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People Wasn't Made to Burn: A True Story of Housing, Race, and Murder in Chicago
In 1947, James Hickman shot and killed the landlord he believed was responsible for a tragic fire that took the lives of four of his children on Chicago’s West Side. But a vibrant defense campaign, exposing the working poverty and racism that led to his crime, helped win Hickman’s freedom.
With a true-crime writer’s eye for suspense and a historian’s depth of knowledge, Joe Allen unearths the
compelling story of a campaign that stood up to Jim Crow well before the modern civil rights movement had even begun.
As deteriorating housing conditions and an accelerating foreclosure crisis combine to form a hauntingly similar set of circumstances to those that led to the Hickman case, Allen’s book restores to prominence a previously unknown story with profound relevance today.
With a true-crime writer’s eye for suspense and a historian’s depth of knowledge, Joe Allen unearths the
compelling story of a campaign that stood up to Jim Crow well before the modern civil rights movement had even begun.
As deteriorating housing conditions and an accelerating foreclosure crisis combine to form a hauntingly similar set of circumstances to those that led to the Hickman case, Allen’s book restores to prominence a previously unknown story with profound relevance today.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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425 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 9, 2011
Great book! I knew the gist of the hickman story for awhile but was very pleased with the depth and vividness of the characters and the situations that joe allen brings to the story. additionally he draws out the tragic intersection between racism and extreme exploitation which lead not only to the death of the hickman children but, as he points out, countless other men, women and children living in substandard housing throughout chicago. well worth reading even if you know the hickman story already.
August 4, 2011
One of the things I loved about reading this book in public places was how so many people stopped and asked me about it, which prompted discussions about race, class, and housing which are all too relevant today. It's simultaneously an emotionally compelling story, a snapshot of hidden history, and an inspiring political primer on how to organize a winning campaign for justice. Brilliant!
May 18, 2021
First and foremost, this book leads you by the hand through the human toll of segregation. It doesn't end with being divided among racial lines, with having fewer and poorer resources, with being seen as less than. It has the potential for even more direct dangers, and what feels more immediate than a tale of one deadly fire after another after another, with nothing being done in between? This book takes a concept often discussed on a surface level but not delved into---pre-Civil Rights era segregation---and showcases some of its brutal results, while highlighting issues that remain to this day. To quote the journalist Joe Allen began his research with, "It is the story of a crime produced by a sociological problem... seen in its social context." Perhaps the state of housing was the greater crime.
I really appreciated the way Allen constructed this book. Up front, it is acknowledged that this was not an easy story to tell, but the author turns details that were lost to time into evocative little mysteries. Every detour he takes fleshes out the story from what could have been only a Wikipedia article recounting the facts of the Hickman trial into a feeling of a place, concrete and holistic. I came to feel like he had brought to life a little corner of 1940s Chicago and repopulated it with the working class residents and the radical activists who gave it life.
While the central issue the book presents is one of racism, the solution it advocates is a leftist one. The first lesson learned here is that the systems will keep rolling on, crushing people underfoot in search of profit. That's what they were built to do. The second is that we can create change through pressure, through working with others, through helping others and caring for those we don't or even can't know. One of the crucial ways Hickman was saved was by helping people to see themselves in others. That's a lesson worth remembering, especially because it's something doable when facing such a weight.
I really appreciated the way Allen constructed this book. Up front, it is acknowledged that this was not an easy story to tell, but the author turns details that were lost to time into evocative little mysteries. Every detour he takes fleshes out the story from what could have been only a Wikipedia article recounting the facts of the Hickman trial into a feeling of a place, concrete and holistic. I came to feel like he had brought to life a little corner of 1940s Chicago and repopulated it with the working class residents and the radical activists who gave it life.
While the central issue the book presents is one of racism, the solution it advocates is a leftist one. The first lesson learned here is that the systems will keep rolling on, crushing people underfoot in search of profit. That's what they were built to do. The second is that we can create change through pressure, through working with others, through helping others and caring for those we don't or even can't know. One of the crucial ways Hickman was saved was by helping people to see themselves in others. That's a lesson worth remembering, especially because it's something doable when facing such a weight.
June 29, 2013
Non-fiction account of a long forgotten episode in Chicago History. In 1947, Black migration to Chicago from the south was huge--but strict housing segregation meant that newly arriving Blacks were stuffed into tiny, converted spaces, often without running water, at grossly inflated prices.
Mr. Hickman--who worked at US Steel--moved his family into the attic of one such building. However, a tenant activist began demanding repairs, so the landlord burned down the building, killing four of the Hickman children. A year later, Hickman finds himself on trial for the murder of his landlord, represented by Leon Despres, later an icon of Chicago's civil rights and progressive politics--but then a young labor lawyer. Hickman's case also became the focus of a national defense and support committee, organized by the Trotskyite wing of the US Socialist movement.
The author does a great job weaving together the various elements of this story: Black migration, racial discrimination in housing, the criminal investigation of the landlord, the prosecution of Hickman, and how the technical legal defense work was intimately tied to the political organizing.
Unfortunately, this story still resonates today. As the author notes in an epilogue, children continue to die in fires burning overcrowded, dilapidated buildings; and some people are still organizing in support of the victims of unjust prosecutions. In Uptown, one of the first cases I worked on in the early 80's involved a series of fires, several of which resulted in the deaths of tenants, where the owner of deteriorated buildings, packed full of poor people, escaped all criminal liability.
Highly recommended for lawyers and activists involved with the criminal justice system.
Mr. Hickman--who worked at US Steel--moved his family into the attic of one such building. However, a tenant activist began demanding repairs, so the landlord burned down the building, killing four of the Hickman children. A year later, Hickman finds himself on trial for the murder of his landlord, represented by Leon Despres, later an icon of Chicago's civil rights and progressive politics--but then a young labor lawyer. Hickman's case also became the focus of a national defense and support committee, organized by the Trotskyite wing of the US Socialist movement.
The author does a great job weaving together the various elements of this story: Black migration, racial discrimination in housing, the criminal investigation of the landlord, the prosecution of Hickman, and how the technical legal defense work was intimately tied to the political organizing.
Unfortunately, this story still resonates today. As the author notes in an epilogue, children continue to die in fires burning overcrowded, dilapidated buildings; and some people are still organizing in support of the victims of unjust prosecutions. In Uptown, one of the first cases I worked on in the early 80's involved a series of fires, several of which resulted in the deaths of tenants, where the owner of deteriorated buildings, packed full of poor people, escaped all criminal liability.
Highly recommended for lawyers and activists involved with the criminal justice system.
July 12, 2011
A very engaging read. I liked Joe Allen's narrative style, which made the story flow smoothly. He explains background where it is needed, making sure the reader understands the background of all the main players. The story itself is fascinating, and one that very few of us know. Recommended for those interested in race and housing, as well as those looking to organize for grassroots change in their community.
April 20, 2021
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to know more of the story or history of slum lords during that time. It felt like a book to praise all the white saviors with a sprinkle of Hickman's story.
March 15, 2021
Wild Story, But Padded Book
I had never heard of this story before, and it took me on a wild ride. Several members of a family burn to death in a horrible slum fire which was almost certainly not an accident. The father wants revenge. All wrapped up in the race and political rumblings of 1940s Chicago.
The main story itself is good, but there is so much unnecessary backstory of even the most minor figure in the book. I didn't need to know the upbringing of every lawyer involved, nor the history of every communist party in the area. It was padding - the book wasn't long as it was; without it the book would struggle to make 150 pages.
I was also disappointed that there was basically nothing on the aftermath. I wanted to know what happened to the family afterwards, and if the trial had any impact on the city. That was content I would have wanted, not the padding.
Still, I'd give the book a read, as the main story is important. Just feel free to skim the endless background of lawyers and organizers.
I had never heard of this story before, and it took me on a wild ride. Several members of a family burn to death in a horrible slum fire which was almost certainly not an accident. The father wants revenge. All wrapped up in the race and political rumblings of 1940s Chicago.
The main story itself is good, but there is so much unnecessary backstory of even the most minor figure in the book. I didn't need to know the upbringing of every lawyer involved, nor the history of every communist party in the area. It was padding - the book wasn't long as it was; without it the book would struggle to make 150 pages.
I was also disappointed that there was basically nothing on the aftermath. I wanted to know what happened to the family afterwards, and if the trial had any impact on the city. That was content I would have wanted, not the padding.
Still, I'd give the book a read, as the main story is important. Just feel free to skim the endless background of lawyers and organizers.
September 17, 2023
Really well written & deep dive into the Hickman case - one I was not aware of before reading this book. An important read to understand the intersections of housing and race and building a movement. Thought this quote was poignant:
“In many ways, the campaign to save James Hickman was one of the last echoes of the great radicalization of the American working class in the 1930s. A successful campaign by revolutionary socialists to free an African American man who had shot and killed his landlord was not the type of story to be highlighted at the zenith of the American Century. The Hickman case was steamrolled by a decade and half of political repression and cultural conformity.”
“In many ways, the campaign to save James Hickman was one of the last echoes of the great radicalization of the American working class in the 1930s. A successful campaign by revolutionary socialists to free an African American man who had shot and killed his landlord was not the type of story to be highlighted at the zenith of the American Century. The Hickman case was steamrolled by a decade and half of political repression and cultural conformity.”
January 10, 2022
This is an important read and I highly encourage others to take some time to digest this particular story of 1947 Chicago. American history that has been forgotten by both sides of the political isle, People Wasn't Made To Burn is an in depth look at atrocious housing, systemic and blatant racism, and how media and politics often walk hand in hand. It is an extremely relevant story to today's current struggles and challenges.
January 15, 2025
This was a really well written book on a lesser known topic of housing discrimination in Chicago. It was really interesting and shocking too. It is definitely a heavier read and is really dense with information sometimes, to the point where you think that there's no point to it, but I think the author does it to respect everyone's role in this story.
August 10, 2025
fascinating dive into Chicago socialist history, specifically in regards to unionization and fighting for justice at the hands of racist housing practices and segregation. it's disheartening the way not only are cases like these not discussed or remembered because of their communist ties, but also the way that predatory and unsafe housing is still costing people their lives today.
May 30, 2017
This book should be read by all who love Chicago! The author gave us a side of racism and the effects of Red Lining during the early part of the 20th century until the civil rights movement! A sad history but in the end - uplifting!
December 15, 2020
A good read! Gives great information in a captivating storytelling way. Brings a lot of race and justice questions to mind in a time that requires us to look back at our history to improve and correct our future.
June 7, 2021
There is so much of Chicago history that I don’t know. The research done fue this book is meticulous and the writing test weaves it all together is excellent. I am completely awed by the organizing that was done around this murder by fire.
May 30, 2017
Interesting piece of Chicago history that we all should know!
July 16, 2021
Everyone should read this book!
October 3, 2012
Race relations in Chicago have always been tense. It is one of the most segregated cities in America. This book recounts the story of how race played a major role in the housing situation in Chicago and just how terribly poor Black families were treated. They were forced to live in deplorable, dilapidated conditions by slum lords who only wanted rent money and often sought other ways to make money without improving the housing they provided. Innocent lives were lost due to these situations. James Hickman, like most Blacks who migrated from the South, came in search of something better for his family. Instead, he lost his four youngest children to a fire that was the direct result of a slum lord. He became a man undone.
This book was not only well-written, but provides background where needed to help the reader understand the roles and gravity of people and institutions listed, without losing the reader's interest or straying from the story at hand. Any person interested in Chicago history should give this a read. Though the story itself happened decades ago, one can find parallels to today's crime in Black neighborhoods.
This book was not only well-written, but provides background where needed to help the reader understand the roles and gravity of people and institutions listed, without losing the reader's interest or straying from the story at hand. Any person interested in Chicago history should give this a read. Though the story itself happened decades ago, one can find parallels to today's crime in Black neighborhoods.
July 20, 2014
This book is not so much about the actions taken by James Hickman as it is about racial tensions in Chicago just after WWII and the poor living conditions that many African Americans in the city faced. It is an interesting and tragic story. I did spend most of the book thinking that the living conditions for poor families have not really improved much since 1947. The author's epilogue highlights this as well by discussing a current case with similar issues. I would have liked to know what happened to James Hickman and the Hickman family after the events of 1947. The author mentions that Hickman's son Willis still lives on the west side of Chicago and it would have been nice to have included an update from him.
October 18, 2012
A tragic story about James Hickman who lost his four young children in a 1947 fire and then, months later, was on trial for murdering the man who he thought set the fire. The microhistory takes a look at the slum-like conditions in Chicago in the 1940s, esp among African Americans who suffered the consequences of living in apts. with no running water, electricity, or fire escapes. Oddly enough the author - Joe Allen - did pick a cae that gained national attention but did not reform housing in Chicago. It would take decades.
November 4, 2013
Loved this book. Well-researched and well-told, moving and infuriating. Allen did an amazing job of excavating a story from the history bins to share a story of social injustice that teaches us much about life in the big city not that long ago if you were black and poor.
October 17, 2019
I knew about the conditions of housing in Chicago during this time period but Joe Allen goes into depth about one case that ends up with the death of four children and the murder of 1 man. The whole story had me questioning what would I do in this situation?
March 19, 2013
I liked, didn't love this book. A great story, but it could have used a little narrative polish. A story that needed to be told, that still does.
November 4, 2013
An excellent piece of reporting. The Hickman case is captivating and heart-wrenching. CPL should be prominently displaying this as a supplementary reading for Warmth of Other Suns.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews