First published 1979
Studs Lonigan wants to be the toughest guy on Chicago's South Side. Born to Irish-American parents, he swaggers through the neighborhood streets, trying to prove himself to his friends and enemies alike. The poolrooms and dance halls become his second home as he navigates the shifting world around him. World War I reshapes the city, the Roaring Twenties bring new temptations and opportunities, and the Great Depression crushes dreams and livelihoods. Through it all, Studs struggles with his Catholic upbringing, his romantic desires, and his place in a world of gangsters and ethnic tensions. The trilogy follows him from adolescence through young manhood to his final reckoning, capturing the raw language of street corners and the brutal realities of urban life. As decades pass, Studs discovers that being tough means more than throwing punches or talking big.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, american, coming-of-age
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, gritty
Setting: Chicago, South Side
Period: World War I, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression
800 pages · Hardcover · SECKER W