Moser, a veteran journalist and former editor of Chicago magazine, aims to take readers past shallow, greatest-hits perceptions of Chicago in this combination guidebook, cultural history, and paean from a longtime resident . . . Despite guidebookesque listings of restaurants, bars, and entertainment, Mosers stylish prose makes this far more than a guidebook. This is an unusual and entertaining look at a great American city. * Publishers Weekly * Former Chicago magazine associate editor Moser explores Chicagos history, politics, and culture in the latest Cityscopes city-guide series. This is not your typical Rick Steves, Fodors, or Lonely Planet guide to a city. Moser has selected the defining moments, people, places, and audacious innovations that make Chicago a one-of-a-kind city. Choosing Moser as author was a good move, given all that hes learned over the years hes covered Chicago for local publications, while his literary style brings major historical and cultural happenings to life. He touches on well-known aspects of the city, but also delves into the character of the different neighborhoods and both their glory and seediness. The never-ending migrations of people to Chicago and within the city are richly discussed. The text is accompanied by an eclectic collection of photographs, and a list of recommendations is offered in the back of the book. Visitors, admirers, and residents alike will enjoy referencing this book repeatedly. * Booklist * Tackles the broad strokes of Chicagos historical evolution before shifting to a series of chapters exploring the city of today . . . Chicago: From Vision to Metropolis is part of a larger series from Reaktion Books covering cities from Buenos Aires to Beijing. The concept, which Moser ably executes, is to give readers a general sense of the citys history and contemporary contours . . . exactly the sort of thing you can breeze through while sunning at North Avenue. * Chicago Detours * Whet Mosers great gift is a knack for condensing vast reams of facts and figures into concise, compulsively readable prose. Equal parts elegance and insight, this book is an invaluable primer on our beloved Chicago that most contradictory yet American of cities. * Dmitry Samarov, author of Hack: Stories from a Chicago Cab * The best urban writers have the historians depth, the playwrights sense of drama, the poets verbal dexterity, and the journalists BS-detector: Whet Moser brings all that to bear on these pages. Whether youre a Chicago lifer, newly arrived, or just visiting, read this book if you want to grasp Chicago. * Bill Savage, Northwestern University * Along with a concise but richly detailed history of Chicago, Whet Moser has written a fresh portrait of the city today, filled with insights about everything from sociology to hot dogs. Moser is a perceptive guide to his city, with a keen understanding of the reasons why it continues to fascinate. * Robert Loerzel, author of Alchemy of Bones: Chicagos Luetgert Murder Case of 1897 * Avoiding the pursuit of safe quirkiness and overexposed, ordinary attractions remains the books strength. Moser goes past the flashy new stuff . . . Bully for Moser too that he honors Chicagos architectural heritage, but doesnt stick to Sullivan, Wright, and Burnham . . . Overall, Chicago: From Vision to Metropolis is a heaping spoonful taken from a vast bubbling bigos of history, culture, and experience. Just a taste, really, but a rich, complex, and flavorful one. * Third Coast Review *
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