In 1977, the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas asked to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. In 1990, South Dakota became the first state to do so and in 1992, Berkeley, Calif., the first city. Since then, more states and cities have followed. Indigenous People in Chicago…
From Miss Marple to Kinsey Millhone: The Female Detective
“I have solved some mysteries, I'll admit, and I enjoy it, but I'm sure there are many other girls who could do the same.”—Nancy Drew And so there are. Whether a historical cozy mystery to read along with a "cuppa tea" or a contemporary hard-boiled mystery that requires something stronger, female detectives have always been…
Time, Time, Time, See What’s Become of Me: Explorations in Time Travel
This year's One Book One Chicago asks us to "Imagine the Future." But what if we traveled back to the past instead? Would we then re-imagine the future knowing what we already know? Or would we just observe and watch things play out even though we already know the outcome? Time travel has been a…
We Are Still Here: A New Generation of Native Americans Demands Your Attention
A new wave of Native American writers and artists are creating works that reflect the realities of what it means to be Native American today. Up-and-coming authors Tommy Orange and Tommy Pico have moved off reservations to urban settings where, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute, 70 percent of Native American and Native Alaskans…
Indigenous Cuisine: Native Americans Go Back to Their Roots
When people think of Native American cooking, inevitably the first thing that comes to mind is fry bread. This dish was created in the 19th century out of desperation during the long walk, and for many Native Americans represents oppression and cultural devastation. In reality, indigenous cooking is very diverse and hard to define in…
Top Picks: Celebrating Kurt Vonnegut
The protagonist in Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions says, "As I approached my 50th birthday, I had become more and more enraged and mystified by the idiot decisions made by my countrymen." One can only imagine what type of novel Vonnegut would write about today's polarized United States. Celebrate the famed Midwesterner as we approach his 95th birth anniversary on November 11 with these top picks, including…
The Price of Pain: The Opioid Addiction Crisis
When Prince died of a fentanyl overdose in 2016, the world was shocked. But long before his untimely death, opioid overdoses had been taking a toll in America's heartland and in places never thought to be associated with a drug epidemic. Those things only happened in cities like New York and L.A., not Portsmouth, Ohio, or McKeesport, Pa…
Chasing the Eclipse: Popular Science Books
On August 21, a total solar eclipse will take place in the continental United States for the first time since 1979. While total solar eclipses happen about every 18 months somewhere on the Earth's surface, the path of totality only goes through the same area every 375 years. Illinois is lucky to buck those odds. Total totality, the time in which…
Ada Lovelace: “The Enchantress of Numbers”
Born Ada Gordon on December 10, 1815, Ada Lovelace was the daughter of the "mad, bad and dangerous to know" poet Lord Byron. Her mother, not wanting Ada to inherit her father's "poetic" temperament, immersed her in the study of science, logic and mathematics. In 1833, she was introduced to Charles Babbage, a celebrated and…
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Queer History
Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15. October celebrates queer history. Celebrate both by picking up one of these titles! Award-winning author and self-proclaimed fronterizo (person of the border) Benjamin Alire Sáenz is back with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Aristotle and Dante are both loners with seemingly little in common, yet…
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