Product Description

CITY OF BIG SHOULDERS distills all the grit and glory of Chicago's past into one compact volume. This brisk account illuminates key events and people in the city's evolution from a marshland to today's robust metropolis. Synthesizing a vast body of literature, Spinney traces formative events in the city's history, illuminating people, events, and institutions that are most important for understanding Chicago's story. From Fort Dearborn to Cabrini-Green, Marquette to Mayor Daley, 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 common people.

Highly readable, this account will interest students and teachers of urban history, as well as everyone looking for a brisk and engaging overview of Chicago's history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #327911 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

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.

About the Author
Robert Spinney taught Chicago history for a number of years. He is the author of World War II in Nashville.

Customer Reviews

Well-written book covers lots of ground
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.

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.

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.