Martha Calhoun, a novel by Richard Babcock. New York: Random House, [1988.] 330p.

Growing up in small town America is not an easy task, particularly when one's brother is already serving time in prison and one's mother is know to have a past. Martha Calhoun is sixteen and trying hard to live an exemplary life, but in a moment of weakness joins the other members of her family as a major topic of neighborhood gossip. Arrested on a morals charge, she is placed in a foster home. During the next few weeks she struggles mightily to get her life in order, to reform her mother, to find someone in whom she can place confidence, and to muster the courage to face the future. Set in a small Illinois town called Katydid by the author, Martha Calhoun is a charming coming-of-age story combining humor, pathos, fear, and sheer determination suitable for adult or young adult readers.

Booklist, 3/15/1988, p. 1219. Book Report, 9/1988, p. 32. Kirkus, 1/2/1988, p. 139. N. Y. Times Book Review, 4/24/1988, p. 20. Publishers Weekly, 2/12/1988, p. 69.

Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, by Richard Bach. [New York:] Delacorte Press; Eleanor Friede, [1977.] 144p.

The making of a modern-day messiah is the theme of this short, philosophical novel in fable format, which questions the nature of reality and develops the theory of the self. The narrator, a barnstormer who flies throughout the Midwest selling rides in his antique bi-plane, encounters Donald Shimoda, a fellow barnstormer, and together they make the summer circuit. Through self will they create illusions of walking on water, healing the handicapped, flying without fuel, and a variety of other small miracles for their own benefit and amusement. When Donald is removed to another time/space lock, the narrator is left alone to continue his ministry through self-help and illusion. Although set largely in modern-day Illinois, the setting has no bearing on the theme or plot of the novel.

Booklist, 4/15/1977, p. 1238. Kirkus, 2/15/1977, p. 174. Library Journal, 4/15/1977, p. 945. N. Y. Times Book Review, 4/10/ 1977, p. 11. Publishers Weekly, 2/14/1977, p. 70. School Library Journal, 11/1977, p. 78.

West Side Stories, edited by George Bailey. Chicago: City Stoop Press, 1992. 181p.

Short stories by fourteen contemporary Chicago writers capture the essence of life on the City's West Side.

CONTENTS: Acoustic Catholicism, by Aaron Freeman.--Home Movies, by Rochelle Distelheim.--Voices, by Tony Del Valle.--The Winter Barrel, by Eileen Cherry.--Elma, by J. Chip Howell.--Making It Talk, by James McManus.--Ella in the Morning, by Diane Williams.--Brunswick Stew, by Mark Allen Boone.--Nonna, by Tony Ardizzone.--At the Rose of Sharon Spiritual Church, Chicago's West Side, by S. L. Wisenberg.--The Ones You Love, the Ones You Need, by Achy Obejas.--A Movement of the People, by Irene J. Smith.--Jungle Love, by Reggie Young.

War in Illinois, by Donald Bain. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., [1978.] 268p.

The struggle between Charley Birger of Harrisburg and the Shelton Brothers of East St. Louis for control of the southern Illinois liquor concession during the Prohibition Era grew into a major gang war involving the two rival factions, the Ku Klux Klan, the Illinois National Guard, various politicians, and law enforcement officers between the years 1923 and 1928. Donald Bain has accurately portrayed the people and the times in this popular, fictionalized history which focuses on Charley Birger and his activities in and around Herrin and Marion, in Williamson County, Illinois.

Kirkus, 9/1/1978, p 979. Library Journal, 10/1/1978, p. 2000. Publishers Weekly, 10/2/1978, p. 122.

In the Game; A Virginia Kelly Mystery, [by] Nikki Baker. [Tallahassee, FL:] The Naiad Press, Inc., 1991. 171p.

Ginny Kelly, a member of Chicago's black lesbian community, launches her own investigation when police seem to be on the wrong track in solving the murder of an acquaintance.

Advocate, 12/17/1991, p. 102. Booklist, 11/15/1991, p. 604. Lambda Book Report, 11/1991, p. 28. Publishers Weekly, 10/18/1991, p. 58.

Deceptions, [by] Judith Michael [pseud.] New York: Poseidon Press, [1982.] 472p.

Identical twins Stephanie and Sabrina share a close personal bond which makes a decision to exchange identities at age thirty-two a relatively easy matter, despite vastly different adult backgrounds. However, neither anticipates Stephanie's death nor the complications which arise when Sabrina is left to deal with impossible social and family situations. Alternating between London and Evanston, the plot creates believable impressions of Britain's aristocratic society and Evanston's university elite, although it is somewhat implausible and the settings are not well defined.

Booklist, 3/1/1982, p. 802. Best Sellers, 4/1982, p. 10. Kirkus 2/15/1982, p. 228p. Library Journal, 4/15/1982, p. 826. N. Y. Times Book Review, 5/16/1982, p. 18. West Coast Review of Books, 5/1982, p. 25.

A Tangled Web, A novel [by] Judith Michael [pseud.] New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo [and] Singapore: Simon & Schuster, [1994.] 476p.

In this sequel to Deceptions Stephanie's death complicates Sabrina's life, but not nearly so much as discovering that Stephanie still lives.

Booklist, 8/1994, p. 1989. Kirkus, 9/1/1994, p. 1156.

Mr. Field's Daughter; A Novel [by] Richard Bausch. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney [and] Tokyo: Linden Press/Simon & Schuster, [1989.] 347p.

An adult daughter and her protective father push their lives and their love for one another to crisis. Set in Duluth, Minnesota and Champaign, Illinois.

Booklist, 5/1/1989, p. 1058. Kirkus, 3/15/1989, p. 395. L. A. Times Book Review, 5/7/1989, p. 3. Library Journal, 5/15/1989, p. 87. N. Y. Times Book Review, 8/27/1989, p. 14. New Yorker, 8/21/1989, p. 94. Washington Post Book World, 4/30/1989, p. 3.

Violence, [by] Richard Bausch. Boston, New York, [and] London: Houghton Mifflin/Seymour Lawrence, [1992.] 293p.

A visitor to Chicago is witness to a violent murder that haunts him until he revisits the scene of the crime.

Kirkus, 11/1/1991, p. 1358. L. A. Times Book Review, 1/26/1992, p. 3. Library Journal, 12/1991, p. 193. New Yorker, 2/10/1992, p. 98. N. Y. Times Book Review, 1/26/1992, p. 7. Publishers Weekly, 11/8/1991, p. 49. Washington Post Book World, 12/29/1991, p. 1.

Almighty Me, [by] Robert Bausch, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. 263p.

A Champaign, Illinois, car salesman is granted the powers of God for one year.

Prairie Schooner, Spring/1992, p. 123. Wilson Library Bulletin, 11/1991, p. 54.

Jaimie: An Autobiographical Novel in Short Stories, by John Becker. Boston: David R. Godine, Publisher, [1981.] 165p.

Nine short stories effectively linked by a single central character provide brief but revealing views of the author's life as he grows up in Chicago then moves on to New York and Europe. The underlying theme of each story is man's search for love, and each story represents a different stage of development and understanding.

CONTENTS: Three Sisters and a Horse.--Jaimie.--Poor Hubert.--Lorie.--The Gold Star.--A Family Affair.--Bella Figura.--After Geneva.--Dear Katie.

Kirkus, 8/1/1981, p. 948. Library Journal, 10/1/1981, p. 1943. N. Y. Times Book Review, 11/1/1981, p. 34. Publishers Weekly, 8/14/1981, p. 50.

The Dean's December, A Novel by Saul Bellow. New York, Cambridge, Philadelphia, San Francisco, London, Mexico City, San Paulo [and] Sydney: Harper & Row, Publishers, [1982.] 312p.

Albert Corde, Dean of Students at a Chicago university, is in Bucharest, Rumania, awaiting the death of his terminally ill mother-in-law. Although the novel is not set in Chicago, Corde's concerns--a murder case involving a university student, public response to a series of articles he has written for Harper's magazine, his sister's unexpected marriage, strained relations between himself and the university provost--keep Chicago constantly on his mind, and lead to lengthy flashbacks to that city. The end result of a Chicago scholar's experiences in Bucharest is a thoughtful comparison of the two cities laboring under opposing ideologies, but imposing strikingly similar restraints upon the individual.

Book Review Digest, 1992, p. 101-2.

Him with His Foot in His Mouth, and Other Stories, [by] Saul Bellow. New York, Cambridge, Philadelphia, San Francisco, London, Mexico City, San Paulo [and] Sydney: Harper & Row Publishers, [1984.] 294p.

In five stories collected from other sources, Bellow considers the meaning of life from the point of view of a Jewish scholar living in Chicago.

CONTENTS: Him With His Foot In His Mouth.--What Kind of Day Did You Have?--Zetland: By a Character Witness.--A Silver Dish.--Cousins.

Book Review Digest, 1984, p. 117.

Something to Remember Me By, Three Tales by Saul Bellow. [New York:] Viking, [1991.] 222p.

Three novellas consititute this collection. "Something to Remember Me By," the only one of the three set in Chicago, recalls a touching tale of death and coming of age in the 1930s.

CONTENTS: The Bellarosa Connection.--A Theft.--Something to Remember Me By.

Booklist, 9/15/1991, p. 18. Kirkus, 8/15/1991, p. 1051. N. Y. Times Book Review, 10/20/1991, p. 52.

A Farm Under a Lake, A Novel by Martha Bergland. [Minneapolis:] Greywolf Press, [1989.] 199p.

As Janet Hahn drives an elderly friend from Wisconsin to Illinois, she comes to grips with her life and her marriage, neither of which has turned out exactly as she had planned.

Booklist, 6/15/1989, p. 1778. Kirkus, 4/15/1989, p. 564. N. Y. Times Book Review, 7/9/1989, p. 7. Publishers Weekly, 4/28/1989, p. 59.

The Auerbach Will, [by] Stephen Birmingham. Boston [and] Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, [1983.] 430p.

Esther Litsky, daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, marries Jacob Auerbach against her father's wishes, and becomes the moving force behind the building of the Auerbach family fortune. Set in Chicago and New York, The Auerbach Will is Essie's story, although her life is inextricably intertwined with the story of the founding and growth of the Eaton & Cromwell mail order firm and department store chain and the personal lives of the Auerbach family. Essie, who makes the whole thing possible, is a beautiful portrait of Chicago's nouveau riche. Her determination, fears, disappointments, joys, and sorrows are all chronicled, from her eartliest decision to marry to her last decision concerning the dispensation of the family fortune upon her death. Good views of early twentieth century Chicago are included.

Best Sellers, 11/1983, p. 277. Booklist, 8/1983, p. 1446. Kirkus, 6/1/1983, p. 626. L. A. Times Book Review, 10/2/1983, p. 13. Library Journal, 8/1983, p. 1500. Publishers Weekly, 6/24/1983, p. 52.

Dead Time, [by] Eleanor Taylor Bland. New York: St. Martin's Press, [1992.] 211p.

The murder of a mentally unstable woman in a suburban residential hotel is investigated by Marti MacAlister, who is black, female, recently widowed, and newly transferred to Lincoln Prairie from the Chicago Police Department.

Belles Lettres, Summer/1992, p. 42. Kirkus, 1/1/1992, p. 19. Library Journal, 2/1/1992, p. 129. Publishers Weekly, 2/3/1992, p. 66.

Done Wrong, [by] Eleanor Taylor Bland. New York: St. Martin's Press, [1995.] 216p.

After two years Marti MacAlister investigates the death of her husband and discovers that he did not commit suicide as was reported by his superintendent.

Booklist, 6/1/1995, p. 1733. L. A. Times Book Review, 6/11/1995, p. 7. Publishers Weekly, 5/15/1995, p. 58. Washington Post Book World, 7/16/1995, p. 6.

Gone Quiet, [by] Eleanor Taylor Bland. New York: St. Martin's Press, [1994.] 212p.

The murder of an elderly black man in Lincoln Prairie appears to be a routine domestic homicide because of the victim's history of child molestation, but Marti MacAlister and her partner Vik Jessenovik search deeper because of a personal friendship with members of the family.

Booklist, 1/15/1995, p. 858. Black Scholar, Spring/1995, p. 73.

Slow Burn, [by] Eleanor Taylor Bland. New York: St. Martin's Press, [1993.] 212p.

Marti MacAlister and her partner Vik Jessenovik expand an arson case at a Lincoln Prairie abortion clinic into an investigation of a child prostitution ring.

Booklist, 9/1/1993, p. 39. Kirkus, 6/15/1993, p. 75. L. A. Times Book Review, 9/12/1993, p. 8. Library Journal, 8/1993, p. 158. Publishers Weekly, 6/14/1993, p. 63.

The Second Novel; Becoming a Writer, [by] Norbert Blei. Chicago: December Press; 4343 North Clarendon, [1978.] 242p. (A special issue of December Magazine, comprising vol. 20, nos. 1/2, 1978).

Bits of prose, poetry, letters, stories, drawings, and other print media form a fictional collage representing the attempts of a writer to create and get his creations published. Written during the winter of 1969/70, the novel parallels the life of the author, a Chicago free-lance writer, living in the Ellison Bay area of Wisconsin during that period. At first glance The Second Novel appears to be a disjointed collection of thoughts and ideas, but they are connected by a central theme. Considered together, the pieces become an interesting example of experimental writing.

Library Journal, 12/15/1979, p. 2624.

Anne's Head, [by] Carol O'Brien Blum. New York: The Dial Press, [1982.] 275p.

The O'Brien clan, a large Irish-Catholic family living in St. Louis during the early 1900s, is shamed into inaction when their eldest daughter Anne is lured away from home by an unscrupulous lawyer said to have connections with the white slavery traffic in cities along the Mississippi River. When Anne runs away to Chicago and is later reported dead and buried, the eldest and the youngest of the O'Brien clan are dispatched to Chicago to open the grave to be certain. The trip across Illinois by automobile in 1902 is memorable when seen through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy who had never before been outside St. Louis, but the trip is nothing in comparison to the shock awaiting him at Chicago's Graceland Cemetery. The major portion of this fine first novel is set in St. Louis, with both St. Louis and Illinois locales exceptionally well drawn, and the time, including the St. Louis World's Fair, beautifully reconstructed.

Kirkus, 12/1/1981, p. 1469. Library Journal, 10/1/1981, p. 1949. Publishers Weekly, 11/20/1981, p. 44. West Coast Review of Books, 4/1982, p. 33.

The Protocol, [by] Sarah Allan Borisch. New York: Simon and Schuster, [1981.] 448p.

Victor Vendetti, a patient in the cancer ward of a large metropolitan hospital, is subjected to all the suffering and indignities of cancer treatment despite the knowledge that he is a terminal case. Attempts to express a measure of individualism and regain some control over his own life earn him the reputation of a troublemaker and result in threats, restraints, and abuse, all in the name of medical science and hospital protocol. Attempts by others to alleviate his physical and mental anguish are met with stricter enforcement of rules, subtle intervention, and bureaucratic delays, until fate settles the score, at least with his overbearing doctor. Athough autoritatively written, the novel is treated in a heavy-handed, moralistic manner, which makes reading slow and tedious. If the setting is real, its identity has been disguised through name changes; however, reviewers have stated the locale to be a hospital near Chicago.

Kirkus, 11/1/1981, p. 1354. Library Journal, 1/15/1982, p. 193. Publishers Weekly, 11/27/1981, p. 79.

Blue Ruin; a Novel of the 1919 World Series, [by] Brendan Boyd. New York [and] London: W. W. Norton & Company, [1991.] 339p.

A Boston grifter and numbers runner tells his version of the 1919 scandal in which the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series.

Booklist, 9/1/1991, p. 28. Kirkus, 7/15/1991, p. 871. Library Journal, 8/1991, p. 140. Publishers Weekly, 7/5/1991, p. 56.

Traders, [by] William Brashler. New York: Atheneum, 1989. 306p. Joanie Yff breaks into the male-dominated world of the Futures Market on the Chicago Board of Trade to find herself the focus of a scheme to cut short her promising career.

Booklist, 4/1/1989, p. 1329. Chicago Tribune Books, 6/14/1989, p. 3. Kirkus, 4/1/1989, p. 482. L. A. Times Book Review, 5/21/1989, p. 10. Library Journal, 6/1/1989, p. 144. Publishers Weekly, 4/14/1989, p. 50.

Murder in Wrigley Field, [by] Crabbe Evers [pseud.] New York, Toronto, London, Sydney [and] Auckland: Bantam Books, [1991.] 247p.

When Dean "Dream" Weaver, star pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, is found murdered under the stands at Wrigley Field, the comissioner of baseball asks Duffy House to look into the matter. Duffy, a retired sportswriter with connections, reluctantly agrees, then wishes he hadn't, as the list of suspects grows.

Booklist, 4/1/1991, p. 1545. Publishers Weekly, 3/8/1991, p. 70.

Brothers in Blood, [by] D. C. Brod. New York: Walker and Company, [1993.] 273p.

The bad blood between mayoral hopeful Brig Tanner and his brother Jubal is well known by Foxport, Illinois natives, so when Brig's girlfriend is killed by a bullet intended for Brig, most of Foxport assumes that Jubal is the unsuccessful assassin. When private eye Quint McCauley attempts to clear Jubal's name, he finds his own life threatened.

Kirkus, 8/15/1993, p. 1029. Library Journal, 9/1/1993, p. 226. Publishers Weekly, 8/9/1993, p. 446.

Error in Judgment, [by] D. C. Brod. New York: Walker and Company, [1990.] 258p.

Quint McCauley has recently moved to Foxport, Illinois, and established himself as a private investigator, but his first case almost becomes his last as he snoops into murder, insurance fraud, and political shenanigans.

Kirkus, 5/15/1990, p. 836.

Framed in Blue, [by] D. C. Brod. Published in hardcover as Masquerade in Blue. New York: Diamond Books, [1993.] 264p.

Framed in Blue was published in hardcover in 1991 under the title, Masquerade in Blue.

Masquerade in Blue, [by] D. C. Brod. New York: Walker and Company, [1991.] 215p.

Quint McCauley, Foxport, Illinois, detective, gets involved in environmental issues while investigating the murder of a local land developer.

Kirkus, 7/1/1991, p. 826.

Conspiracy of Knaves, [by] Dee Brown. New York: Henry Holt and Company, [1986.] 392p.

During the latter days of the Civil War, a daring plot is concocted by desperate southerns and bold northern sympathizers to free southern prisoners being held in Chicago area prison camps in order to bolster southern forces and force Midwestern states out of the Union. That the plot is tenuous at best is amply demonstrated by Belle Rutledge, a Kentucky born actress who becomes a double agent and relates the story of plots and counterplots by three sets of conspirators, each as intent on outdoing the other as on actually releasing the prisoners. Based on an actual historical event called the Northwest Conspiracy, this novel is rich in history and background and relates to Illinois, although much of the action takes place in Virginia, Ohio, and other locations.

Best Sellers, 3/1987, p. 460. Booklist, 10/1/1986, p. 146. Chicago Tribune Books, 1/25/1987, p. 5. Kirkus, 10/1/1986, p. 1464. L. A. Times Book Review, 1/25/1987, p. 2. Library Journal, 1/1987, p. 105. N. Y. Times Book Review, 1/11/1987, p. 12. Washington Post Book World, 1/18/1987, p. 7.

Pork City, [by] Howard Browne. New York: St. Martin's Press; A Joan Kahn Book, [1988.] 264p.

Jake Lingle, a crime reporter for the Chicago Tribune, is gunned down on the streets of Chicago in a gangland style murder. Immediately, Colonel Robert Rutherford McCormack, publisher of the Tribune offers a $25,000 reward for information leading to the murderer's arrest and conviction. As the police investigation drags on, McCormack also assigns investigative staff from the newspaper to look into the affair. As tension grows between reporters and police, Lingle's ties to the mob are discovered, and opposing mob leaders begin counter campaigns to deal with the murderer and cool the heat of parallel investigations. Well known for his Chicago mystery novels of the 1940s and 1950s, Brown has proven that he still has the knack for storytelling with this authentic police procedural, retelling a tense moment in Chicago gangland history.

Booklist, 2/15/1988, p. 972. Kirkus, 1/15/1988, p. 86. Publishers Weekly, 1/15/1988, p. 81.

Anaconda, [by] Jerry Bumpus. With a biographical and critical afterword by Curt Johnson. Illustrations by Lee Wallek. Western Springs, Ill[inois:] December, [1967.] 154p.

At age sixty-eight, his former theatrical successes forgotten, Lon McCaferty is derelict, self-destructive, and alcoholic. A nostalgic return to his childhood home in southern Illinois turns tragic when he is witness to a murder and attempts to blot out the memory with alcohol. The result is a two week spree encompassing various stages of drunkenness including deliuium tremens, and culminating in an accident that nearly causes his death. Set in Spring Garden, Benton, and Ina, Illinois, the novel presents a grim view of small town life as perceived by a mind altered by alcohol.

National Observer, 1/29/1968, p. 23.

Good-bye, Chicago: 1928: End of an Era, [by] W. R. Burnett. New York: St. Martin's Press, [1981.] 175p.

Chicago in 1928 is a major crime syndicate stronghold. When a young woman's body is found floating in the Chicago River, and it is determined that she had been the wife of Police Sergeant Joe Ricordi, a special effort is made by the Chicago Police Department to find the murderer. Police Sergeant Dave Santorelli is assigned to the case, and working with Ricordi, probes into the circumstances of the case, triggering a major underworld massacre and the exposure of corruption in Chicago's police force and city government. Burnett successfully portrays many aspects of city life, including the criminal element, the corrupt officials, the politically restrained police force, and those unknowing innocents who live in constant danger on the fringes of the underworld.

Best Sellers, 6/1981, p. 83. Kirkus, 2/15/1981, p. 225.

Take This Man, by Frederick Busch. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, [1981.] 264p.

Four brief glimpses into Anthony Prioleau's life chronicle the major events in an otherwise uneventful existence. A conscientious objector, Prioleau has been assigned to a southern Illinois army base during World War II to develop wartime uses of television. In 1944, a brief encounter with a young woman driving across country to see her fiancé produces a son. In 1956, twelve years later, the child and his mother return to claim their place in Prioleau's life. A third segment, set in 1963, probes family ties and loyalties as the son, Gus, runs away to become a revolutionary and his parents search for him. The final segment, 1980, tells of Prioleau's death and implies reconciliation. Take This Man, set in southern Illinois and Maine, describes life on an army base and segments of the social revolution of the 1960s in good detail.

Booklist, 7/15/1981, p. 1417. Kirkus, 7/15/1981, p. 884. Library Journal, 8/1981, p. 1564. N. Y. Times Book Review, 9/20/1981, p. 15. National Review, 10/30/1981, p. 1284. Publishers Weekly, p. 8/7/1981, p. 67.

They Whisper, A Novel, [by] Robert Olen Butler. New York: Henry Holt and Company, [1994.] 333p.

A middle-aged public relations man examines his passion for women. The setting is New York, with flashbacks to southeastern Illinois and Vietnam.

Booklist, 11/1/1993, p. 483. Library Journal, 12/1993, p. 169. N. Y. Times Book Review, 2/13/1994, p. 12. Publishers Weekly, 10/11/1993, p. 68. Washington Post Book World, 1/16/1994, p. 1.

Wabash, a novel by Robert Olen Butler. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1987. 207p.

Wabash, Illinois, in 1932, is typical of thousands of industrial towns demoralized by the Great Depression. Jeremy and Deborah Cole are typical of millions of families trying to exist from day to day on meager factory earnings, afraid of losing their jobs, hating their lives, and hoping that times will improve. Estranged after the death of their daughter, Jeremy and Deborah drift apart--she retreating into the core of her family, he becoming involved in the politics of the steel mill where he works. As each struggles to understand and deal with the forces that separate them, Jeremy's friendship with co-workers draws him into the labor movement, causes him to lose his job, and gets him on the mill hit list. It is Deborah who first confronts the reality of their situation. It is Deborah who rescues Jeremy from certain death. It is Deborah who salvages their life together. How it is accomplished is a gripping and dramatic tale. Set in the East St. Louis area, the town called Wabash bears a striking resemblance to Granite City, the author's birthplace and childhood home.

Booklist, 3/1/1987, p. 980. Kirkus, 1/15/1987, p. 74. N. Y. Times Book Review, 3/15/ 1987, p. 16. Publishers Weekly, 1/16/1987, p. 62.

My Angel's Name is Fred; Tales of Growing Up Catholic, [by] Thomas Byrnes. San Francisco, Cambridge, Hagerstown, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, London, Mexico City, San Paulo, Singapore, [and] Sydney: Harper & Row, Publishers, [1987.] 257p.

Forty-one autobiographical stories relate experiences in growing up Catholic in Chicago. Most have appeared in Catholic Digest.

Contents: Christmas, Do You Remember?--My Grandmother's Life Was a Love Song.--My Father and the Six O'Clock Mass.--When Grandpa Fixed the Convent Door.--How Father Curran Won the Fireworks War.--The Irish Setter in Noah's Ark.--My Angel's Name is Fred.--The Furnace That Kept the Peace.--Grandma's Guess What?--The Day I Betrayed Arley.--And God Created Dorchester Avenue.--Grandpa's Garden Goes On Forever.--The Boy Who Asked Questions.--How Mother Cleaned Up the Neighborhood.--How Father Sullivan Saved St. Patrick's Day.--The Great Pony Raffle.--When My Father Worked on Sunday.--My First Communion Day.--How Radio Came to Our House.--Knuckles Down and No Fudging.--Why we Prayed for Obadiah.--Our Old Family Studebaker.--When Sister Snapped Her Fingers.--The Priest Who Knew All About Boys.--How Sister Mary Evelyn Found Out.--I Was a Confession Consultant.--The Boy Who Could Only Listen.--My Mother, My Pants.--My Tipperary Confession.--The Rehabilitation of a Choir Boy.--When Preaching was Really Preaching.--I Remember Piano Lessons.--My Grade-School Sisters' Secret Lives.--"Let's Wrestle, Daddy!"--A Prayer, a Priest, a Puppy.--What My Father Said about Baptism.--A Father's Day Memory.--The Clock That Never Stops Running.--Our First Thanksgiving on the Farm.--Sister Jean-Marie and the Junior Prom.--How Did We Ever Manage?

Library Journal, 3/1/1987, p. 81.