American Pharaoh

The story of an American city, an iron-fisted mayor, and an era of protest and turmoil: “Superb . . . one of the finest political biographies of recent years.” —Library Journal

This is the story of Mayor Richard J. Daley and his rise from the working-class Irish neighborhood of his childhood to his role as one of the most important figures in twentieth-century American politics. It’s a tale of the birth of a family dynasty; of simmering racial tensions; of the Chicago machine; of a national Democratic convention marred by violent clashes between demonstrators and police; and of the decline of the big city bosses.

“The first full-length biography of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters of modern American political history.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Fascinatingly detailed . . . the authors do an excellent job of exposing the tragic racial history of postwar America.” —Boston Book Review

“A compelling social history of mid-century Chicago.” —The New Yorker