V’s Reviews > Chicago: A Biography > Status Update
V
is on page 67 of 462
The audiobook was INCREDIBLY dry, so I’m going to try just reading the words instead of listening. The audiobook is convenient, but I can recall the names, dates, and places easier when I can see them written, and I’ll be giving it my own voice, so that should help too.
Based on all the chapter and section titles, I’ll end up rating this above a 3⭐️ for sure.
— Mar 16, 2026 02:43PM
Based on all the chapter and section titles, I’ll end up rating this above a 3⭐️ for sure.
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V’s Previous Updates
V
is on page 87 of 462
So before there were mass layoffs, there were mass wage cuts. Working-class people have dealt with so much BS throughout out the short life of this country. In the grand scheme, who are you as one human being to tell me I must survive on less resources than humanly possible when you thrive on more resources that are not possible for one person to consume in a lifetime? How do live while others die at your behest?
— Mar 18, 2026 12:51PM
V
is on page 84 of 462
“Success came in early 1867 as the Illinois legislature enacted the first 8-hour law in the country.”
Yay Illinois! But this just supports what people are saying about labor & wage laws & protections today—all companies in the US cannot be trusted to do right by their employees, communities, or even planet without fair regulation and real consequences that leave room for nothing but real accountability.
— Mar 18, 2026 11:26AM
Yay Illinois! But this just supports what people are saying about labor & wage laws & protections today—all companies in the US cannot be trusted to do right by their employees, communities, or even planet without fair regulation and real consequences that leave room for nothing but real accountability.
V
is on page 72 of 462
Edward Ely - Benefactor
Erring’s Women’s Refuge - 1863, white, middle-class, Protestant women opened the refuge…Challenging legal and social inequity which punished women—but not men—for extramarital sexual relations…provided prostitutes support and resources to leave the sex industry: education, job training, obstetric care, and influence of Xtian motherhood. By 1890 became a home for delinquent girls.
— Mar 16, 2026 06:25PM
Erring’s Women’s Refuge - 1863, white, middle-class, Protestant women opened the refuge…Challenging legal and social inequity which punished women—but not men—for extramarital sexual relations…provided prostitutes support and resources to leave the sex industry: education, job training, obstetric care, and influence of Xtian motherhood. By 1890 became a home for delinquent girls.
V
is 17% done
I’ve gotten into the rhythm of this book and as we approach the 20th century the picture of today’s Chicago becomes clearer.
— Jul 09, 2025 10:45AM
V
is 9% done
This sometimes zooms in and out when it comes to the details of certain events, but I do appreciate the thoroughness when it does appear. I kind of want to skip ahead to the Great Migration but the other history is necessary to understand how we were received.
— Jul 08, 2025 11:01AM
V
is 2% done
This is a 16+ hour audiobook, but I’m excited to get into it. Given that I’ve lived here for the first 12 years of my life, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know much about Chicago history. I lived through some of it with the Obama campaign, and was cognizant enough as a child that I could appreciate that particular moment, but there’s still so much more I don’t know.
— Jul 04, 2025 12:36PM
