The Long November, by James Benson Nablo. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1946. 223p.

Fighting with the Allied Forces in Italy during World War II, Joe Mack is wounded behind enemy lines. While waiting for darkness, he reviews his life, including the Prohibition and Depression years. Although set basically in Canada, the novel includes a Chicago episode that reveals the destitution evident in many areas of the city, and the work of the Salvation Army in feeding, housing, and finding work for the poor and homeless.

Book Review Digest, 1946, p. 598-9.

Free Born, An unpublishable novel by Scott Nearing. New York: Urquhart Press; 108 Greenwich Street, [1932.] 237p.

Persecution in its vilest forms is the theme around which this unpleasant novel is constructed. Jim Rogers, a Negro, first encounters hate and prejudice as a child in Georgia when irate whites burn the all-Negro school that he attends. Later, after his best friend is hunted down and murdered by whites, his parents fall victim to a lynching party, his girlfriend is raped and murdered by white men, and a friend and co-worker is killed in a race riot, Jim thinks he fully understands race and prejudice. It is then that an encounter with Jane Wilson, a Chicago laundry worker, broadens his perspective. Jane, an active union worker and left-wing radical, convinces Jim that it is the laborer rather than the black who is oppressed. This starts him on a radical course which terminates in his imprisonment for organizing and leading a labor revolt. Free Born is a disquieting novel that plays upon sympathies to influence the reader toward unionization and Communism. Although it is biased and exaggerated in many respects, it contains vivid descriptions of the Chicago stockyards, the Negro ghettos, and the internal power struggle in the labor unions of the 1920s.

Hunky Johnny, [by] Edward J. Nichols. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company; The Riverside Press Cambridge, [1945.] 246p.

He is a good-looking college graduate and former star athlete, but because of his Slovakian background he is called Hunky Johnny. She is a "white" girl from an upper middle-class home, who loves him and is unconcerned about their cultural differences. As their relationship progresses and Johnny is forced to reveal that his father runs a speakeasy and his brother works for the syndicate, he comes to grips with his background. This sensitive portrayal of a young man's identity struggles in the days of Prohibition is largely set in the speakeasies and upstairs flats of Chicago and Gary, Indiana.

Book Review Digest, 1945, p. 524.

New Days New Ways, by Jeannette Covert Nolan. New York: Green Circle Books, [l936.] 320p.

Domestic drama played in a small college town down-state from Chicago, New Days, New Ways deals with a crisis in the household of Professor Blakely, when Marjorie, an adopted daughter, encounters her real mother, and the two women vie openly for the affections of the same man. Set during the Depression era, the novel has little historic or social value, although it is an engaging romance.

N. Y. Times Book Review, 10/18/1936, p. 21.

Seven Against the Years, by Sterling North. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1939. 326p.

Seven members of the class of 1929 are shown on Commencement Day at the University of Chicago. As the young men listen to Hutchins' address and later take leave of each other, philosophical lines are drawn and distinct personalities begin to take shape. This diverse group is followed for the next decade, until the ten-year reunion brings them together again. Generously supplied with stereotypes, the story nevertheless has substance plus moments of rich charm and delightful humor. Of particular interest is a description of a sit-down strike.

Book Review Digest, 1939, p. 724.

Tiger, by Sterling North. Chicago: The Reilly & Lee Co., [1933.] 314p.

When Jerry Hartford accepts a job as private secretary to Chicago radio producer Joe Middleton during the Depression, she realizes neither the full implications of the title nor the demands that will be made of her. Expensive gifts, special privileges, dinner invitations, and all-expenses-paid trips with the boss, hint of his true intentions, but jobs are difficult to find, and Jerry thinks that she can withstand any pressures that he might bring to bear. Then she begins to suspect Middleton's connection with the Chicago underworld, and turns amateur investigator in an effort to prove it. Jerry is the epitome of naiveté, with the ability to rationalize away any problem that she doesn't want to face. Middleton is charming and debonair, but much too casual about business affairs to be a convincing underworld boss; and the plot is too simple and contrived to be believed by any but the most inexperienced of readers.

The Gift, [by] Madeleine Nuttall. New York: A. A. Wyn, Inc. 1951. 250p.

Most of the townspeople of Vista, Illinois, take for granted kindly generous old Pidgey, just as they take for granted the sun, the changing seasons, and love; for few can remember a time when he was not there when needed, with a helping hand for a weary housewife, a cheery word for her husband, or a treat for the children. Yet, those of Vista's citizenry who consider him at all, consider him a liability rather than an asset to the community. As Pidgey contemplates a time when he will be in Vista no more, he recalls the words of his grandfather: "Everything gives back--rain to rivers, leaves to the earth that made em. It's only right to go and leave a gift behind." Pidgey's ultimate gift to Vista is a heritage that he brings about during the town's Centennial Year. The Gift is a beautiful story--a little old-fashioned, a little sentimental--best read while in a mellow, holiday mood.

Book Review Digest, 1951, p. 664.

An Abandoned Woman, by Howard Vincent O'Brien. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., 1930. 310p.

A desire to be needed drives Joan Hilliard from her affluent home in a fashionable Chicago suburb into the arms of a struggling young artist who offers her the sense of purpose that her former existence lacked. Then comes success, bringing with it renewed feelings of discontent, for the emotional and financial support that Joan brought to the relationship is no longer required. The financial crash of 1929 provides a convenient solution to her dilemma, for it strips her husband of wealth and position so that she is again needed at home. Although the plot is unimaginative, the novel is populated with an interesting cross-section of characters representing a variety of social groups which together make up Chicago.

Book Review Digest, 1930, p. 786.

The Thunderbolt, by Clyde Perrin, [pseud.] Chicago: A. C. McClure & Co., 1923. 283p.

Based on the premise that success belongs to the man who is willing to assert himself, The Thunderbolt concerns Barnaby Lamb, a likable, easygoing failure, who alters his outlook to acquire business acumen, social prominence, and the love of a lady. The story is an oversimplified, unrealistic view of the bustling world of big business in 1920s Chicago.

The Case and the Girl, by Randall Parrish. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, MCMXXII. 343p.

Surprise follows surprise in this intricate mystery involving a scheme to defraud Chicago heiress Natalie Coolidge of her inheritance. Although Matthew West's efforts in her behalf eventually save fortune and fair maid, many a hair-raising adventure is entered into before the story ends.

Book Review Digest, 1922, p. 418.

My Uncle and Miss Elizabeth, [by] Robert Parrish. New York: TheBeechhurst Press, [1948.] 221p.

Images from the past constitute this touching fictional account of a boy growing up during the 1920s and 1930s sharing an apartment in Chicago with a bachelor uncle. There is no strong story line, but the series of meandering impressions combine to form a perceptive, sophisticated, sometimes humorous novel in the tradition of Proust, with touches of James and Thurber.

Book Review Digest, 1948, p. 646.

The Trial of Helen McLeod, by Alice Beal Parsons. New York & London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1938. 415p.

When a socially prominent young matron in the fictitious community of Dalton, Illinois, is arrested in 1919 for joining a left-wing political group, Clarence Darrow is imported to defend her. Although the story is based on an historical incident, Darrow is the only character in the book whose real name is used. The plot, which seems contrived by today's standards, is dominated by social problems ranging from freedom of belief and juvenile delinquency to rape and adultery.

Book Review Digest, 1938, p. 748.

The Scarred Chin, by Will Payne. Author of "Mr. Salt," "The Losing Game," etc. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1920. 310p.

A Chicago newspaper editor, an unscrupulous lawyer, and a small time con-man perpetrate a blackmail scheme against Alfred Dinsmore, influential banker and former speculator on the Chicago Board of Trade. Although Dinsmore's past is far from spotless, he is not guilty of the murder for which he pays. His reason for buying freedom when innocent of the crime is cleverly revealed in this entertaining but unoriginal mystery.

N. Y. Times Book Review, 3/21/1920, p. 4.

The Angel with a Broom, by Elia W. Peattie. [Chicago:] Published by Ralph Fletcher Seymour for The Cordon, [1915.] 29p.

The Angel with a Broom is a short story about a social worker, two neighboring families she loves, and a handicapped young man in whom she sees visions of an angel sweeping away the evils of war and conflict. Privately printed and bound individually despite its size, this tiny story deals with big problems in a simplistic and sentimental way. The setting is a little street with shops in a lower class neighborhood of Chicago during the early part of World War I.

American Acres, by Louise Redfield Peattie. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1936. 308p.

In the 1830s Adoniram Honeywell settled on a section of fertile Illinois prairie and established a home for himself and generations of Honeywells yet unborn. One hundred years later, his children's children are scattered across two continents, with little regard for family background or tradition. Amie Honeywell, great-great-granddaughter of Adoniram, is born in France during World War I and spends much of her youth in Europe away from home ties and family influence, but several brief visits to the old homestead imbue her with a love for home and family which eventually draws her back to the land of her ancestors.

Book Review Digest, 1936, p. 759.

Fugitive, by Louise Redfield Peattie. Indianapolis [and] New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Publishers, [1935.] 295p.

A beautiful and mysterious young woman attempts suicide, but is saved by a young man, a stranger, who chances to notice and recognize the unusual odor of the poison she has just taken. During the period of crisis, he falls deeply in love with her, but unfortunately this occurs just after he has proposed to another, a student in his art appreciation class. In the solution to the hero's dilemma lies the main flaw of the plot, although other parts of this Chicago Depression novel are somewhat spongy too. But the author has a facile way with words that lifts the story to a level above the ordinary dime-store novel.

Book Review Digest, 1935, p. 789.

The Gentle Tyrants, by Melanie Pflaum. New York, N[ew] Y[ork:] Carlton Press, Inc., [1969.] 274p. (A Geneva Book)

See No. 639.

QMP Stories; A collection of short stories for folks who are catholic in their reading tastes. Illustrations by Lewis Hellwig. All QMP stories are written by Quentin Morrow Phillip... St. Meinrad, Ind[iana:] The Grail, Copyright 1943. 128p. (Number 2)

Eight inspirational short stories and a condensation of the novel, We Who Died Last Night, make up this second collection of Quentin Morrow Phillip stories, some reprinted from The Grail and The Torch, but most previously unpublished. Most appear to be set in Illinois; only "Incident in Spain," "A Double Parlay," and "About Charletans and Spirits" are not.

CONTENTS: Tidbits from Heaven.--Incident in Spain.--Dark Reverie.--Come Seven.--The Jade Crucifix.--A Double Parlay.--About Charlatans and Spirits.--Philanthropy, Ltd.--We Who Died Last Night.

We Who Died Last Night, by Quentin Morrow Phillip. St. Meinrad, Ind[iana:] The Grail, 1941. 299p.

Anton Lippert is a bum. He has not always been so; before the Depression, he was a respectable businessman with wife and family. Now he is alone, destitute on the streets of Chicago, with only ten cents in his pocket. But Anton Lippert has faith--a characteristic lacking in most men of his ilk. It is his faith, his staunch Catholic upbringing, that supports him in his climb from the gutter to financial independence and finally wealth. It is his faith which gives his friends the help and support they need to make similar comebacks. It is his faith which threatens to stand in the way of his happiness when he meets and falls in love with Kit Ellison, but refuses to marry her because of the Catholic views concerning divorce. The novel presents an accurate picture of the Catholic Church of the 1930s. It deals with real problems in a forthright manner. However, the solutions presented may lack credibility for many non-Catholic readers.

Book Review Digest, 1942, p. 604.

When the Wind Blows, by Leon Phillips. New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, [1956.] 311p.

Paul Dawson, son of a wealthy Chicago businessman, marries Helga Bjornson against his family's wishes, and the marriage appears to flounder soon after because of family pressures and differences in social and economic backgrounds. But Helga is determined to make the marriage work, so together the couple face the obstacles placed before them and salvage the marriage with a lot of determination and a little help from fate. When the Wind Blows is set in Chicago during the Depression of the 1930s, and gives a well constructed picture of daily life in the city through careful attention to background detail.

Book Review Digest, 1956, p. 734.

The Broken Vase Mystery, by Mary Plum. Author of Murder at the Hunting Club, Dead Man's Secret [and] The Killing of Judge MacFarlane. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1933. 288p.

The Broken Vase Mystery was published in the United States under the title Murder at the World's Fair. See No. 1148.

Dead Man's Secret, by Mary Plum. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, MCMXXXI. 312p.

Most of the people at Gray Manner's house party are glad to see Rook Chilvers get what's coming to him, but no one is willing to admit the murder. As the case develops and evidence implicates first one guest then another, even the cool, logical John Smith, a professional Chicago detective, seems puzzled.

Book Review Digest, 1931, p. 846.

The Killing of Judge MacFarlane, by Mary Plum. New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, MCMXXX. 292p.

Gerald Louis Gilfillan Gillespie, a young Englishman in the throes of adjustment to Midwestern ways, proclaims Chicago dull. He changes his mind after he finds a murdered man in his apartment and launches out with detective John Smith to solve the murder of Judge MacFarlane.

Book Review Digest, 1930, p. 837.

Murder at the World's Fair, by Mary Plum. Author of "Murder at the Hunting Club," "The Killing of Judge MacFarlane," and "Dead Man's Secret." New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1933. 255p.

Murder in one of the pavilions of Chicago's Century of Progress creates minor havoc until detective John Smith is consulted.

Book Review Digest, 1933, p. 748.

Morte D'Urban, [by] J. F. Powers. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., [1962.] 336p.

Father Urban, a Catholic priest, is removed from his parish in Chicago where he feels he is doing important work, and is placed in a new position in a remote area of Minnesota. Most of the novel concerns his trials as he adjusts to the demands and frustrations of his work there. Finally, in broken health, he returns to head the Order of St. Clement of the Province of Chicago, an opportunity which would have been appropriate for him at the beginning of the story. Morte D'Urban is an unusually sensitive, objective, and revealing view of a priest's life in a contemporary American setting.

Book Review Digest, 1962, p. 968-9.

The Jade Green Cats, [by] Eleanor A. Blake. New York: Robert M. McBride & Company, MCMXXXI. 244p.

The death of Dr. Amos Cartwright in his West Madison Street office starts police reporter John Kymmerly of the Chicago Leader on a fast-paced investigation into racketeering in Chicago and Evanston; while following closely in his wake is Dawn Carson, sob-sister for the same newspaper, who is interested in more than a human interest story. As the title indicates, a pair of green vases hold the key to the mystery.

Book Review Digest, 1931, p. 95.

Wherever I Choose, by Eleanor Blake. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, [1938.] 271p.

More sensitively and realistically told than many similar stories of the time, this novel shows a young, restless woman slowly and painfully developing the maturity that brings peace. Bergit falls in love, is jilted, falls in love again, marries, and then falls in love again. It is when her affair is dying and her marriage is threatened that her husband's reserves of wisdom are shown. The portrayal of Chicago and the northern resort area in the time of World War I and the period following supports the theme of increasing freedom and reconsidered morality.

Book Review Digest, 1938, p. 99.

The Fairview Idea; A story of the New Rural Life, by Herbert Quick. Author of On Board the Good Ship Earth, The Brown Mouse, Etc. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Publishers, [1919.] 285p.

Abner Dunham, self-admitted mossback of Fairview, waxes eloquent on the joys of farm life, the problems of rural America, and his own cure for the farmers' ills. Among the topics that command his attention are the retired farmer, discontented farm youth, tenant farming, migration from the city, the farm agent, and the position of the minister and teacher in the rural environment. To each discontented faction, Abner administers his homespun remedy, created of self-esteem, social interaction, and practicality. A baseball team, organized social functions, and a school with rural orientation help to keep the farm boys from running away to the city; working for an established, prosperous farmer helps an inexperienced city couple learn farm routines firsthand; a church gives the entire community a moral and morale boost. Although Abner Dunham's solutions to Fairview's woes will seem a bit too pat for most of Fairview's neighbors in the corn belt, his humorous down-home approach to rural life and economics will leave the reader anything but bored.

Book Review Digest, 1919, p. 412.