Books set in Chicago

Matt over at A Guy's Moleskine Notebook posted about books set in his native city of Hong Kong, and that got me thinking about doing the same for Chicago. Though not my native city, the wee town in which I came into this world is so small I doubt there's anything set there. And I won't go into Mississippi, for various reasons. So I'll claim Chicago. To me, this is native soil.

Several authors are native to the city, such as: Ernest Hemingway, Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Ray Bradbury, Dave Eggers, Carl Sandburg... The list goes on and on.

As for books set here, here's a smattering:

 

*  Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

A young country girl moves to the big city, and grows up very quickly.

*  Studs Lonigan (trilogy) by James T. Farrell

Novel of Irish-American life on the south side of Chicago.

*  So Big by Edna Ferber

Inspired by the life of a country school teacher living in South Holland, IL (suburb of Chicago). Won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1925.

*  The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Love story about a man who time travels uncontrollably and the patient wife who waits for him.

*  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Corruption in the meat-packing industry in early 20th century Chicago.

*  Native Son by  Richard Wright

Tale of an African-American man who accidentally kills a white woman, set in the 1930s.

 

I find books set in Chicago to be interesting, partly because I can feel the sense of place, having lived here more than half my life. Many of them are gritty, urban novels, but not all. Some use the city as a backdrop, rather than a character unto itself, and could be set anywhere. Others, of course, ARE Chicago, through and through.

Strangely enough, my fondness for books set here doesn't mean I like works set in any big American city. Books set in New York, for example, (especially those in contemporary New York) seem foreign and often uncomfortable to me. It's a bigger city, but also one with its own distinct character, one I can't always get into. I don't have a sense of New York like I do Chicago. That may sound strange to people who live in smaller areas, but cities are very distinctive.

It's not easy to explain. Comparing, say, living in London to living in Paris would make sense because they're in two separate, very different countries with distinctly different cultures. On some level, the same is true of American cities. Though we share a common heritage, our country's so vast the culture of one part of the country is different from the culture in another.

That's as well as I can define it. To those from outside the country we may all seem the same, but you'll have to take my word for it, we're not. And our literature reflects that.

Wherever you're from, take an inventory of books and writers set in and from there. If you feel inclined, drop me a comment. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Comments

[Jim the Merchant Funding Guy]

I've never read that particular book either, but it does have an intriguing title.
Jim Bailes
Working Capital for Business

[Matt]

I didn't know Dave Eggers is a native of Chicago. He has his writer's workshop in my current city of residence, San Francisco. I've only read the last three on your list, but will surely check out the rest, especially So Big by Edna Ferber.

[Suzanne]

Thanks for this list -- I've only read The Time Traveller's Wife so I'm putting the rest on my tbr.

Like Andi, not many books are set in my hometown of Winnipeg; it's usually only mentioned as a stopping point on the way to Toronto or Vancouver (depending on which direction one is heading).

[Andi]

Not many books set in Dallas, unfortunately, but now I'm a bit more determined to hunt some down! I did laugh while reading The Passage recently: the town of Terrell (where I grew up) was a prison! Woohoo!

[Bluestalking]

Ah, yes! I forgot Mr. Algren. I've never read that particular book, but it does have an intriguing title.

[George Fitzgerald]

Include Nelson Algren please! "The Man with the Golden Arm"! Lover of Simone de Beauvoir!