Chicago: A Biography

by Dominic A. Pacyga

Chicago has been called by many names. Nelson Algren declared it a “City on the Make.” Carl Sandburg dubbed it the “City of Big Shoulders.” Upton Sinclair christened it “The Jungle,” while New Yorkers, naturally, pronounced it “the Second City.”

At last there is a book for all of us, whatever we choose to call Chicago. In this magisterial biography, historian Dominic Pacyga traces the storied past of his hometown, from the explorations of Joliet and Marquette in 1673 to the new wave of urban pioneers today. The city’s great industrialists, reformers, and politicians—and, indeed, the many not-so-great and downright notorious—animate this book, from Al Capone and Jane Addams to Mayor Richard J. Daley and President Barack Obama. But what distinguishes this book from the many others on the subject is its author’s uncommon ability to illuminate the lives of Chicago’s ordinary people. Raised on the city’s South Side and employed for a time in the stockyards, Pacyga gives voice to the city’s steelyard workers and kill floor operators, and maps the neighborhoods distinguished not by Louis Sullivan masterworks, but by bungalows and corner taverns.

 Filled with the city’s one-of-a-kind characters and all of its defining moments, Chicago: A Biography is as big and boisterous as its namesake—and as ambitious as the men and women who built it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Biography, Cities, Travel, Urban Studies

462 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Dominic A. Pacyga, PhD, is Professor of History in the Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences at Columbia College Chicago.

Dr. Pacyga received his PhD in History from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981. He has authored, or coauthored, five books concerning Chicago's history, including Chicago: A Biography (2009); Polish Immigrants and Industrial Chicago (1991); Chicago: City of Neighborhoods with Ellen Skerrett (1986); Chicago: A Historical Guide to the Neighborhoods (1979) with Glen Holt; and Chicago's Southeast Side (1998) with Rod Sellers.

Dr. Pacyga has been a faculty member in the Department of HHSS since 1984. He has lectured widely on a variety of topics, including urban development, labor history, immigration, and racial and ethnic relations, and he has appeared in both the local and national media. He has worked with various museums, including the Chicago History Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Field Museum in Chicago, on a variety of public history projects.

Dr. Pacyga has also consulted with numerous neighborhood organizations, student groups, and ethnic, labor, and fraternal groups to preserve and exhibit their histories. He was guest curator for a major exhibit, "The Chicago Bungalow," at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. He and Charles Shanabruch are coeditors of The Chicago Bungalow (2001), a companion volume to the exhibit.

Dr. Pacyga is a winner of the Oscar Halecki Award from the Polish American Historical Association and a winner of the Catholic Book Award. In 1999, he received the Columbia College Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has been a visiting professor at both the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. In the spring of 2005, he was a Visiting Scholar in Campion Hall at Oxford University.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a required read for a college course I took years ago; I wanted to re-read most of it so I could enjoy it this time (especially from the perspective of now living in Chicago for over 20 years) now that I've grown to appreciate the change, rich culture, architecture, and character it has to offer.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best one-volume history of Chicago I'm aware of. Pacyga is a professional historian but he is writing for the layman here; he admits in his preface that this is not a complete history but rather an attempt "[to highlight] those people, places, events and relationships that capture the essence of the individual." That's why he called it a biography.
Whatever it is, it's consistently readable and absorbing. The story of Chicago is in some respects astounding, as it grew in thirty years from a muddy village in a swamp to a city of a hundred thousand that hosted the Republican convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln. Pacyga recounts how the railroads and the Illinois and Michigan Canal made Chicago the transportation hub of the rapidly expanding country, assuring its importance. The fire in 1871 cleared the slate for a makeover that produced the outlines of the modern city, and by the end of the 19th century Chicago was immense: chaotic and corrupt, but also the industrial and financial capital of the American heartland.
Pacyga devotes a great deal of attention to the ferocious labor struggles that resulted, from the Haymarket riot to the Pullman strike. Chicago was for a time the epicenter of America's class struggle. With the Great Migration came racial strife as well, with consequences enduring up to the present day. The Prohibition gangster wars get their due, as do the Depression, the Second World War, industrial decline, suburbanization and the changes overseen (or resisted) by the two Daleys.
Pacyga covers it all, with a historian's insight and a native son's affection. This is an excellent comprehensive look at the city's history for the general reader.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a thoughtful and informative scholarly work worth reading. While it may not appeal to the casual reader hoping for something that takes full advantage of Chicago's more than colorful history it is a resource that anybody needing to understand this city should employ. The book thoroughly traces the various forces that shaped the growth and evolution of Chicago. While the book is not quite as readable as Donald Miller's "City of the Century" or as entertaining as Emmett Dedmond's "Fabulous Chicago" it does a very good job of dissecting the city and explaining its components and how they came into being and why and how they work. Anybody looking to do business in this city, understand its politics, or wishing to settle here would profit from reading this book. The only criticism I have is technical in that I found numerous typographical errors so the editing was rather sloppy.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on Michigan Avenue a long time ago and have always wanted to read it but have always put it off. I’ve been fascinated by Chicago since the first time I visited and I hoped this book would fill in some gaps in my knowledge of its history. It definitely did and was very educational but it was missing the personality of the city. I think that’s because it was focused on the economics, demographics and politics with little to no mention of culture - arts, food, architecture, any of the things that give it character. Still, the book does comprehensively cover its areas of focus. The author occasionally brings up events briefly without explaining further, and the book in general was not edited very well. Overall, I’m glad I read it.

[Bryan Cebulski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good if standard broad history. It points the reader in the direction of topics they might want to look into further but offers no great detail for any of them. But hey, that's basically what this book set out to do!

Shines especially during the turn of the 20th century.

[Greg Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A good overview of the history of Chicago, especially with regards to the founding of the city, changes in the ethnic makeup of its various neighborhoods over time, and the tenures of the two Mayor Daleys. But the author’s admitted bias for the South Side of the city is regrettable, giving the impression that nothing of historical import has occurred in the northern 40% of Chicago. And there are more typos and awkward phrasings than one would expect from an academically published book.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great Biography of the best city in America!

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several histories of different cities, usually the rise n' fall variety. A few take the approach of cheerleaders. This volume is more like a cheerleader than a rise n' fall story. Pacyga takes a unique angle for this book by focusing on how different ethnic groups impacted the city.

Readers looking for the Irish fleeing the Potato Famine, or Germans fleeing the 1848 Revolutions, there is almost nothing about that here. Pacyga offers a brief and jumpy beginning to Chicago. Obviously, early American history is not his forte. He is far more in-depth with later periods of the city, and his almost constant focus on African-Americans for nearly 1/3 or 1/4 of the book suggests a specialty in sociology or political science. Readers may think that Chicago popped out of the prairie and marsh in the 1840s when the canal linking Lake Michigan with the Mississippi was built. According to Pacyga, the town's population was less than 1,000 for most of the 1830s. How this all came about is glossed over with a dismissive "Eastern investors" explanation. Diverse ethnic groups, especially African-Americans, had little if any role in Chicago at this time, so why bother discussing it. However, he does focus on the near-mythical trader Jean-Baptiste who came from the French colony of Saint Dominique (Haiti) as the first Westerner in what would become Chicago, so he did find an angle he could eagerly pursue.

To be fair, he does spend a lot of time on the class warfare of the industrial age of the city, roughly 1880-1950. The chapters are a bit long, but they are broken into subdivisions of manageable, bite-size pieces that average about 10 pages each. It is easy to locate certain periods and events to read more about them. The further reading / works cited is surprisingly weak as Pacyga draws on a limited number of sources. Consider Al Capone, for example. The subsection on "gangland" is about 7 pages. Nearly all of it is derived from Racketeer's Progress by Andrew Cohen. Cohen's work is fascinated and detailed with a focus on labor racketeers rather than Al Capone or his gang wars. Some of Pacyga's statements in this section are not clearly found in Cohen's work (or any other). For example, I have not seen any published work suggest that Big Jim Colosimo was a bagman for the Loop aldermen "Bath House" Coughlin and "Hinky Dink" Kenna. Nor have I seen anyone else publish that Frankie Yale was trying to control Chicago through Torrio and Capone. Lastly, after reading several biographies on Al Capone, I have never seen any mention of his alleged front of Dr. Al Brown; but nearly everyone else takes note of his humble claim to being a second-hand furniture dealer.

Those are not the only problems that I found on gangland, or rather, what was not included. The book nearly completely omits Capone's great rivalry with the North Side Gang led by Dion O'banion. Pacyga recites the assassination of Hymie Weiss in front of a cathedral and quickly moves on. This is part of a greater problem, which Pacyga notes: he is biased on the South Side to the seeming exclusion of everything else. He himself notes that he writes with a focus on the South Side and the Back of Yards / meat-packing district in particular. The book does talk about the Poles and the African-Americans way too much.

The brevity of some parts - like the Haymarket Bombing, Gangland, and the Days of Rage, are covered so lightly that it is hard to discuss them adequately. The result of skimpy research and crafting a coherent narrative in such a small space leads to either word vomit, too many statistics, or erroneous material. All three are on display in this book. The Haymarket Bombing is discussed from every angle and no conclusions. I still do not understand what happened during the Days of Rage, but the name is catchy. And I have documented some of the obvious problems with his description of Chicago's infamous gangland.

Overall, it is very difficult to write a thorough history of a major city like Chicago. Pacyga definitely supports his home town and praises it to the winds. He proudly describes how the city bounced back from one catastrophe to the next, until the 1960s when innovation and diverse economic engines appear to have stalled. The last 1/3 or 1/4 of the book is a painfully detailed discussion of mayoral platforms suggesting that the history of Chicago (and this book) really ended with the death of Mayor Daley in 1976. Try as he might, Pacyga struggles to show that Chicago is rebounding from the factionalism that roiled the Democrats after Daley's death.

[R.G. Ziemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history, smoothly gliding across the changing landscape of Chicago from pioneer days to the present (published in 2009). Amazing how well Pacyga packs so much into a very readable space, though you might want to supplement if your interest lies in a particular period or dwells on a particular person or event. Nevertheless, the author includes a wealth of material on the subjects he does cover. I was particularly entertained by the sketches of colorful early politicians such as Big Bill Thompson and his contemporaries. Pacyga is not afraid to address the many issues of the City That Works (or as ALgren called it, the City on the Make.) HE describes the place of contradictions: a world-class market that can still feel neighborly, a "melting pot" of immigrants that still is one of the worst segregated cities. Pacgyga shepherds us through my home town's complicated history. (Forgive me for skimming the later periods, the ones I lived through!)

[TMcB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read what I think are better Chicago histories, Cronon's "Nature's Metropolis," Miller's "City of the Century," and even the older "Chicago: Growth of a Metropolis" by Mayer & Wade, but it's a fine addition to my Chicago bookshelf. The author's focus on history through people and ethnic groups gives it a fresh spin that lends the book its title. He admits to a Southside bias in the Introduction so their is precious little that focuses on the Northside (where I reside) which I think is a weakness.

Ran across some awkwardly written passages that caused me to have to reread sections, so the editing could have been better. I read the hardcover edition despite the description above. Couldn't find a hardcover entry here on Goodreads.

[shrimplover97 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book while I was visiting Chicago and enjoyed it. Gave me a perspective of how the city has continually evolved through time and had some very cool stories throughout about the important events and figures in Chicago. It can get a little dry with names, dates and specific locations but if you are in the city or visiting, that’s also kind of nice so you check out those areas and get a frame of reference. I haven’t read any other books on Chicago’s history but I heard that this one is one of the best and I could definitely see that. It’s the right combination of dry history and good storytelling.

[Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly extensive look at how and why Chicago became the second city and its vast influence on the developing country and the midwest as its anchor. Compiled through the University of Chicago there is much to chew on here as the initial backwater emerges as the mighty city in a breathtaking speed. Many of the famed formations such as the stockyards and The Loop emerge. The structured neighborhoods and the great conflagration of the aptly named Great Fire of 1871 are here for perusal. Well worth the time of any one keen or passing interest in this great American city of "broad shoulders".

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic book that delivers a very good overview of the city’s history in less than 500 pages. It has whetted my appetite to dig deeper into three subjects: the explorations of Marquette and Jolliet; the interaction between organized labor and anarchism in the 19th Century; and the local ethnic tensions that were inflamed by the outbreak of World War I. (I’m somewhat chagrined to learn that my Scandinavian-American forbears supported Germany.)

[Alexander B · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half or so jumps all over the place and gets lost in the details too much. It gets better in the second half (starting with the Great Depression), but still fails to draw a smooth narrative or to "tie up loose ends". Nevertheless, decent for general factology, just make sure it's not the first or the only book about Chicago you read.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography that does not deny the blatant racism that defines the city.
Lots of politics here and riots, the Murder of Martin Luther King, the '68 Democratic convention shambles. Chicago Police thugging their way thru strikers.
So, an interesting history of a city ready to explode in a race war ( IMHO).
Good book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable, engaging history of Chicago. Pacyga tells the story of Chicago with a native's loving eye, but with a clear awareness of the city's shortcomings. I would quibble that his story is a bit heavy on the south and west sides of the city, but otherwise, it's a great introduction to Chicago.

[Devin Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a few non fiction books about different periods in Chicago history as well as biographies on notable figures, so when I saw this book I thought it would be interesting to see it all tied together. This was a dry textbook, and even though it is informative, it’s a huge snooze fest.

[Belinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suspect this is interesting, but the typos and grammatical errors are too distracting for me. I finished the first chapter, but I'll find a different book for Chicago history.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the chapters relevant to my research; what I found there was useful and concise.

[Noelle Flavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me quite a bit to get through this one, there’s so much jammed in here. Despite that, Pacyga makes the information accessible and illuminating.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of Chicago, warts and all.

[Jrs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Essentially a textbook with a plodding narrative that fails to shed light on any one subject.

[Patrick Muldowney · Rating 3 out of 5]

As other reviewers have put, this is a nice one-volume history of Chicago from the time of its first settling to modern day

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good addition to my short shelf of books on Chicago history and architecture. Pacyga maintains a chronological structure to his book, but highlights certain themes within each chapter.

Consistent with his subtitle, he tells Chicago's story through the lives of its people, from bit players like Elmer Ellsworth, the first Union officer to die in the Civil War (pp. 51-52), to leading men like Richard J. Daley, who receives a very sympathetic portrayal from Pacyga. Where else but in Chicago could the futile manhunt for Jean Crones (pp. 195-196), suspected of the 1916 poisoning of a group of civic leaders with arsenic-laced soup, play out? Or the random violence that took the life of Alvin Palmer on a Back of the Yards street corner in 1957 (pp. 305-308)?

Pacyga is a South Sider, and he acknowledges that his account is skewed in that direction, a bit too much for my taste (my three years in the metro were in a North Side suburb). No index to his maps, but I like the generous selection of photographs integrated into the text and generally playing to each chapter's theme.

Where did the Cubs play before they opened Wrigley Field (p. 114)? Where did Brach's candy get its start (p. 153)? It's in the book.

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deep, wide and phenomenal history of the city of Chicago. From the first trading posts and settlers moving up the Mighty Mississippi to the lakefront lands that would become a city, to the politics and racial issues that make up a world-class city, Pacyga does a great job in covering a lot of ground. I've lived a large chunk of my life in this city, but it was great to read about the foundations, personalities and stories behind many of the events that shaped our Second City. Never pandering or talking down to the readers, the author also puts the growth and changes of the city (he calls it "Chicago shedding its skin like a snake") in their cultural contexts. It's a beefy book, but well worth the read.

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Pacyga is a gem. If you ever have the opportunity to take his History of Chicago class at Columbia College, please do. He is amazingly well informed and incredibly knowledgeable about anything and everything Chicago. Even though Pacgya and I dont see eye to eye on the Cubs vs Sox issue (though we both reside on the South Side and had this discussion a myriad of times) he is the most outstanding professor I have ever had in my life and wish he taught more subjects at Columbia.

His book covers every Chicago topic you could possibly dream up and is explained in basic terms for comprehension. Do yourself and favor and read this book. It may have taken me nine months but it's worth it in every way.

#pacgyafilmfest

[Emilie]

going from the great cover art and the recommendation of a friend, i thought this would be a good read. i was wrong. there was nothing wrong with the facts of the book. nothing idiotic was going on, except for a real lack of proofreading (sooo many errors, maybe just bc i was reading the ebook edition). the author’s style of writing was just so much more stiff than what i like to read and to take two things i love (history and chicago) and make them boring for me made me not want to go on reading. so i only read about a quarter of the book. so maybe i can’t tell you all the best parts of it since i only got up to about the haymarket riots but personally, this was just not a compelling book. sorryyyy.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of great info and is definitely worth reading, but after reading "Family Properties" I was disappointed that Dominic wrote such lousy footnotes - barely worth looking at, instead of adding insight to what he was discussing. This book gave me the impression it was a teaser for his history students at Columbia College so they would go out and explore the many interesting topics he brings up, on their own - perhaps for assignments in his class. I wanted way more than I got here! Mr. Pacyga was interviewed on "Chicago Tonight" soon after this came out, and I know he knows his subject inside & out. He just seems to skim over it here IMO.

[John Harder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago, A Biography meets my criterion for both history books and books about Jayne Mansfield – if you are going to bring up interesting points I want to see pictures of them. So rest assured that Mr. Paeyga had dug through the archives and finely illustrates the volume from when the Indians first paddled up the Chicago River and began taking Polaroids well into the recent era.

Paeyga stresses that Chicago is not so much a city, but a polyglot of ethnic enclaves, that somehow works. It is a dirty, grubbing, avaricious city that still finds it way to be a shining light of culture and down-home sophistication. Well done Mr. Paeyga.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I didn't grow up in Chicago, I'm very fond of the city, having visited it many times throughout the years (in fact, I'm going back this August). I'll readily admit I was woefully ignorant of much of the city's basic history before, but no longer! The author is clearly quite passionate about his subject; the writing itself is clear and engaging, and although many pages were devoted to the activities of this or that manufacturer, I never found myself bored. A very informative read, through and through.