CITY OF BIG SHOULDERS: A HISTORY OF CHICAGO [Paperback]

ROBERT SPINNEY (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0875805833 | ISBN-13: 978-0875805832 | Edition: 1

This compact yet comprehensive account of Chicago's history links key events in the city's development, from its marshy origins in the 1600s to today's robust metropolis. Synthesizing a vast body of literature, Spinney presents Chicago in terms of the people whose lives made the city—not only the tycoons and the politicians but also the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from all over the world who have kept the city working.

City of Big Shoulders sweeps across the colorful and dramatic panorama of Chicago's explosive past. How did the pungent swamplands that the Native Americans called the wild-garlic place mushroom 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? Did the 1920s in Chicago roar as loudly as Hollywood would have us believe?

A city of immigrants and entrepreneurs, Chicago is quintessentially American. Spinney traces formative events in the city's history, bringing to life the people, events, and institutions that are most important for understanding Chicago's story. From Fort Dearborn to Cabrini-Green, Père Marquette to Mayor Daley, the Union Stockyards to the Chicago Bulls, City of Big Shoulders draws together diverse threads of the city's development, shedding light on underlying social and economic causes of major events and, especially, on the roles of ordinary people.

Engaging and highly informative, this account will interest students and teachers of urban history, as well as anyone looking for a brisk overview of Chicago's history. Historic photographs and informative tables illuminate the narrative.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One wonders how Chicagoans have felt being saddled, since the 1920s, with the sobriquet "hog butcher for the world"Afrom the first line of Carl Sandburg's ode to the vitality of the second city. For this condensed yet energetic and substantial history of Chicago, Spinney has appropriately chosen the reference from Sandburg's poem's fifth line, to a "city of big shoulders"Afor so much of the city's story emerges from the interwoven struggles of American-born and immigrant workers. Beginning with the earliest glimmerings of what was to become a major American cityAChigagou is a Native American word meaning "the wild garlic place"Athis history moves from the influx of European missionaries, traders and explorers in 1673 to those who populated the preeminent boom town in the mid-19th century to the enormous tide of European immigrants who occupied Chicago in the latter half of that century. Spinney (World War II in Nashville), a former professor of history, has a firm sense of historical narrative as well as a keen eye for entertaining and illuminating detail. He deftly illustrates how differences in assimilation patterns affected city politicsAthe Poles retained their national identity amid tightly controlled neighborhoods; the Italians came to Chicago to work and then returned to Italy; while the Irish moved into positions of civil power. He also successfully draws upon important historical moments, such as the great fire, the Haymarket massacre, the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the careers of politicians like William "Big Bill" Thompson and Richard Daley, to illustrate the greater themes and struggles in the city's history. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"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 much-needed, brief yet comprehensive analytical history of Chicago."—Journal of Illinois History

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press; 1 edition (March 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875805833
• ISBN-13: 978-0875805832
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well-written book covers lots of ground, September 9, 2000

By 

David Dahl - See all my reviews

This review is from: City of Big Shoulders: History of Chicago (Hardcover)

A quick, readable book gives you a taste of how Chicago emerged from being an undesirable swamp to being one of the world's great cities. Interesting accounts of canal and rail transport, the fire, the fair, and the reign of Mayor Daley.

The book whets my appetite for more information about the city.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining, informative overview, September 4, 2006

By 

James Sulzer (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CITY OF BIG SHOULDERS: A HISTORY OF CHICAGO (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great Chicago info, February 8, 2009

By 

C. ODonohue - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CITY OF BIG SHOULDERS: A HISTORY OF CHICAGO (Paperback)

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.