City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago

By Robert G. Spinney

Book Overview

"Condensed yet energetic and substantial history of Chicago. Spinney has a firm sense of historical narrative as well as a keen eye for entertaining and illuminating detail."― Publishers Weekly

A city of immigrants and entrepreneurs, Chicago is quintessentially American. Spinney brings it to life and highlights the key people, moments, and special places--from Fort Dearborn to Cabrini-Green, Marquette to Mayor Daley, the Union Stock Yards to the Chicago Bulls--that make this incredible city one of the best places in the world.

City of Big Shoulders links key events in Chicago's development, from its marshy origins in the 1600s to today's robust metropolis. Robert G. Spinney presents Chicago in terms of the people whose lives made the city--from the tycoons and the politicians to the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from all over the world.

In this revised and updated second edition that brings Chicago's story into the twenty-first century, Spinney sweeps his historian's gaze across the colorful and dramatic panorama of the city's explosive past. How did the pungent swamplands that the Native Americans called "the wild-garlic place" burgeon into one of the world's largest and most sophisticated cities? What is the real story behind the Great Chicago Fire? What aspects of American industry exploded with the bomb in Haymarket Square? Could the gritty blue-collar hometown of Al Capone become a visionary global city?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501748963
• ISBN13: 9781501748967
• Release Date: May 2020
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Good history book.

Reading it prior to my trip to Chicago. Good narration. Good history. Not too boring.

great Chicago info

I'm from Chicago and always felt I was lacking info on my city's history. I wanted to fill in the gaps without reading a textbook - I found a perfect balance of information and readability in this book. Really enjoyable and well worth a look by Chicagoans and lovers of American history.

An entertaining, informative overview

I loved reading this book, which is full of interesting facts about Chicago's rich history. It doesn't go into extreme detail of every event, but it definitely completes its intended task of entertaining and educating the reader.