City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America
by Donald L. Miller
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Book Summary Information
Author: Donald L. MillerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 1997-04-03
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 704
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America
Book Review: THE Chicago history text
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have an interest in learning Chicago history, if you live in Chicago and think you know its history, read this book. This book is the foundation of the largest city in America truly founded by "Americans". A lot of Chicagoans can recite tidbits from the past century, focusing on Capone and the city's Daley-run government as the most intriguing aspects of The Windy City.
But few fail to really understand the foundation of Chicago. This book takes you from its pre-white "settler" days through the city's, and one of the nation's, defining moments on a world scale, the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.
Donald Miller takes you on an eloquently-written journey through the facts, people, architecture and overwhelming ideals that made Chicago what was in the 1900s and continues to be into the 21st century. Miller's writing, filled with information squeezed into each sentence via the ever-present use of the comma, can at times become overwhelming. However, Miller's style forces the reader to take his or her time and absorb each historic moral.
I do believe a reader can turn this book into a quicker read. Though its incredible amount of information and wonderful description of Chicago culture will not be fully understood in this way. This book is best treated like a fun but serious read. Grab a highlighter and some page flags so you'll be able to go back from time to time and remember little facts that will astound your friends, though your understanding of the city's history will already greatly impress anyone who casually asks a question about Chicago.
This book's build to the 1893 World's Fair is especially apropos currently, given Chicago's bid to bring the 2016 Olympics to the Second City. Many parallels can be drawn.
Summary of City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America
A compelling chronicle of the coming of the Industrial Age to one American city traces the explosive entrepreneurial, technological, and artistic growth that converted Chicago from a trading post to a modern industrial metropolis by the 1890s. 20,000 first printing.It's hard to believe that as late as 1830, Chicago was a desolate fur-trading outpost. Within half a century, it become a manufacturing, agriculture and industrial center and the railroad capital of the country. Donald L. Miller, a history professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, chronicles the evolution of the "Windy City" and the people who made their mark in it. From railroad entrepreneur George Pullman, to retailers Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck, to reaper inventor Cyrus McCormick and architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago was built by innovators. With its system of mass transit, regimented work force, diverse immigrant groups and historic battles between private and public good, Chicago symbolizes the emergence of modern American life.
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