Synopses & Reviews
andquot;Mayor Richard M. Daley dropped the bomb at a routine news conference at City Hall on Tuesday. With no prelude or fanfare, Mr. Daley announced that he would not seek re-election when his term expires next year. 'Simply put, it's time,' he said.andquot;and#160;
New York Times, September 7, 2010With those four words, an era ended. After twenty-two years, the longest-serving and most powerful mayor in the history of Chicagoandmdash;and, arguably, Americaandmdash;stepped down, leaving behind a city that was utterly transformed, and a complicated legacy we are only beginning to evaluate.Inand#160;First Son, Keith Koeneman chronicles the sometimes Shakespearean, sometimes Machiavellian life of an American political legend. Making deft use of unprecedented access to key players in the Daley administration, as well as Chicago's business and cultural leaders, Koeneman draws on more than one hundred interviews to tell an up-close, insider story of political triumph and personal evolution.
With Koeneman as our guide, we follow young Daley from his beginnings as an average Bridgeport kid thought to lack his father's talent and charisma to his unlikely transformation into an iron-fisted leader. Daley not only escaped the giant shadow of his father but also transformed Chicago from a gritty, post-industrial Midwestern capital into a beautiful, sophisticated global city widely recognized as a model for innovative metropolises throughout the world.
But in spite of his many accomplishments, Richard M. Daley's record is far from flawless.and#160;First Sonand#160;sets the dramatic improvement of certain parts of the city against the persistent realities of crime, financial stress , failing public housing, and dysfunctional schools. And it reveals that while in many ways Daley broke with the machine politics of his father, he continued to reward loyalty with favors, use the resources of city government to overwhelm opponents, and tolerate political corruption.
A nuanced portrait of a complex man,and#160;First Sonand#160;shows Daley to be sensitive yet tough, impatient yet persistent, a street-smart fighter and detail-driven policy expert who not only ran Chicago, butand#160;wasand#160;Chicago.
Review
andquot;Koeneman captures the arc of Daley's reign perfectlyandmdash;its early successes and later failures, its mix of volatility and insecurity, and the evolution of an insular Democratic-machine prince from Bridgeport into a powerful leader who learned to coexist with intellectuals, culture buffs, and titans of business to build a world-class city. . . . A must-read if you care about Chicago.andquot;
Review
andldquo;First Son recounts an important era of Chicagoandrsquo;s history ruled over by one of its most powerful mayors.and#160;It is a nuanced picture of Mayor Richard M. Daley with all his contradictions and triumphs, failings and successes. Keith Koeneman concludes that 'historyandrsquo;s judgment [will be] that Daleyandrsquo;s achievements . . . outweighed his mistakes.' Whether one agrees or not, First Son should be read by all who care about the city, its history, and its politics.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Native son Koeneman colorfully and familiarly details the rise of the Daleys and their imprint on their hometown. . . . A highly focused history of a 20th-century metropolis and a compelling biography of the family that shaped it for nearly half a century.andrdquo;
Review
“A ripping political biography." Booklist
Review
andquot;First Son is a very high quality biography of an important historical figure whose story is an important part of Chicago and American history.andquot;and#160;
Review
andquot;Koenemanandrsquo;sand#160;First Sonand#160;is a satisfying, engaging read for anyone who enjoys modern politics and has a heartstring or two for Chicago.andquot;and#160;
Review
“Accessible and well researched, this well-written look at the Windy City’s oft-loved, oft-controversial mayor is a compelling read.” Jane Ammeson - Times of Northwest Indiana
Review
andquot;A valuable book, admirably fair and balanced, and vastly informative about four colorful and highly eventful decades in the life of Americaandrsquo;s third-largest metropolis.andquot;
Review
andldquo;A ripping political biography.andquot;
Review
andldquo;Accessible and well researched, this well-written look at the Windy Cityandrsquo;s oft-loved, oft-controversial mayor is a compelling read.andrdquo;and#160;
About the Author
Keith Koenemanand#160;is a third-generation Chicagoan. He holds advanced degrees from Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University and writes on Chicago politics, history, and culture for theand#160;Huffington Post.
Table of Contents
Cast of Characters
Prologue
Part 1. A Kid from Bridgeport
1. Dick Daley
2. Every Happy Family Is the Same
3. Chicago Visions
Part 2. The Second Generation
4. From Father to Son
5. Darwinian Evolution
6. Mayoral Election of 1983
Part 3. Political Calculus
7. All Hell Breaks Loose
8. Restoration
9. Chicago, 1989.
10. A New Era
Part 4. Plugger
11. Crime and Grime
12. Takeover of Chicago Public Schools
Part 5. Civilizing Richie
13. Has Chicago Had a Sex Change?
14. Housing without Hope
15. Bill Daley
Part 6. Pride Is the First Deadly Sin
16. Crossing the River
17. The Two Faces of Richie Daley
18. Millennium Park
19. Corruption Tax
Part 7. Legacy
20. Global City, Parochial Council
21. One Too Many
22. Sisyphus
23. Bloodlines
24. Sunrise, November 29, 2011
Appendix A. Chicago Mayors since 1900
Appendix B. Election Results of Daleyand#8217;s Political Campaigns
Appendix C. Timeline
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index