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By the end of her first meeting with the
late mayor Richard J. Daley, Jane Byrne had been questioned,
berated, and told she might, one day, reach the House but
probably not the Senate-and she had also reduced him to tears.
That would be but the first of many altercations in her pioneering
political career. My Chicago is the story of Jane Byrne's
rise from young campaign worker to the mayor's office, all
within the bruising arena of Chicago politics. Part sociopolitical
history, part memoir, it begins with a history of the city
and her early life, before she enters politics as a paid
staff member of JFK's presidential campaign and, soon after,
begins service in the Chicago Machine, but not of it. Her
view from the inside allows Byrne to sketch portraits of
Daley, for whom she eventually worked, members of the Kennedy
family, and Presidents Carter and Reagan. And, of course,
it provides a fascinating perspective on the battle to succeed
Daley, which ended with her own triumph over the Machine
and a controversial term as mayor, which saw her begin development
across the city and (famously) move into the Cabrini-Green
housing project. The first memoir by a Chicago mayor in two
generations, My Chicago is a valuable history as well as
an entertaining look at no-holds-barred city politics.
"Byrne … presents a broader view of the political
and social development of Chicago than … other books.
The anecdotes, historical references, and personal impressions
provide a rich backdrop for the political analysis." --Library
Journal
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