A lyrical, intelligent, authentic and necessary look at the intersection of race and class in Chicago, a Great American City.Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel have touted Chicago as a "world-class city." The skyscrapers kissing the clouds, the billion-dollar Millennium Park, Michelin-rated restaurants, pristine lake views, fabulous shopping, vibrant theater scene, downtown flower beds and stellar architecture tell one story. Yet swept under the rug is another story: the stench of segregation that permeates and compromises Chicago. Though other cities - including Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Baltimore - can fight over that mantle, it's clear that segregation defines Chicago. And unlike many other major U.S. cities, no particular race dominates; Chicago is divided equally into black, white and Latino, each group clustered in its various turfs.In this intelligent and highly important narrative, Chicago native Natalie Moore shines a light on contemporary segregation in the city's South Side; her reported essays showcase the lives of these communities through the stories of her family and the people who reside there. The South Side highlights the impact of Chicago's historic segregation - and the ongoing policies that keep the system intact.

Los Angeles Times gang reporter Michael Lyons has just left his favorite downtown saloon when he is shot and wounded on the sidewalk two blocks from City Hall. After the initial shock, fellow reporters put together a betting pool. The bet? "Who Shot Mike?" There are a lot of contenders. When the LAPD's investigation stalls, the Times runs editorials critical of the police. Then, when detectives uncover an audio tape of Lyons talking to a gang member about the benefits of getting shot, they release the tape. The embarrassed newspaper editor fires Lyons, who then sets out on the streets of Southside Los Angeles with a vengeance to find the shooter. When three seemingly unrelated people are murdered on the streets of L.A., Lyons connects them to his own shooting. The tie-in? An imprisoned, notorious gang shot-caller known as Big Evil, who Lyons made famous in a gang profile and whose younger brother is among the victims. But who is doing the killing?

A graphic novel based on the true story of Robert Yummy Sandifer, an 11-year old African American gang member from Chicago who shot a young girl and was then shot by his own gang members.

Is this happily ever after? Lucy has her life planned out: she'll graduate and then join her boyfriend, Luke, at college in Austin. She'll become a Spanish teacher and of course they'll get married. So there's no reason to wait, right? They try to be careful. But then Lucy gets pregnant. Now, none of Lucy's options are part of her picture-perfect plan. Together, she and Luke will have to make the most difficult decision of their lives.

Chicago's poor black "South Side" in the post-war years is brilliantly illuminated in this collection of images snapped by a Navy combat photographer upon returning home from World War II.

Beneath the asphalt and concrete of Southside's bustling streets lurks a fascinating and surprising history filled with stories from the past that rival anything found in a best-selling novel. From the remains of a Civil War gunboat to an elephant named Miss Chic, the vintage photographs in Images of America: Jacksonville's Southside feature vaudeville performers and lion tamers, peacocks and pioneers, alligators and bears, time capsules and Times Square, towers and turpentine, immigrants and entrepreneurs, Insta-Burger King and Storyland U.S.A., chain gangs and a giant orange T. Rex, underground tunnels, and even a profound "miracle in the pines."

Are they really the perfect couple? Paige, cheerleading captain at Southside High, and Ty, star running back, appear to be the perfect couple. But when they have their first fight, Ty screams at Paige. Paige is shocked and afraid, but Ty apologizes. Then after losing a game, Ty goes ballistic and hits Paige. Ty is arrested for assault. Even after this, she secretly meets up with Ty. But can Paige be with someone she's afraid of? What's worse—flinching every time your boyfriend gets angry? Or being alone?