Calling all murder mystery fanatics and lovers of classic tales. Have you considered immersing yourself in a good book that takes place in the Windy City?
Chicago is a cultural mecca on and off the page, and these streets have inspired more than a few authors to weave a bold yarn, be they fictional or entirely true.
From stories based in a dystopian circus circa 1863, to modern-day merriment, start your next read with one of these six books that make Chicago a main character.
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This best-selling novel written by well-known Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros is greatly admired by readers far and wide. The House on Mango Street follows young Espercanze Cordero in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. Structured as a series of vignettes, it tells the story of the 12-year-old girl Chicano girl as she grows up with harsh realities and struggles to finds herself.
Set against the political background of one of the most famous Chicago trials, this book brings to life the manic courtroom behavior and humorous-yet-serious antics involved in the trial. Opening at the end of 1969, it follows the trail that brought together antiwar activists, Black Panthers and Yippies that followed the massive protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Yes, this is what inspired the popular award-nominated movie, too.
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The memoir of former first lady Michele Obama explores the roots and voice she found in her humble Chicago home. Telling the intimate story of her youth, her time as a mother, and her life in the White House, Becoming reveals the lessons and tribulations she faced on the streets of Chicago and how they got her to where she is now.
The Lazarus Project, written by Bosnian fiction writer and journalist Aleksander Hermon, tells the true story of the death of Lazarus Averbuch, a Jewish teenager who immigrated to Chicago only to be shot and killed by a police officer in 1908. It's a chronicle of loss and unease, but includes moments of humor to tell an emotional and entertaining story.
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For lovers of history, murders and mysteries, The Devil in the White City is a historical non-fiction book that takes you on a four-part journey of events that forever changed America. The story follows the true tales of the 1893 World Fair architects in Chicago, intertwined with serial killer H. H. Holmes and his elaborate plans.
Based in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic Chicago, this popular trilogy follows the perspective of Tris in a controlling society. Each person belongs to a set of factions which serve to keep them in line without the threat of independence. Tris must navigate the dangers, enemies and love that come her way after realizing a change in her society's chosen fate. This series was also turned into a film series.
Photography by: Christin Hume / Unsplash
