I was delighted to have come across this book. While I'm not much of a cook, I like to think that I could be. This book makes it sound easy and, more importantly, FUN. I recommend it to anyone interested in eating, shopping, or cooking or for an "off the beaten track" cultural/culinary tour of our great city of Chicago. Hats off to the author; she probably weighs a ton by now but it must have been an interesting journey. (Great cover, too!)

As a frequent visitor to Chicago, I love to take advantage of a big city's resources. I found "A Cook's Guide to Chicago" to be an invaluable culinary guidebook. Written in a humorous and easy to read style, the book demystifies those strange foods I can't identify, and lists stores that carry the exotic foods I love but can't find in my own neighborhood. Better yet, the author offers tips and recipes that feature them. With this book, I'm armed with a resource that enables me to search out foods I didn't even know existed!

Each chapter is filled with interesting facts that make identifying and locating groceries and cooking utensils fun.
(The description of South Water Market made me want to shop there just to see the area.) The book's layout makes it simple to use, and it is thoroughly indexed. The graphic design is a visual treat.

But the best part about this book, for me, is not the facts, but the feeling it gave me while reading it. I fell in love with food and spices and cooking all over again. Suddenly, just going down the same aisle at my usual supermaket to make the same predictable meal just didn't cut it. With these newly defined foods and locations of ethnic grocery stores, I was ready for a culinary adventure. The author's skill in writing, her sense of humor and love of food all combine to portray cooking as a sensual and exotic world. "The Cook's Guide" is the perfect companion to explore that world - I highly recommend it.

As a resident of Chicago, I am grateful to the author for writing this book. Now, I know where to have my knives sharpened, buy fresh ginger, and find the best teas.

This is the sixth book in the Cassidy McCabe series. In this book
Cassidy, who is a psychotherapist, ends up feeling in need of therapy
herself when she opens the paper to read her own obituary. This happens
on the anniversary of a tragic event in her past that she realizes she is
going to have to face and tell her husband Zach about. As Cassidy faces
her own past, fears and guilt, an e stalker begins threatening the lives
of those she loves. Together Zach and Cassidy track down the stalker and
grow closer through this crisis.

I enjoyed this book with its twists and turns, but especially enjoyed the
relationships. Cassidy's intelligent and full of life grandmother has
been a favorite of mine since the first book I read in this series...

Psychotherapist Cassidy McCabe faces the fear of losing that which she holds most dear when the past catches up to the present. For years Cassidy has blamed herself for Barbara's death. She had come home unexpectedly, finding her best friend inebriated and in bed with her first husband. Outraged, Cassidy kicked Barbara out. Unfortunately, the drunken Barbara died on the way home, leaving Cassidy with guilt and a disintegrating marriage.

Years later, on the anniversary of Barbara's death, a stalker promises retribution. An obituary appears in the local paper featuring Cassidy. Soon the ominous tone of the obituary continues with threatening email and an attempt on husband Zach's life. Determined to find answers, Cassidy and her husband set out to uncover the secrets of the past who still holds Cassidy responsible for Barbara's unfortunate death.

DEATH'S DOMAIN, the sixth Cassidy McCabe mystery, brings back a fabulous cast. Indeed, cozy mystery author Alex Matthews continues to dazzle readers with the irrepressible Cassidy, reporter husband Zach, and her mischievous calico Starshine. Cassidy's spunky grandmother and meddlesome mother likewise make their appearances, bringing wit and humor wherever they appear. As always, Mathews provides lots of action, a well-structured plot and plenty of twists to keep the pages turning. Although I enjoy hundreds of books a year, including many mysteries, Cassidy McCabe has managed to capture and hold my heart through the years like no other heroine. DEATH'S DOMAIN comes very highly recommended.

"Death's Domain" is Alex Matthews' latest Cassidy McCabe mystery. Cassidy reads her own obituary, on the anniversary of a traumatic event from the past. As events unfold, she knows she is going to have to face the earlier tragedy and tell her husband about it.

When untraceable e-mails threatening her family flood her computer, she is compelled to find the potential murdererbefore her family is killed. As a psychotherapist, Cassidy is used to dealing with people in crisis. When the crisis is hers, she discovers her own fears take over her life. She quickly realizes she is dealing with a very clever and dangerous character.

"Death's Domain" is a compelling book. The characters are well conceived, and the story is compelling. She must call upon all her training as a therapist to discover the potential killer. The startling discovery of the real miscreant and the motive behind the terrorizing threats is a satisfying end to this mystery.

I highly recommend this book to mystery lovers. It is a MUST for cat lovers.

Janet B. Fudala, Ph.D., CEO, Educational Solutions

Hard and spare all the way through, this is a terrific novel, with sharp characters and commanding writing. Pelecanos fans, hard-boiled fans, take note; this is a book for you.

This book opens with a bang--and it just gets better. The protagonist is a cop who left the Chicago PD two days after turning in his badge. A bottom dweller who killed his wife got cut loose when the evidence that nailed him is ruled inadmissable. When he's killed, everyone's pretty sure it's Dooley's work, and while they can't exactly blame him, he has to disappear. Eight years later, he's back and can't seem to avoid trouble. His former CPD partner is deep in his own nightmare, one that started after a similar personal tragedy--and the story that unfolds is told in a deceptively simple style that lucidly lays out personal relationships with enormous depth and sublety and power. It reminds me a little of early Elmore Leonard crime novels; Reaves has a similar knack for dialog that carries a lot of punch and authenticity, and the wise guys are not larger than life, but considerably smaller, another touch of authenticity. An added bonus is a very real Chicago--I can't think when I've read a book that does a better job of conveying the flavor of the city north of the ship canal without any travelogue stuff. It's just there. Add some terrific moral issues and a love interest that is shaded and subtle and sad and satisfying and you have an excellent piece of crime fiction. This one's going on my top ten for the year. I'm tempted to read it again--in which case it might be on the list twice!

This hard-nosed thriller is Reaves' best work to date. The Dooley of the title is an ex-Chicago cop and he's 'back' from Mexico where he went to escape prosecution for killing the man who murdered his wife. Within hours of his return, he commits murder again and the second killing is as justifiable as the first. Dooley is a rich, flawed character and the plot moves with the speed of a falling body as he sets out first to help his former partner, and then to avenge his death. Reaves knows Chicago and its neighborhoods but, more importantly, he knows the human heart. Hopefully Dooley will be back...again.

Ever wonder how the field of economics could produce such disparate voices, from interventionists such as John Maynard Keynes to the classical liberalism of Milton Friedman? Those looking for insights will do well to read Economics as Religion: From Samuelson to Chicago and Beyond by Robert H. Nelson, an economist at the University of Maryland.

As the book's subtitle suggests, Nelson takes the reader on tour of modern economic thought. Here he's done commendable job, providing a highly readable account of the major personalities. This book will appeal to historians as well as the informed non-specialist. Nelson ranges far and wide in his effort to explore the often unstated philosophical assumptions behind supposedly objective economic analysis. Of particular interest is Nelson's treatment of the rift between economists and environmentalists. He places the debate squarely (and rightly in my opinion) in religious terms. While this is not particularly original, he does a service by reinforcing the deep religious roots of modern American environmentalism.

Finally, in an increasingly small world, Nelson again hammers home a vital point regarding economic opportunity provided by free markets: Economic progress requires the creation of a "civil society" and the rule of law. Social and human capital must be both nurtured and sustained. Laws must reflect these norms and governments must enforce them fairly. Without these, human rights and the environment suffer.

In environments of rampant corruption and political instability, value creating institutions aren't sustained. Success comes when people are rewarded for creating value, not for transferring wealth via force or fraud. Political plunderers, not the market process, keeps countries poor.

This is a desperately important message at a time when many equivocate and ring their hands about the spread of Western democracy as, "a hegemonic discourse of Western cultural imperialism".

Pete Geddes is Program Director of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE) and Gallatin Writers. Both are based in Bozeman, Montana.

This is a remarkable book... erudite, opinionated, original, and addressing a crucially important subject matter. Prof. Nelson covers a wide swath of recent economic thinking (that survey alone makes the book worthwhile), and contends that while economics wears the cloak of authority of science, it can more accurately be viewed as a secular religion. I had read one of his 1980s articles, and picked up the book on that basis - and became thoroughly engaged. If one measures success in terms of underlined sections, exclamation points and scribbled notes in the margins, then this one more than passes. I'm not an economist (or a theologian), but nonetheless found this to be a tremendously interesting read. I wanted more, and hope that his next book follows up on his closing point, about the cutting edge role of libertarians and environmentalists.

Prof. Robert Nelson argues that economics has become the modern religion, complete with a priesthood (economists), a sacred text (Samuelson's "Economics") and a plan of salvation, (material progress will solve the problem of mankind, including the problem of sin.) Over the top, you say? He makes a great case. Read this book and find out for yourself.
I am a professional economist myself. Nelson's arguments ring true in my experience in the profession. He argues that many of the controversies over economic policy are really controversies over views of the world. These world views are so fundamental, and deeply held, that they are unlikely to be dislodged by technique and data, no matter how rigorous. Nelson thinks we would have more fruitful policy discussions if we would quit pretending to be scientists, and face up to these fundamental questions. I have to agree with him.
I wish he had pointed out that economics is not doing a very good job being a religion. Material progress can not solve all the problems of the human race. We would all be better off, if we would admit that.

What a delightful gripper this book is, chock full of impressive facts and tasty trivia rolled into a well researched sampler that's part cinematic history, part travel guide. You can thumb through for location addresses set off in bold type, followed by brief descriptions of the films associated with each, and then you can plan a proper movie maniac's pilgrimage. Just don't expect directions to private residences: You won't get to ring the doorbell where Macaulay Culkin was left "Home Alone" (1990) or hang out at the house where Tom Cruise ran his "Risky Business" (1983). You can, however, eat breakfast where Timothy Hutton and Dinah Manoff met for coffee in "Ordinary People" (1980) or have a "cheezbooga, cheezbooga" at the Billy Goat Tavern, made famous by John Belushi on "Saturday Night Live" and revisited in his 1981 romantic comedy "Continental Divide."

Bernstein delves into the early years of moviemaking, before Hollywood's crass monopolization of it, when the burgeoning film industry was nurtured in Chicago. Among the developmental milestones: the invention of the first cameras and projectors, the establishment of two of the world's first film studios, the practice of creating movie adaptations out of contemporary news events, the first African-American owned and operated film productions in the United States, the genesis of the independent film community, the weekly film serial, and the gore flick that typified the drive-in era.

The book covers an amazing list of films and TV shows shot in Chicago and traces the contributions to celluloid history by actors, writers, and directors who have roots in the city -- an illustrious roster too long to post here. Rounding out this special chronicle are interviews, film profiles, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of a specialized Chicago art, the innovative technology it demanded, the visionary gumption that birthed an industry, and the tough dreamers behind it all.

Having lived in the Chicago area for most of my life, I really didn't need this book. However, I enjoyed it anyway. It does not contain everything (and doesn't tell you interesting stuff like how they distort locations in movies by traveling in the wrong direction in movies, etc.), but it does provide accurate information on shooting locations, etc. and how Chi played a minor role in the early film industry. The problem is one of Chicago being used in many movies.....so many, in fact, that you can't cover everything (and this book doesn't try to do it, either). Obviously, one of the great things about living here is that anything can happen. You can get off an early train and see Robert DiNiro looking like Al Capone.....or find out they are shooting a Tom Hanks movie two miles from your house. The really positive aspect of what this book does, is that it reminds you of the regional prominence Chicago has played in the movie industry. It makes me appreciate something I have always taken for granted. Wonder if Angelenos feel the same way? This is a book a Chicagoan or a traveler to Chicago can enjoy.

I can honestly say once I picked this book up, I didn't set it down until every page had been read! I'm not a film buff, but I was fascinated to learn about Chicago's rich past in the movies!

the author has very ingeniuosly described the history of black people(during the apartheid regime), and gives one(historically disadvantaged people) a reason to wake up each morning with black conscious mind.

As a clear formulator of a useful, modern, Black Consciousness for South Africans, Biko is unimpeachable - his criticism of liberal whites is fundamentally sound, that a racist system, in its import, taints the actions of everyone who works within the system as racist. Biko is working out the nuts and bolts of his theory of African advancement and affirmation while working on the front lines of the struggle. The intensity of the struggle is captivating, because the risks are great and violence is imminent - but Biko should also be captivating because of what he represents as a modern, critical African intellectual.

Criticizing Biko is hard because he was clearly interested, above all, in changing his own people's view of themselves, and re-instilling their necessary sense of self worth. How important to Biko is the cynicism of liberal whites in the present political culture that blacks "may not be doing a good job leading" (xxii)? Is his preferred, future "non-racial" South Africa something that other black leaders sympathize with? I think that we can link his popularity among young blacks inthe apartheid state with a new will to participate in the struggle. Because Biko was so courageous, it is perhaps a hard to get a clear idea of what he saw as the possible end games to the struggle.

This book is non-rhetorical and pragmatic, and the fact that Biko's conception of, and motivation of countless blacks in South Africa around, the idea of Black Consciousness make what Biko is talking about here successfully revolutionary. At times blisteringly critical of black church leadrs who he beleive have acquiesced to apartheid, at times bravely courteous, as when he is being tried before a coutroom full of whites and white security officials and he maintains his awesome collectedness and cutting wit as he indites THEM for crimes. Biko is an exciting writer, and his influence on men like Mandela, as well as his model for grassroots political empoerment, make him an important theorist on what can and should happen to make a better future in Arica. His energy and creativity are still highly applicable, even in the new South Africa and beyond in 21st Century Africa.

Steve Biko will always be remembered as one of the most outspoken leaders in South Africa's liberation movement. Martyred at an early age, Biko's refusal to keep silent about apartheid was a thorn in the side of an oppressive and immoral regime. We are privileged to have in our hands a rare collection of Biko's writings spanning from the years 1970 to 1979. They cover a wide variety of topics but the core of each one expresses the ardent desire to throw off the yoke of oppression in its varied forms. Biko gives us a detailed analysis of racism, its impact on Blacks and whites and its destruction of the moral fabric of the society in which it resides.

He calls for a Black consciousness where Blacks respect one another and break off the yoke of inferiority. Since his death, the apartheid regime is gone but his words are just as relevent today as they were during his time. Ghosts of the past still haunt South Africa but the spirit of Biko's writings and liefe invoke a sense of hope and pride. Savor this young man's work and allow yourself to be guided by his spirit. This text outlines the philosophical, political and spiritual underpinnings of Steve Biko.

In 1965, Black residents of public housing filed a civil rights suit alleging that public housing in Chicago was segregated. they won in 1969. This book tells (part of) the story of the 30 year struggle for relief which followed that victory.

Initially, the court ordered more (non-segregated) public housing built. That did not happen (at least for many years). This book focuses on the secodn remedy tried: the Section 8 mobility program, in which public housing residents were offered Section 8 housing subsidies (not otherwise available) in exchange for their agreement to relocate to white, middle class suburbs.

Admitting that the people who accepted this offer were both self-selected and carefully screened, the authors detail the generally positive effect these moves had on the participants, including much safer neighborhoods, generally better schools, and less racism than would be expected. Given this limited goal, the book covers its subject superbly.

The question which this book avoids is whether this experiment actually benefited the class of plaintiffs who brought the case--or whether it benefitted them more than other possible remedies. For example, what if each member of the class had simply been given cash--in an amount equal to whatever the government spent on the mobility and scattered site programs? What if all of the money had been spent on aggressive enforcement of housing discrimination laws? Similarly, the authors make no attempt to determine why most of the plaintiffs did not want to participate.

All in all, the book teaches some very valuable lessons about the positive effects of integration--proving the experts (Clark, et al) right who opined as long ago as Brown vs. Board of Education that segregation really does inflict harm on children.

Excellent read for anyone concerned about the issues of poverty and race.

This book is a good primer on the Chicago public housing desegregation lawsuit known as Gautreaux, and on the mobility program resulting from that lawsuit. Under the Gautreaux mobility program, thousands of families moved from low-income Chicago neighborhoods into white, middle-class suburbs. This book charts the progress of these suburban pioneers--both the good (e.g., safer communities and better schools), and the bad (e.g., isolation and racial harassment). The authors examine the results of studies conducted in the early and late 1980's, studies that focused on the issues of safety, social contacts, schooling, and jobs. The book shows just how radically the Gautreaux families' lives changed--and, for the most part, improved. In so doing, the authors debunk the "culture of poverty" myth--the notion that low-income African-American families are too dysfunctional to seize opportunities to improve their lives. Instead, argue the authors, low-income families can thrive in any "geography of opportunity"--any place where they find real opportunities to improve their lives. This book is best suited for advocates not already familiar with Gautreaux--to a large extent it repackages studies reported years ago. But it is an important book for the general public, and for policy makers who care about improving the lives of society's most vulnerable citizens.

The effect of environmental influences on individuals has long been debated by social theorists and is also a popular topic for literature (cf. Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"). These debates persist because it is usually impossible to decouple the effect of environment from confounding factors, such as income or educational attainment. Generally, it is not possible to conduct a controlled random experiment in which similar individuals are sent to different environments and their fates compared.

The Gatreaux project is such an experiment: poor black families of similar backgrounds were given the chance to move to either suburban or urban locations, and the results were dramatic. The Gatreaux project has thus captured national attention, having been featured on Oprah, the Today Show and in major publications such as the New York Times and the Economist.

Unlike most social programs, Gatreaux has universal political appeal: the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations lauded the program's dramatic results on the lives of its participants, and used it as a model for housing projects nationwide.

The way that the program works is simple:
The Chicago Housing Authority designates a day on which Section 8 vouchers are distributed to the first N callers. On this day, the phone lines are jammed as tens of thousands of public housing residents scramble for a way out of the projects. Applicants are screened by very minimal standards --- basic apartment maintenance and lack of a serious criminal record --- and two-thirds of the applicants are accepted.

Successful applicants are offered a placement in either a city or suburban apartment unit. While candidates can turn down the offer, they know that they were already lucky to be given this opportunity and almost all accept the placement. The program is intentionally very low-profile: only a few participants are moved into each suburb in order to prevent "white flight" and residents move into private market apartment units and have no external markers of being on welfare.

The suburban and urban participants are initially identical: all were selected from the same pool of callers, and were randomly placed into private apartments in either suburban or urban locations. However, the suburban participants find their lives changed drastically by their moves.

While the urban participants mostly remain on the welfare rolls, their suburban counterparts are very likely to find employment and leave welfare. While the urban participants' children are likely to drop out of high school, their suburban counterparts are likely to graduate from high school and even college. In fact, Prof Rosenbaum relates that he met the daughter of a Gatreaux participant attending Northwestern University, where he teaches.

Rising from the desolation of the Chicago housing projects, Gatreaux has emerged as perhaps the single most successful American social program of the past fifty years.

This book is essential reading for people of all political views who dream of helping all citizens fulfill their dreams and the American Dream.

I went on a 4 day trip to Chicago and found the information in the book to be fairly reliable and covered most areas of interest. The strong points were reviews of hotels (I booked before reading this guide) and it correctly advised that the Allegro is a good hotel. Also good were overviews of the main neighbourhoods near the loop. Things I wanted to know while I was there and couldn't find in the guide were details of shops that sold electronic goods and locations of internet cafes. The book had some strange errors including a colour picture page labelled as Wrigley park which in fact is Comiskey Park.

This is the best travel guide I have ever read. It tells you the ins outs and inbetweens of every place you planned on, and never thought of, seeing in a major city. It gives great details on well known and hidden restaurants, the prices, the cuisine, and how good the taste is. I highly recommend any Frommer's guide. I bought the San Fransisco edition and found it so great I bought the Chicago edition for when I am at home. Frommer guides are a must have for a city you live in or near, and a city you are visiting.

The author of Frommer's Chicago 2001, Craig Keller, has been a journalist in Chicago for more than a decade. As such, he is very familiar with the area, and he is an excellent writer, which makes the book easy to read.

This 321-page guide has an excellent index and table of contents. It is filled with photos and is well laid out with color-coded margins to help you thumb to the different sections. These include: (1) The Best of Chicago: the best among Chicago's hotels, restaurants and entertainment experiences. (2) Planning your trip to Chicago: suggestions on when to go to Chicago, an annual calendar of Chicago events, tips for travelers with special needs, means of getting to Chicago, and information on O'Hare Airport. (3) Advice for Foreign Visitors: information for non-U.S. citizens with a summing-up section called Fast Facts. (4) Orientation to Chicago: information on the Chicago River, ethnic neighborhoods, and public transportation. (5) Where to Stay: types of accommodations in all the major segments of town. (6) Where to Dine: restaurants listed by area of town, type of food, and cost. (7) Exploring Chicago: the sights in Chicago that tourists like to see. (8) Shopping: all the most famous shopping sites. (9) Chicago after Dark: bars, clubs and musical shows of Chicago. (10) Appendix: information on Chicago history and politics.

I highly recommend this thorough, readable, glossily attractive guide. It is easy to use, and full of every kind of information a visitor, new or returning, could want on Chicago.

I bought this book along with a book about Jane Addams and Hull
House. Hilda writes an honest, extremely interesting, straight forward tale of her own life, and the part Jane Addams played in it. At times I felt as if I was there at Hull House with her, so clear was her portrait. I walked the streets of turn of the century Chicago with her, and shared her joys and sorrows. The only thing I wish the author had included was more about members of her family and their day to day life. But otherwise, a highly interesting portrait of a remarkable woman.

This is an excellent account of a young Jewish woman's life as she immigrates from Poland and grows up in Chicago. Jane Addams and Hull House play an integral part in making her who she was when she passed away. Inspiring and interesting, it is a quick read and a good book for a project on immigration or settlement homes in Chicago.

When Hilda Satt Polacheck first approached publishers with her memoirs, a shief of loosely bound, handwritten papers in the 1950s, she received in answer a resounding "NO." She went back home, plowing her way though her life story again, making revisions, checking dates, & in general shoring up her work. Yet, when she again approached publishers with the work, she was again refused. Curious, she found the courage to ask one of these publishers why. "There is no interest in the life of an obscure woman," she was told. Hilda believed him, & went to her grave in the late 1960s without trying to find another publisher. And though her memoirs were indeed eventually compiled by her granddaughter & published post mortem, the loss of Hilda's own deft hand on the final product is inestimable. These are the words of Hilda Satt Polacheck, yes, but one wonders would this already gorgeous work would have been had Polacheck herself been able to see it through to the end.

An immensely gifted storyteller, Polacheck's strong, intelligent voice makes I CAME A STRANGER a riotous romp through the Progressive Era, studded throughout with celebrity cameos from all the major figures of the age. From Jane Adams, Polacheck's own personal mentor, to Emma Goldman, Dr. Alice Hamilton & too many others to mention, there are hardly any figures of import in the socialist movement of that time whom do not appear at least once in this amazing memoir. A story which is at once mundane & extraordinary, she mingles her matter-of-fact descriptions of immigrant life in a less than magnificent Chicago with unbelievable, yet true tales which illustrate the greatness, and great energy of the times in which she lived. Her life spanned a great many significant historical events, & Polacheck weighs in on ALL of them, offering her opinions with great candor & wit flavored by her own life experiences.

Hilda Satt Polacheck emigrated from Poland, fleeing the terrible Pogroms which forced her family to drop their affluent lifestyle & become faceless, nameless Jewish immigrants in 1890s Chicago, she becomes fully a product of the Jane Adams aesthetic, & through close association with the woman herself, and Hull House, comes to exemplify all the good that came of Adams' dream. It is also the only such accounting of the inner workings of a settlement house from an immigrant herself, & as such offers an inestimable glimpse behind the scenes, through the untutored eyes of one who experienced it from the inside.

If you like jazz, Chicago history, or just a good old pager turner mystery, you'll love The Jazz Age Murders. Like a complex jazz riff, the story pulls the reader along a wonderful journey through colorful neighborhoods and quirky characters to a satisfying end. Enjoy!

The characters are all very well definded, Book is fast moving and will keep your interest untill the very end, (hard to put down).

This novel which takes place in present day and flashes back to Chicago's Jazz Age of the 20's ties these two frames to a present day murder that some how relates to the past. You'll love Fleming's flare for Chicago's architecture and history. Her discriptive verbage draws you in. A must read.