Rating: 
Summary: A Seattle Royko Fan
Review: You don't have to be from Chicago to appreciate this book andRoyko's genius as a writer and wry political observer.His almostmatter-of-fact accounting of the machine corruption in Chicago under Daley is eye opening. Those who analogize it to the Mafia are on point, except its power the politicians are after, rather than just money. It's unbelievable to me that all of the venality was so out in the open and tolerated by the populace. Particularly interesting was his account of the ethnic and racial evolution in this melting pot of a city. Italian, Polish, Irish, German, and Slavic neighborhoods whose only common theme was their hatred of the blacks. The paradox being that despite the white hatred, the segregation and appalling living conditons, those same white people could count on the black vote come election time, largely because of unscrupulous black ward bosses who cared more about power than helping their constituents. One of the many things I like about Royko is that after reading his columns for years, I couldn't tell you whether his politics are liberal or conservative. He didn't deal in bromides, just reality. When something wasn't right, he called it on the perpetrators and wasn't hesitant to name names. I really miss the guy.
Rating:
Summary: Snapshot of a bygone era
Review: Yup, I too was alive and kicking during most of The Mayor's reign, and I have to agree, it's got the ring of truth to it. I haven't read such an intriguing documentary-style book since I read Boss. Civics classes AND journalism classes should be required to read this. Royko succeeds in taking a verbal still-life of Chicago during the Boss's tenure.This is right up there with Caro's "The Power Broker" What's really wild is that I read this book right after I read "The Godfather" and both of the titular characters operated in much the same way!
Rating:
Summary: Snapshot of a bygone era
Review: Yup, I too was alive and kicking during most of The Mayor's reign, and I have to agree, it's got the ring of truth to it. I haven't read such an intriguing documentary-style book since I read Boss. Civics classes AND journalism classes should be required to read this. Royko succeeds in taking a verbal still-life of Chicago during the Boss's tenure.This is right up there with Caro's "The Power Broker" What's really wild is that I read this book right after I read "The Godfather" and both of the titular characters operated in much the same way!
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