City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist

Ever had one of those weeks when it seems like everything that can go wrong did go wrong? I am sure most, if not all of us, can answer yes to this question, but it would be very difficult to identify when as many situations went wrong as they in Chicago during July, 1919. These situations are all recounted in Gary Krist’s new book City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago. Krist is the also the author of The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche.

Krist opens the book with the dramatic retelling of the crash of the Wingfoot Air Express on July 21^st of 1919. The author provides personal accounts of several victims and survivors and how they came to their fate on that day, including the tale of the unfortunate Carl Otto. As the book unfolds we are taken inside the courtroom during the coroner’s inquiry as representatives from Goodyear arrive to take financial responsibility as they defended against charges of negligence.

In the first part of the book Krist outlines the events leading up to the dramatic 19 days in July by providing an overview of the happenings in Chicago, such as veterans returning from war, the looming reality of prohibition, and the optimistic dreams of competing with New York to be the strongest city in the United States. Also during this time the mayoral race is heating up first in selecting the Republican nominee and then the election. It is here that we are first introduced to the larger than life character of “BigBill” Thompson and his cohort Fred Lundin. It is interesting to see how Thompson was able to win elections while constantly feuding with the press and dodging allocations of misallocation of funds. The machine established by these two would shape Chicago politics for many years during the early 20^th century.

During the build up to the summer crisis there are numerous bombings of houses owned by African Americans. The tension continued to rise as more soldiers return to Chicago and jobs began getting scarce. Finally the hints of future labor unrest start to appear as transit workers begin negotiations with owners.

The July 21^st air disaster seems to light the fuse which precipitates the series of crises which are recounted in the main part of the book. Krist does an excellent job of providing a day by day accounting of the 19 days in late July by weaving the various crises together in a way that is easy to keep track of all the simultaneous storylines.

There is plenty of anger swirling around the Windy City due not to only the racial and labor tensions but also over the lack of regulations to restrict air traffic patterns over the city which contributed to the magnitude of the air disaster. If this was not enough young Janet Wilkinson goes missing which triggers a city wide outcry to find and lock away all 'morons'. All these tensions boils over as the temperatures soar during the Chicago summer and perpetuates the feud between Mayor Thompson and Illinois Governor Frank Lowden.

The particular crisis that deservedly receives the most attention in the book is the horrific race riots. These were some of the worst race riots in America during this time period and Krist masterfully builds disturbing images of the riots in the mind of the reader. Most disturbing is the understanding of how the political battle between Mayor Thompson and Governor Lowden likely resulted in extending the race riots a few extra days.

The book concludes with an aftermath of the crises and follows the lives and careers of the key players, including the ultimate result of the Thompson/Lowden feud.

I really enjoyed this book mostly because I was not previously aware of the various stories that are recounted in the book. One of my takeaways from the book is a positive one – no matter how terrible situations may appear, recovery and prosperity is always possible. Chicago’s relatively quick rebound from the series of crises in 1919 should be seen as an inspiration to any individuals or organizations that are impacted by disasters.

Overall this is a well researched and written account of the summer of 1919 in Chicago, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Chicago or the early 20^th century in America.