Book (b)

Composition Book (an edit) is "a series of excerpts from Composition Book, a long poem in progress by Matvei Yankelevich, chosen and edited by the (Columbia College) students in collaboration with the author." *

A collection of provocative, humorous, controversial, outrageous, thoughtful, and occasionally touching quotations by and about Chicagoans.

When most people hear cable car" they think "San Francisco." Yet for almost one-quarter of a century Chicago boasted the largest cable car system the world has ever seen, transporting more than one billion riders. This gigantic public work filled residents with pride--and filled robber barons' pockets with money. It also sparked a cable car building boom that spread to twenty-six other U.S. cities. But after twenty-five years, the boom went bust, and Chicago abandoned its cable car system. Today, the fascinating story of the rise and fall of Chicago's cable cars is all but forgotten. Having already written the history of the "L," Greg Borzo guides readers through a stretch of Chicago's transit history that most people never knew existed--even though they have been walking past, riding over and even dining in remnants of it for years. . ."

Our second Society authored book, including excerpts from oral histories conducted with more than 125 current and former neighborhood residents, including Shecky Greene, Hugh Downs, Harold Ramis, Ira Berkow, Joel Weisman, Jan Schakowsky, Sr. Ann Ida Gannon, Neil Hartigan, Art Berman, and Scott Turow.

Harvey Gould's reflects on his life and his appreciation for the country of Ireland. Raised Jewish in Chicago, Mr. Gould was introduced to the "old sod" by his Irish Catholic wife. He discusses the lessons to be learned from his battle with a terminal disease.

Piv and Robin are not such an unlikely match. Piv, a small-time hustler in Thailand, and Robin, a twenty-something back-packer from the United States, have always dreamed big dreams. What begins as a traveler’s affair in Sukhothai quickly intensifies, and the young lovers envision an idyllic future together, traveling the world. Their plans are thwarted in Bangkok, however, when Robin runs out of money, her credit is denied, and she may have to leave Asia and Piv behind. Desperate, Piv turns to Abu, a charismatic businessman acquaintance, for help. Thus begins Piv and Robin’s foray intoexotic animal smuggling. Soon they find themselves amid an international crime ring that may have even darker underworld ties stretching from Kenya to Russia. Under the scrutiny of the traffickers who employ them, with investigators hot on their trail, and idealistic dreams unraveling fast, Piv and Robin must face the consequences of their individual struggles for identity, as well as the cost of their mutual desires. (Other Voices Books, 2010) (Abstract taken from https://zoezolbrod.com/currency/)

¿Has visto que María? es "una fábula lírica y ricamente ilustrada para adultos sobre la búsqueda de un gato que desaparece tras la muerte de su madre". *

"Enough water and waves and you get smoothed coral. Enough poetry and sun and you get Joel Allegretti's new novella, Our Dolphin - a fairytale less Grimm than hymn to a de Chirico landscape sliced into heat waves. The main character is a curiously disfigured lad who - in his despair - allows a tragic magic world to enter his heart." - Taken from Ron Dakron's review on the back cover.