Books

The first book I ever owned was a child-sized version of the life of Abraham Lincoln – a gift from my book-loving father, who was convinced Lincoln read everything he ever got his hands on. His hope was that even as a kindergartener, I’d be inspired to follow Lincoln’s example. Turns out Dad was wrong. […]

The title of this book, Illinois Politics: A Citizen’s Guide, is less than inviting when compared to many political items on bookstore shelves today. But the story between the covers tells a gripping tale of the state’s past and present, and will unnerve readers about prospects for the future. This is no treatise prepared just […]

When people think of Springfield history their minds usually turn to its favorite son. Thousands of books have been written about Abraham Lincoln, but there is much capital city lore to be brought to light outside Lincoln’s shadow. Two new books reveal stories and images of our city’s past that readers, especially Springfield natives, will […]

Angel of Death Row: My Life as a Death Penalty Defense Lawyer. Andrea D. Lyon. Kaplan Publishing, 2010. Hardcover. $24.95. Kindle edition $9.99, contains only “A Mother Accused,” a single chapter of the hardcover book. Andrea Lyon was dubbed the “Angel of Death Row” in an article in the Chicago Tribune. She was the first […]

During the first days of September, as temperatures across Illinois remain in the 80s, it is difficult to think about the cool weather of fall and the excitement of Thanksgiving weekend when high school football championships will be decided at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Across the state, high school athletes of various heights, weights and […]

A humorous quote by author and physician Anton Chekhov is on the introduction page to SCOPE, SIU School of Medicine’s 17th annual literary magazine: “Medicine is my lawful wife and literature my mistress; when I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other.” With the caliber of work found in this year’s […]

In an old Cher movie called Moonstruck, Olympia Dukakis is talking to her 40-plus-year-old daughter (Cher) about getting married and having a baby. Cher protests that she’s too old for a baby. Olympia says, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Yet most of us think of old age as a time of reflection rather than […]

If you were to stop four random strangers on a St. Louis street and ask for their opinion of William Stage’s book Fool for Life (Floppinfish) the question might elicit the following responses: •    What a heart-warming story — I loved it!•    Jeez, that guy’s kind of a prick.•    Go Cards!•     You mean the […]

Chicago Alderman Edward Burke’s career as an author had an unlikely beginning. “I was sitting at a table with a writer and professor named Craig Sautter,” recalls Burke. “We were talking about all the great political conventions that had taken place in Chicago. But all anybody ever seemed to talk about was the fear in […]

Hope from the Heartland, a new book by Jay Hoffman, the Democratic state representative from Collinsville, starts with the premise that climate change, the energy and economic crises can be solved simultaneously. “We can retool our industrial base using new technology, take advantage of our abundant natural resources, and create new jobs while replacing our […]

Paul Simon kindles memories of Frank Capra’s classic 1939 film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The fictional drama features Jefferson Smith, a wholesome idealist played by James Stewart. Maintaining uncommon integrity while occupying a seat in the United States Senate, Smith emerges as a lonely voice against the corruption and unbridled cynicism often rampant in […]