Chicago; a personal history of America's most American city

the long version

Chicago is a gifted writer's panorama of America's most American city, from the time of the glaciers that formed Lake Michigan up to the summer of 1968. From a deep belief in the significance of Middle America, Farr constructs a dramatic narrative with a bold theme: that nearly every important influence on this country, either for good or evil, originated in Chicago and met with triumph or failure in the electrifying atmosphere of that great and tireless city. Farr brushes aside the stereotype of the vulgar meat-packing metropolis, looking slavishly to New York for every cue of behavior, and shows the remarkable grandeur and elegance of Chicago, the stunning of physical beauty, and the local genius that originated the "Chicago style" in architecture, jazz, politics, and social service.