Is it the water in Lake Michigan that makes Chicago such a politically corrupt city? That might sound like an outlandish theory, but R.J. Nelson’s Dirty Waters: Confessions of Chicago’s Last Harbor Boss makes a compelling case.
What also keeps things lively is the tone of Nelson’s writing, a chili bowl full of corner-tap talk, sensitive memoir, and detective fiction. At times the gumshoe similes soar: “New furniture and carpeting were ordered, but like reform in government the process took time while the stench of chain-smoked corruption lingered.” And there’s plenty of new information that should delight local readers, from the physical makeup of the harbors to the ins and outs of local yacht clubs to the secret laboratories under Soldier Field set up to study surface waves. Next time when someone asks why Chicago’s so corrupt, tell them it must be something in the water. v
By R.J. Nelson (University of Chicago) Nelson speaks, with cash bar and complimentary snacks Tue 11/22, 6 PM Cliff Dwellers’ Club 200 S. Michigan, 22nd floor 312-922-8080cliff-chicago.org Free
