First published 2022
David Schaafsma gathers memoir pieces from writers who grew up in Chicago and its surrounding areas. The collection examines what makes a Chicago author through personal narratives rooted in specific neighborhoods and local experiences. Contributors share stories ranging from childhood visits to the Art Institute to playing ringolevio after dark, from memories of the massive neon Magikist lips that once hung over the expressway to more serious recollections of sexual assault and encounters with white supremacy. The writers include a young man pursuing his artistic dreams and a single mother reconnecting with her Mexican heritage. Their diverse backgrounds reflect the city's complexity, revealing both its promise and its deep inequalities. Through these personal accounts, the book explores how family, friends, and place shape identity during the crucial years of growing up. The collection shows how writers both influence and are influenced by the neighborhoods that formed them.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, memoir, cultural-studies
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-journey
Setting: Chicago, Art Institute
Period: Childhood, Growing Up
280 pages · Paperback · Northwestern University Press
Content warnings: racism, sexual-assault