"The photographs in this collection, drawn from the most extensive photodocumentary project ever conceived, reflect the wide diversity of what has been called the nations most representative state. The renowned photographers of Roy Strykers Farm Security Admin. staff traveled to throughout the state, focusing on the people of Illinois at home, at work, & at play. The editors selected 162 photos for this collection from the more than 2,400 taken in Illinois, by such photographers as John Vachon, Russell Lee, Arthur Rothstein, Jack Delano, Dorothea Lange, Esther Bubley, Theodor Jung, Carl Mydans, Ann Rosenor, & Edwin Rosskam"--Barnesandnoble.com.

The Dealmakers of Downstate Illinois details the lives and contributions of three influential southern Illinois politicians of the 1970s, describing how these "dealmakers" brought jobs and facilities to their region and maintained downstate political strength in the face of growing Chicago influence.

Much has been made of the 2016 electoral flip of traditionally Democratic states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to tip Donald Trump into the presidency. Countless think pieces have explored this newfound exotic constituency of blue voters who swung red. But what about those who remain true blue? Red State Blues speaks to the lived experience of progressives, activists, and ordinary Democrats pushing back against simplistic narratives of the Midwest as "Trump Country." They've been there all along, and as the essays in this collection demonstrate, they're not leaving anytime soon. With contributions by journalist and scholar Sarah Kendzior, Kenyon College president Sean Decatur, Pittsburgh city councilman Dan Gilman, and more.

A provocative new play from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ClybournePark.

John Engler, former Governor of Michigan, once claimed that redistricting is one of the purest actions a legislative body can take. Academicians and political leaders alike, however, have regularly debated the ideal way by to redistrict national and state legislatures. Rather than being the pure process that Governor Engler envisioned, redistricting has led to repeated court battles waged on such traditional democratic values as one person, one vote, and minority rights. Instead of being an opportunity to help ensure maximum representation for the citizens, the process has become a cat and mouse game in many states with citizen representation seemingly the farthest idea from anyone’s mind. From a purely political perspective, those in power in the state legislature at the time of redistricting largely act like they have unilateral authority to do as they please. In this volume, contributors discuss why such an assumption is concerning in the modern political environment.