take time to walk around and interact with people who live there? That’s something I’m glad they called out and that I want to focus on!
Only taking away one star because I felt like some of the stories were redundant.
Otherwise, something important to read and talk about!
Only taking away one star because I felt like some of the stories were redundant.
Otherwise, something important to read and talk about!
July 5, 2025
This is a very approachable, readable series of first person narratives of people in Chicago. In them, they confront the idea that the South and West sides are monoliths of danger and negativity. This should be required reading for all Chicagoans-new and old alike.
It wasn’t five stars for me because many of the stories were redundant. I wish the authors had narrowed down some of the white people’s stories and included more people of color.
It wasn’t five stars for me because many of the stories were redundant. I wish the authors had narrowed down some of the white people’s stories and included more people of color.
October 24, 2025
I applaud the efforts Tonika and Maria mounted to tackle the race issue. However, this book is just a compilation of anecdotal stories and conversations. OK, the south and west sides of Chicago are safe. However, just being safe is not an enough reason for most people to “go”. I was expecting some guidelines of how, where and why to go, and I got little from reading this book. Mostly the authors are still complaining about racism but failed to make an effort to present anything new to audiences
January 20, 2026
This is such an eye-opening book! The synopsis of the book drew me in, and I felt like every story shared within the book made me realize the times I have either heard "Don't go" or said "Don't go" to a place that I had not been or at least knew little about.
p. 264 "...we go one step further and consider how our stereotypes about places can cycle back and impact what we think about the people who live there."
So many lessons to be learned and utilized within these pages.
p. 264 "...we go one step further and consider how our stereotypes about places can cycle back and impact what we think about the people who live there."
So many lessons to be learned and utilized within these pages.
February 28, 2025
If you're a white person living in a segregated city, this is a really easy read that may help you disrupt the thinking you likely grew up with.
The people Tonika interviewed were really vulnerable and willing to admit their faulty thinking. I found this refreshing and surprising.
Thank you for your work!
The people Tonika interviewed were really vulnerable and willing to admit their faulty thinking. I found this refreshing and surprising.
Thank you for your work!
March 3, 2025
4.5 stars! (only because I felt some of the stories were redundant.)This book completely changed the way I look at neighborhoods, race and segregation in Chicago and I can’t stop telling everyone about it. The Folded Map project is so fascinating and I can’t believe I didn’t hear about it sooner. Thank you Chicago Block Club for putting this on my radar!
July 27, 2025
Read for ARBC. Stories about segregated neighborhoods in Chicago; both from the perspective of folks who liked in those neighborhoods and folks who became comfortable in those neighborhoods (after being told not not go there). Took notes. The authors offer reflections on these stores and end with 3 sections to take steps to stop the segregations; Talking, Feeling, Acting.
December 30, 2025
This is such an important read. People tell their stories in vulnerable, relatable ways. There are no restitution narratives here, we are still in process. But this book helped me see my city of Chicago in a whole new light and dug into narratives I have heard in media and conversations for years. This book is somehow both artful and scientific. Please read.
January 24, 2026
Everyone needs to read this. when I told people i was moving to Chicago, they were like oh avoid X areas etc south side, West of 90. but honestly most of them had never been to those neighborhoods. this book highlights west side and south side neighborhoods and shows they are just like any others with well meaning people just living their lives.
March 17, 2026
“Don’t go there, don’t go to THAT neighborhood”, we’ve all heard statements like that. This book is filled with different stories told by Chicago residents about that subject. It’s a beautiful study on how racial and neighborhood stereotypes continue to perpetuate. Although these are Chicago stories, they’re relatable to almost anywhere.
February 28, 2025
It is a shame that this book is not on the NY Times bestsellers list. It should be recommended or required reading. I am white and know nothing of black racial discrimination. Apparently it is real if you are black. Just read the book, and learn.
February 12, 2026
Must read for anyone who has ever been told or believed that they shouldn’t go to certain Chicago neighborhoods. The stories from community members challenged my assumptions about places in Chicago and experience parts of the city I have never been to. Very profound.
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