Book Review: City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago by Gary Krist
Full disclosure: I was sent this volume as a Firstreads giveaway on the premise that I would write a review of it. Also, my copy was an uncorrected proof, and small changes may have been made between it and the final product.
Late July of 1919 was certainly a troubled time for the city of Chicago, and thus one ripe for interesting history. The book opens with an account of the Wingfoot disaster to hook the reader, then moves back to the beginning of the year to set the stage for the more politically oriented events. After the main narrative, there’s a summary of later events and finally a “where are they now” section.
The Wingfoot disaster involved an airship crashing into a bank, killing several people both in the Wingfoot and in the bank. (After that, Chicago instituted flight restrictions.) During the days that followed, Chicago was struck by a transit strike, a race riot and a sensational child murder that set off a massive manhunt.
The central figure is colorful mayor “Big Bill” Thompson, but space is made for the stories of others, including a ordinary Chicago woman, Emily Frankenstein, who happened to keep a very good diary. There are copious footnotes, a full bibliography, and an index.
The book is written in clear, understandable language and was a quick but not insubstantial read. I would have liked a bit more information on Chicago’s dealing with the “moron” problem after the events covered, but was otherwise satisfied.
Be aware that as a race riot is part of the history, there are quotes from racist people–and some early 20th Century sexism.
I’d especially recommend this book to high school history students looking for an interesting subject not as yet overdone.
