George Ade, Chicago Stories.
A collection of humorous sketches that first appeared in the Chicago Record. Chicago author.

Nelson Algren, The Man with the Golden Arm.
Frankie Machine—a man said to have a golden arm because of his sure touch as a gambler and his addiction to heroin—cannot free himself from life in the Chicago slums. Chicago author.

Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio.
The inhabitants of a Midwestern town seen through the eyes of a young reporter who revolts against the narrowness of small-town life. Chicago author.

Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz.
The enchanting children’s tale about a magical land that lies over the rainbow. Chicago author.

Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March.
A picaresque novel about a Chicago youth growing up during the Depression who avoids all opportunities to settle down. Chicago author.

Gwendolyn Brooks, Selected Poems.
Chicago author.

W. R. Burnett, Little Caesar.
An evocative portrayal of the Chicago underworld of the 1920s, charting the rise, brief triumph, and inevitable fall of a gangster named Rico.

James Gould Cozzens, Guard of Honor.
During World War II, a colonel attempts to hold his Florida air force base together during three tense days following a racial incident. Chicago native.

John Dos Passos, U.S.A.
Trilogy consisting of The 42nd Parallel, 1919, & The Big Money presenting a vast portrait of American life. Chicago native.

Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie.
The story of Carrie Meeber, an innocent country girl, who is exposed to the impersonal cruelty of Chicago in the 1890s. Chicago author.

James Farrell, Studs Lonigan.
Trilogy spanning the life of an Irish-Catholic man in Chicago in the early 20th century. Chicago native.

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun.
Members of an African-American family in Chicago try to realize their dreams of education, prosperity & a better life. Chicago native.

Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises.
The story of a group of expatriates in Spain who are part of America’s lost generation. Oak Park native.

James Jones, From Here to Eternity.
A forceful and brutally realistic story of four infantrymen in Honolulu before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Robinson native.

Ring Lardner, Annotated Baseball Stories.
Stories featuring Lardner’s vain Chicago White Sox pitcher Jack Keefe and more, along with profiles of real-life players. Chicago author.

Meyer Levin, The Architect.
A fictionalized account of the life of Frank Lloyd Wright. Chicago native.

Archibald MacLeish, Collected Poems.
Glencoe native.

David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross.
A look at the savagely competitive world of a Chicago real estate office. Chicago native.

Edgar Lee Masters, Spoon River Anthology.
A collection of epitaphs narrated by the people of Spoon River as they lie buried in the town cemetery. Chicago author.

Frank Norris, The Pit.
An inside look at greed and waste in the Chicago commodities trade. Chicago native.

Carl Sandburg, Selected Poems.
Galesburg native.

Sam Shepard, Buried Child.
A woman discovers buried secrets that have destroyed the lives of her boyfriend’s family on a visit to their Illinois farm. Fort Sheridan native.

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle.
A grim look at life in the Chicago stockyards.

Richard Wright, Native Son.
A black youth who is the product of a Chicago slum is sentenced to death for murder. Chicago author.