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Windy City: A Novel of Politics

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Windy City: A Novel of Politics
Windy City is a fun book that parodies Chicago politics and urban ethnic culture in the course of a murder. Scott Simon is the ideal author for such a book. Like me, he is a "Chicagoan Away" as described in his memoir Home and Away. And, like that book, it treats one familiar with Chicago geography, politics and ethnicity with waves of nostalgia and authenticity.

The story revolves around the Alderman of Chicago's 48th Ward, an Indian American restaurant owner serving as Vice Mayor when the African American Mayor, his ally, dies - from a poisoned pizza. He assumes the role of Acting Mayor as described in the Chicago charter and as happened after the deaths of Richard J. Daley and Harold Washington, especially Harold Washington.

Like any book of this kind, it pledges that the characters are fictional. But the similarities of some with real life characters are inescapable. The murdered Mayor has some remarkable similarities to the city's only African American Mayor Harold Washington. I worked for Harold as counsel to city's civil rights agency and as his liaison to the city's Asian Americans. Much of my job came close to the world of this book. Like the murdered Mayor, Harold used long words, ate as with the same gusto that he practiced politics ( I remember taking him to Korean, Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants - he returned to some after closing for extra helpings). And he died at his desk also, though from a heart attack not from a poisoned pizza. Like this Mayor, his sexuality took second place to his politics. But unlike this Mayor, who was gay, Harold's orientation was more ambiguous, though like this Mayor, it wasn't a significant part of his life. Also, Harold, while a practical politician, was less accepted by the shockingly racist party power structure and was also much more committed to both reform and civil rights for groups beyond his own. Perhaps if he had lived and white Chicago got over some of its deep prejudice, this world would be a result.

It is, as I have heard from some of my friends even on the other side of Chicago's famous "Council Wars," it is hard to be so light-hearted about such a momentous and intense time. It wasn't funny that white liberals refused to accept a Black man pushing the issues that they cared about for decades. It wasn't funny that many in a one party town switched parties supporting even a - gasp- Republican when they happily supported white Democrats under indictment. Chicagoans usually treat politics like sports, but the mid-1980's were a political race war that enabled a less racist city thereafter.

Nevertheless, consoling myself in the fictional references, I loved the description of Chicago late winter weather and of the various ethnic settings. I worked Alderman Roopini's ward, the 48th, for Mayor Washington and I lived in the Wrigleyville ward. The Windy City Council was far more diversified and far more representative than the 2007 Council let alone the 1985 Council. There have never been any Asian American Aldermen of any ethnicity then or now, though Harold encouraged us and others have tried. Scott Simon's hopeful world includes a Chinese American man, a Japanese and African American woman, a Korean American woman and Alderman Roopini, an Indian American.

His descriptions of a Korean restaurant, an Indian restaurant, an Italian restaurant (love that chicken vesuvio), a Chinese wedding, a Greek restaurant and a Polish banquet hall made me hungry as well as nostalgic. His depressing description of late winter Chicago was also quite accurate.

It is hard for a white ethnic Chicagoan to really see the world as an Asian, African or Latino Chicagoan and Simon doesn't really succeed in the complexities of the feelings or the experience, but in a book like this, too much authenticity would push away some readers. The minority Chicago experience is very similar to white ethnic realities in some respects, but sharply different in others and Simon doesn't quite nail these differences. But his portrayals aren't too stereotyped - or at least they are equally so - that's part of the humor here. And the portrayals are warm as opposed to the racist ones of the 1980's. Also, the matter of fact integration of gay Chicago into the power structure may be beginning now, but it is far from as advanced as the novel suggests (a sex scandal involved two gay Chicago cops and an alderman for example and matter of fact portrayals of other gay cops).

But such observations do not detract from the fun of this novel. I felt transported back to Lakeview, City Hall, an Edgewater bar, an African American church and other parts of my home town. For Chicagoans at home or away, this can be a real joy. Thank you, Scott Simon, for the ride on the L through the Windy City.

2011 Addendum: A step forward. Chicago's first Asian American alderman, and Indian American, was elected in a largely white ethnic ward without machine support. Also, with the election of Rahm Emanuel, who did have significant Democratic organization support, the city saw it's first Jewish Mayor, who grew up in the ritzy largely non-Jewish New Trier township. Another breaking of the old molds, though support from President Obama, who has strong citywide support, didn't hurt. Chicago is a little less, though only a little, tied to ethnicity. Windy City is still a fun read.

I have always thought that Scott Simon was one of the best writers in broadcasting. More often then not, I have found myself sitting back in my kitchen on a Saturday morning and taking in his words as they flow almost effortlessly from my radio. I also know that writing like this is never effortless. The man has great talent.

Now it appears this talent has translated to fiction as well. And that's not as easy as people might think. Consider asking a pediatrician to perform brain surgery tomorrow. Writing for radio and fiction are really very different forms.

Simon has captured a marvelous look at our country in the beginning of the 21st century by focusing on, of all things, the colorful politics of Cook County. When you really think about it, what could possibly be more American? And he has accomplished this with his great humor and vivid knack for description.

I don't often laugh out loud when I am reading books. I did here. I also found the opening description of a politician's view of what it takes to get votes and what it means to enter the arena as one of the single best descriptions of our flawed and fabulous democratic system. I have read it over several times, as I did other passages in this really great book.

Finally, a personal story: a few years ago, I was visiting a friend who lives on the north side of Chicago. She and her husband live with their one daughter in a three bedroom home that was once owned by a Catholic family with ten children. It was summer and we were sitting on the front porch. She described her neighborhood by the people who passed by. There was a gay couple pushing a baby carriage. There was "Big Ed", the retired Chicago Cop who chatted with the couple. There were at least three different nationalities. It was a very different world than the one we all grew up in. But there was one thing in common with the past -- everyone waved to us on the porch.

That's the world that Scott Simon has brilliantly captured. A crazy world of constant change but still holding on to the main institution that binds us all together. Great job!

Scott Simon's "Windy City" has all the elements for an entertaining political mystery/adventure novel. The characters are good, the settings are superbly described, the heart is there, the mystery of a murdered mayor is deftly handled, and the ending warms the heart. So why is the book so tedious to read? The problem is that Simon over-researched this book. While he might find it fascinating to describe the ethnic make up of all 50 wards that comprise the city, most readers do not. So much of the book is delegated to long passages describing alderman and their relationship with their ethnic constituents, to the point that the mystery of the murder is almost forgotten. Oddly, this mayor seems to be a Harold Washington type, although the actual Washington is mentioned as a past mayor. The Daleys (Richard J. and Richard M.) are also long gone. For some reason, Simon seems to feel that the era of the white male mayor are long gone, but gives no logical reason for stating this.
Acting mayor Sunny Roopini, of Indian extraction,is an engaging character and the book brightens when he's front and center. It's a pity that he doesn't do more to get to the bottom of the mystery. Instead, the book flits around strange, unresolved events such as a suicide of a mayoral top aide and an alderwoman's weepy confession of an impolitic love affair in the past. These and many other plot points make the novel wobble perilously off course before coming to its logical and long-in-coming conclusion.
A judicious editor could have done quite a bit in trimming the unneeded miscellaneous information and tightened the plot. A four-star book is lurking here, too bad it's hiding under a pile of random facts.

I spent six years in Evanston as a college student and have been on a Chicagoland board for the past ten years that brings me back 5-6 times a year in all four seasons. So while I live on a "coast", I feel like an adopted Chicagoan.

The murder mystery and all the political intrigue in this novel were finely wrought, but I experienced all of that as large buffet table on which Scott Simon is able to serve up heaping helpings of admiration and love for all things Chicago:

* The bitter cold winters that serve to bind Chicagoans together, making them stronger, tougher, and better prepared to handle the vicissitudes of life.

* The strong ethnic and racial identities (for better and for worse).

* The emphasis on cooking and especially eating of all different sorts of ethnic and national cuisines.

* Politics as sport. Food as sport. Sports as sport.

* The city that works. Putting aside whatever graft may occur, the idea that every citizen has an Alderman who can help cut through bureaucracy and get problems solved and things done is quite alluring. As if each Alderman is a bit of a super hero.

* The beauty of Lake Michigan, the soaring architectural statements, the bridges over the Chicago River, Millennium Park (with its "bean"), the hustle and bustle of the "El", the Art Institute.

I love this novel for capturing the essence and joy of Chicago.

This was a long tedious read. Very predictable ending. Really not very humorous unless ethnic humor is your forte. I belong to a book club so I had to finish reading the book, otherwise I would have stopped after the first few chapters.

Windy City takes place over a 3 day period, following Alderman Roopini, the Vice-Mayor, from the time the Mayor is found dead until the council's election of a new interim mayor. It provides interesting insights into the life of an alderman and the politics that take place at a local level to get anything done. However, as is apt for politicians, they tend to go off on page-long discourses that might be better suited for a political science textbook than what should be a suspense novel.

There are two plot themes that try to carry the story along - the investigation into the poisoning of the mayor and the upcoming election of the new mayor. Unfortunately, book isn't written as a murder mystery. Most of the action in investigating the death takes place off-stage through updates from the police chief, and the murderers are quickly caught. Characters other than Alderman Roopini so sketchily drawn that we really don't care who wins the election and we don't understand why Roopini is working hard to get one of them elected other than he owes her an obligation. While this is the way politics probably works, favors repaid with favors, there is little sense that there is anything important in this election other than jockeying for position for the next election. The surprise ending, unfortuntely, was never a surprise.

But the portrayal of Roopini is well-done. We come to care about him and his family, feel the anguish in his decision whether to stay in politics or return to focusing on his restaurant business.

Overall, if you want to learn the insides of Chicago politics, there may not be a better book. If you're looking for a suspense novel with a political setting, there are probably far better ones.

Scott Simon has created a bit of a roman a clef with WINDY CITY. Beloved African-American mayor dies face down in the remnants of his prosciutto and artichoke pizza. Sundaran Roopini, his Indian deputy mayor becomes Acting Interim mayor until the city council can vote in one of their number to fill out the term. Chicago politics at its finest and funniest. The aldermen, in essence mini-mayors, are a collection worthy of any sitting, real-life body. Diversity run amok, with a tongue-in-cheek Pan Asian Block (consisting of four alderman, two Chinese, one Japanese, and the aforementioned Sunny.)

Four aldermen jockey for position to succeed the late mayor, but a bribery charge, a sex scandal, pulling a gun in chambers, and a dark secret make each of them a less than palatable choice.

Sunny is an eminently likable character, a widower raising two somewhat sheltered teen-aged daughters, juggling his Indian restaurant and his duties to his constituency. He works hard to make everyone's life a bit easier. Decent, hardly corruptible (there is the matter of a few Cuban cigars and the occasional meal on the cuff), but never contemptible.

The ending was a bit too saccharine, but Simon created a book that will have you laughing from beginning to end.

If you are a Chicagoan, or in this case, a refugee from the Windy City, it is a must read.

I will say that the book got off to a good start--the murder of the mayor of Chicago. Quite an interesting way to begin. I also really liked the main character and obtaining the information relating to his wife's murder.

Having said that--the book was too long. It easily could have been half the size and would have been more enjoyable. I actually skimmed my way to the end because I did want to find out who murdered the mayor and who was going to become the next mayor. The description of the different alderman might appeal to residents of Chicago--but I live in the north suburbs and was lost with the cast of characters.

Although there is a murder involved this is not really a crime book. It follows the acting interim mayor for a few days as he works hard trying to herd cats and keep his fellow aldermen functional as they select someone to fill the deceased mayor's term. The author does a really entertaining job of showing the horse trading that goes on every hour or every day among the aldermen. I got tired just reading about how many civic organization meetings the average alderman has to attend every day of every week. It was a brutal schedule. The author has a twinkle in his eye as he describes the proclivities of the various aldermen. The author is from NPR and I wonder if he would be so amused by the antics of a Mormon dominated city council in Ogden or a white majority country commission in Alabama. Probably not. I have to pick a nit with the author. His bio blurb touts the fact he is an experiences war correspondent (10 wars no less). Yet at one of his social events the main character meets a GI who the author describes as being from the "3rd Army in Arlington". He is referring to the army ceremonial unit at Ft. Myers. It is one battalion. Thus the grizzled war correspondent missed the fact it isn't an army, isn't at corps, isn't a division, isn't a brigade but is a battalion, the 1st battalion, 3td Infantry regiment. An order of magnitude removed from an Army. That is pretty far off. A NPR sports reporter showing the same grasp of his subject matter would probably say the Cubs will be contenders this year if they can only get a good goalie. Knowing NPR they probably do.

Who knew that Scott Simon was anything but a pretty face on the radio?
Who knew that Chicago politics could be, well, a good read?
Who knew that this great book would be remaindered without a ripple (I got a new hardback copy from Daedalus for under $5!)? I ordered copies of Simon's other books and want to urge him to write a similar novel about the publishing industry (while there still is one) with Jeff B. trading slams with Steve J. or some other hypothetical person of interest.
If I knew my old high school classmate Rolland Burris' address I want to send him a copy of WINDY CITY for retirement reading.

To "Go Sox" and "Go Bears" I can only add, "Go Scott!"

Larry Besant
Morehead, KY