Nicholas McCane
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, in a neighborhood called the Back of the Yards (the streets call my neighborhood Moe-Town). It’s right next to Englewood. I was born in 1980. I grew up during the crack epidemic in a neighborhood run by the notorious Almighty Black Peace Stone Rangers. Since drugs, gangs, and crooked police surrounded me, I spent my time dodging bullets and handcuffs.
I had no time to focus on politics, and why Chicago was this way. I just wanted desperately to survive and get out. Author Natalie Y. Moore is a Chicago native (and lifelong south sider) who has written several books about this. Payback (Southside Collection), The South Side, and The Almighty Black P. Stone Nation are a few.
In this book, she gives us the rundown of Chicago. It is told as a blend of memoir and investigative journalism. She talks about the Al Capone days, segregation of schools and neighborhoods, food deserts, poverty, racism, politics, projects, stereotypes, and the beloved Mayor Harold Washington. I read the physical copy as a listened to the audiobook.
I felt like she was talking to me, giving me knowledge that I had always wanted to know. I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to read her other works.
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, in a neighborhood called the Back of the Yards (the streets call my neighborhood Moe-Town). It’s right next to Englewood. I was born in 1980. I grew up during the crack epidemic in a neighborhood run by the notorious Almighty Black Peace Stone Rangers. Since drugs, gangs, and crooked police surrounded me, I spent my time dodging bullets and handcuffs.
I had no time to focus on politics, and why Chicago was this way. I just wanted desperately to survive and get out. Author Natalie Y. Moore is a Chicago native (and lifelong south sider) who has written several books about this. Payback (Southside Collection), The South Side, and The Almighty Black P. Stone Nation are a few.
In this book, she gives us the rundown of Chicago. It is told as a blend of memoir and investigative journalism. She talks about the Al Capone days, segregation of schools and neighborhoods, food deserts, poverty, racism, politics, projects, stereotypes, and the beloved Mayor Harold Washington. I read the physical copy as a listened to the audiobook.
I felt like she was talking to me, giving me knowledge that I had always wanted to know. I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to read her other works.
