Jeffery Renard Allen, Rails under My Back.
In a big city reminiscent of Chicago, family ties survive despite the travels and separations of the family members. Chicago native, UIC grad.

Elizabeth Berg, Never Change.
A lonely nurse undergoes a personal transformation when she’s hired to take care of the man she had a crush on in high school. Chicago area author.

William Brashler, Traders.
A young woman determined to succeed at the Chicago Board of Trade is betrayed by her mentor and must fight to save herself and her colleagues. Chicago author.

Carrie Brown, The Hatbox Baby.
A premature baby brought in a hatbox to an incubator exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair touches the lives of those who encounter him.

Howard Browne, Pork City.
In the gangster era of 1930s Chicago, Robert McCormick of the Chicago Tribune offers a reward when one of his reporters is shot. Chicago author.

Robert Olen Butler, Good Scent from a Strange Mountain.
This Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of stories about Vietnamese expatriates living in the U.S. blends folklore, American pop culture, and lingering memories of the war to give a unique perspective of the Vietnam experience. Granite City native.

Philip Caputo, The Voyage.
Three teenage boys embark on a great adventure that tests their mettle when their father tells them to take his schooner and not return until the end of the summer. Chicago native.

Ana Castillo, Peel My Love Like an Onion.
A Mexican-American woman in Chicago pursues her dream to become a flamenco dancer despite the polio that damaged her leg. Chicago author.

Maxine Chernoff, American Heaven.
A Polish mathematician unable to find work in her field in the U.S. because of her poor English becomes companion to an aging jazz pianist living along Lake Michigan in Chicago. Chicago native

Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street.
Esperanza’s family moves into their own home on Mango Street in a Hispanic section of Chicago, but she would rather live in a big white house like the ones she sees on TV. Chicago author.

Charles Cohen, Those Lake View Wives.
In this hilarious satire, wayward husbands in a tranquil Chicago suburb begin dying mysteriously.
Highland Park author.

The Country of Herself.
A collection of stories by Chicago women authors.

Stuart Dybek, The Coast of Chicago.
A series of interconnected stories that bring to life Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods and varied people. Chicago native.

Elizabeth Evans, The Blue Hour.
A woman looks back on her childhood, recalling her family’s descent into financial ruin after they moved to a grand house in Meander, Illinois, and lived beyond their means.

Sharon Foster, Passing by Samaria.
In the early 20th century, a young woman who discovered a lynching is sent for her safety to Chicago, where she meets two very different men.

Judith Guest, Ordinary People.
After 8 months in a mental institution for attempted suicide, a teenage boy returns home to an affluent Chicago suburb but his family is not sure how to deal with him.

Jane Hamilton, Disobedience.
A Chicago teenager who reads his mother’s e-mail learns that she’s having an affair. Oak Park native.

E. Lynn Harris, And This Too Shall Pass.
A star Chicago quarterback accused of sexual assault by an ambitious woman struggles with his feelings for a gay sportswriter who’s trying to discover the truth. Chicago author.

Kent Haruf, Plainsong.
A diverse group of people with personal troubles unite to form a family in small Colorado town.
Carbondale professor.

Larry Heinemann, Cooler by the Lake.
A petty crook who lives with assorted relatives in a house on Chicago’s North Ravenswood Avenue finds his life changes when he returns a woman’s wallet. Northbrook author!

Michael Hornburg, Downers Grove.
As she wanders through the final weeks of her senior year, a Downers Grove teen from a troubled family finds herself faced with a choice that will shape her life. Downers Grove native.

Bette Howland, Blue in Chicago.
A vivid portrayal of a working-class Jewish family in Chicago, a city torn by racial tensions, poverty and decay. Chicago native.

John Jakes, Homeland.
The saga of the Crown family’s rise to success as beer barons in Chicago during the late 19th century. Chicago native.

Charles Johnson, Middle Passage.
A newly freed slave trying to escape bill collectors and an unwanted marriage stows away aboard a ship that turns out to belong to a slave trader and begins a voyage of self discovery. Evanston native.

Lowell Komie, The Last Jewish Shortstop in America.
A divorced father of two who’s behind on his child support builds a Hall of Fame for Jewish sports
heroes on the North Shore. Highwood author.

Bruce Lancaster, The Big Knives.
The story of the 1778 expedition by George Rogers Clark to capture Illinois settlements from the British.

Syd Lieberman, Streets and Alleys.
Warm, humorous stories of the defining moments in the life of a man who grew up in Albany Park on Chicago’s northwest side.

John Manderino, The Man Who Once Played Catch with Nellie Fox.
An aging ballplayer who was once told he had talent by Chicago White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox slogs through the minor leagues clinging to hope for a shot at the majors. Riverdale native.

Grace Mark, The Dream Seekers.
The disgraced daughter of Jewish immigrants & the wife of a wealthy banker seek happiness at the time of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Chicago author.

Judy Markey, The Daddy Clock.
A bachelor who yearns for a child asks a single mom who’s his co-worker at the Chicago Sun-Times to help him find a mate. Chicago author.

William Maxwell, So Long, See You Tomorrow.
Passion leads to murder on a small Illinois farm in the 1920s. Lincoln native.

Anchee Min, Katherine.
A Chinese woman who spent eight years in a labor camp is sent to Shanghai to work in a factory and is fascinated by the glamorous American woman who teaches her English. Chicago author.

Jacqueline Mitchard, The Deep End of the Ocean.
When her son is kidnapped from a Chicago hotel, a woman lives in agony for nine years not knowing where he is. Chicago native.

Steve Monroe, ‘57, Chicago.
A Chicago boxing promoter hopes to make his fortune when he pits a young black fighter against the reigning champ, but nothing goes as planned. Chicago author.

Achy Obejas, Memory Mambo.
A Cuban-American woman living in Chicago deals with the loss of her lover and the problems of her crazy family. Chicago author.

Tawni O’Dell, Back Roads.
A 19-year-old in rural Pennsylvania struggles to raise his three sisters when their mother goes to jail for their father’s murder. Grayslake author.

Harry Petrakis, A Dream of Kings.
A Greek man in Chicago is determined to reverse a tragedy that befell his son. Chicago author.

John Powers, The Last Catholic in America.
A humorous account of a boy’s Catholic schooldays in Chicago pre-Vatican II, when nuns could throw “curve erasers.” Chicago author.

James Purdy, Gertrude of Stony Island Avenue.
A woman on Chicago’s South Side searches for answers when her daughter, a brilliant
artist, dies.

Robert Rodi, Closet Case.
A gay Chicago ad exec with homophobic coworkers has a series of embarrassing misadventures before coming out of the closet. Chicago author.

Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries.
The story of a woman whose life spans the 20th century, from childhood to marriage to success late in life as a garden columnist. Oak Park native.

April Sinclair, Coffee Will Make You Black.
Coming of age in 1960s Chicago, a black girl struggles with her parents’ traditional values and her own desire to be accepted. Chicago native.

Sharon Rolens, Worthy’s Town.
A portrait of small-town life in central Illinois during the early 20th century seen through the eyes of a boy raised by his grandparents. Illinois native.

Richard Slotkin, Abe.
A portrayal of Lincoln's early years that gives insight into the shaping of his character and his perception of America.

Dawn Trice, Only Twice I’ve Wished for Heaven.
A girl’s family moves to a community for elite black professionals, but she prefers the livelier world of her old Chicago neighborhood. Chicago author.