Chicago Ghosts

Chicago Ghosts by Rachel Brooks

2007

Weight: 16 oz

Method of Disposal: Lending Library

Halloween 2020 seems like a good time to give away any ghost books I can find.  A pandemic may keep some people inside, looking for things to do that are frightening and fun.  The up or downside to these Chicago books is that they take place in another state and so, as you read them, it does not always feel like the ghosts are hanging out right behind you, watching you, while you read about them.

This book was much more what I am looking for in a collection of ghost stories that the children's book I gave away the other day.  The stories were eerie and had just enough details that would wrench your gut.  I think I realized that, for me, a good ghost story needs to be tied enough to something real and tragic that is tangible.  I am not as into the mysterious ones where no one knows who or what is haunting a place.  I am scared when they are tied to a real history.  That being said, they make me sad.  I hate to think of people dying and families missing them.  If there are a lot of details and no real evidence of the person that lived, like an Urban Legend, that is the best for me because I can be creeped out, sad, attached, but not worried about the pain someone is being caused by the story if that makes sense.

It also seems like a lot of these stories came about from deaths in the 1930s.  I am interested to read a book now on what eras had the most ghost stories and why they had them.  Were they more common when the world was less violent and there was no internet for sharing?  Did horrible things stand out for years and years then and get cemented into frightening tales that were told over and over?  Now, we here so much horror that we just move on and forget.  Or, do we have more ghost stories now because any old person from any old town can go online and share a tale about their poltergeist or ghoul?

All in all, I am not actually someone who is typically into ghost stories.  Sometimes, I just buy these little local books when I am traveling because you can learn unique tidbits about the city, it is something a little different to look at while you are there, and it is always fun to learn a little about a local author.  They are generally easy to find, and I can usually convince someone I am traveling with to listen to one or two ghost stories, but I can never convince them to want to hear a short story, a historical essay, or a full fledged book on the city.  They will listen to a ghost story or a short magazine article, and I like to share what I read.

The Story of Jane

The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan
1996
Weight: 1.4 lbs
Method of Disposal: Lending Library

This was a great book.  I want everyone to read it.  This group was started in 1969, and the brave and passionate women who organized and ran it are true heroines.  I remember reading this as a teenager and feeling tremendously inspired.  I took it with me to college, and I have told the story of Jane to many many people since.  I thought about them at every March For Women's Lives, every time we stood outside the abortion clinic trying to block the pro-life protesters from harassing the women walking in, every time I turned on the news and heard some new twist or turn in the great abortion debate.

They set up an underground abortion referral group without the internet or computers.  News of Jane was spread by word of mouth, and it was in the phone book under Jane.  They performed over 11, 000 abortions in the 4 years they operated until Roe V. Wade.  They provided counseling and would do the abortions for around $100, though they would work with women who could not afford the fee.  They attempted to check in on the women after they returned home and the women's mental and physical health were of utmost importance.  No patient was ever arrested, but 7 of the women working within the organization were.

This book is written by one of the members in the group and offers a lot of insight into the illegal activities of a very important and life-changing organization that saved the lives of countless women in Illinois.  Did I mention it is amazing?   It is not only the story, though that would be enough.  The writing keeps you turning pages too.

Chicago Stories

Chicago Stories: Tales of the City

2003

Weight: 13.6 oz

Method of Disposal: Sending to V when I get a chance

I picked this up in Chi Town some years ago when I visited with V.  I had started to fall in love with the city just a couple years before we met, and it was even more difficult to resist it after hearing her proclaim her love for the city so frequently.  She grew up in Illinois and her family lived there.

I tormented her brother by making him walk around a bookstore and then an aquarium for hours.  I wanted some local literature, but I could not find what I was looking for so I bought this collection.  In true Laura style, I just now read it. I guess I should have saved that $14.95 + tax until I was ready.  It was a decent book though.  I am not sure all the writings actually fit together in this one anthology.  It does not flow well, but there is a lot of talent.  I liked Edna Ferber’s story about poor old Jo and all his sisters.  Jean Genet’s piece was intriguing.  Maya Angelou’s “The Reunion” made me wince, hold my breath, smile.  It was kind of great.  I am going to send this on to V because I saw she wanted to read it.  That was such a great visit to Chicago.  This book brought back fond memories, despite the fact that a lot of it was about poverty, crime, and corruption.