Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago (Crown Journey) **1/2

By Alex Kotlowitz.
Published by Crown Journeys, Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.
Copyright 2004.
156 pages (est.)

This is a very enjoyable and quick read. Kotlowitz focuses on some of the lower class inhabitants and areas of Chicago. He writes about the stories of peoples lives and the neighborhoods they live in. The stories are very engaging. He tries to show how tough Chicago is and that is what makes Chicago what it is. What I mean to say is that he is trying to identify Chicago's personality and prove his thesis on how Chicago is a singular and unique city which no city can compare to. Of course he discusses the concepts of neighborhoods, which is integral to any conversation about Chicago. Each chapter takes place in a particular neighborhood. Those neighborhoods are (if memory serves me correctly - again I am behind on the blog so time has passed since I read it) the West Side, Bridgeport, Cicero and Lakeview for starters.

He seems to take pride in the toughness of the city and comes off as wanting to be as tough as those people he interviews. In one section of the book, he describes when he was with some good friends, two tough African American women social workers, and there was gun fire right out side of the store front. So he comes off as a tough guy (on the cover of his book he looks nerdy) because he is such close friends with the African American women, and because he was present at a shooting. he comes off as a little of a wannabe.

The only other complaint I have is that the book should have been expansive. It should have covered more neighborhoods. It seems a little non-representational. And of course, it was such an invigorating read, I would have loved to read some more if it had been available.

here's an interview with Kolowitz. Does not really reveal much abou thim or the book, so take it for waht it's worth.