City Reads: 3 Teen Books Set in Chicago

Sometimes it's all about the setting, and these three YA reads set in Chicago show there are many ways to use a city to help tell the story.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Olga was the perfect daughter and sister, but Julia is the one who is left behind - and, as the title states, she is not perfect. This story felt so real and present - when Julia takes the train to the crowded and eclectic bookstore in Wicker Park, I knew she was at Myopic Books - and the romance takes a backseat to the drama of finding out who Olga really was.

There were a few problematic details for this reader who grew up in a rural town where she *gasp* shared a room with her sister (which is, according to our narrator, a mark of being poor). I cannot stand when characters who have autonomy and live in CITIES say they need to escape - like, dude, just take the train to a museum or a library or the lake or a mall or a coffee shop or a book store or any number of grocery stores available to you...as someone who did not have any of those options growing up (besides a library, which was a godsend and lifesaver), complaints like this just sound like whining.

That being said, I get that teens can feel trapped regardless of where they are. They may not know who they are, or who their families are, or they may need to "get out" of whatever comfort zone (mental, physical, or emotional) they have to learn who they are and what they stand for - and Sanchez does a wonderful job of creating a narrator who I didn't always like, but who is consistent in her angst and self-discovery.

Neighborhood Girls by Jessie Ann Foley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having little in common with Wendy and Co. besides coming from a white Catholic family, I could still totally understand the need to leave your childhood neighborhood. Except I left to Chicago, but whatever. (See my review for IANYPMD above for my thoughts on city kids needing to escape.)

I loved that this book is firmly set in Chicago, in a specific neighborhood, and I’m glad Foley used that neighborhood to tell the story (ahem, writers who set their stories in “Chicago” and then disregard the city’s history and culture and basic aspects of its geography). The streets, trains, and old Polish ladies all feel very present. City kids who love their city (or enjoy the familiarity of it) and country kids who live vicariously through books with a real sense of place will both appreciate all the specific details.


I found the depiction of mean girl cliques just dramatic enough to be entertaining, and appreciated the themes of faith and belief using both Catholic icons and ghosts. The Our Lady of Lourdes imagery was great, and I love how extra people were about it. This shouldn’t be the only self-searching/faith-questioning/family drama/mean friends book in one’s collection, but there’s definitely an audience for it.


The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cisneros tells Esperanza's story in a series of connected yet distinct vignettes, each one a poetic snack. Every word, every phrase, every sentence says something - no throwaway details or flowery prose with no meaning. In the past, I've read selections from The House on Mango Street (which is a great way to scaffold learning for younger readers - while the book as a whole is appropriate for high school or college, I've seen sixth and seventh graders analyze certain chapters with brilliant insightfulness), but reading it cover to cover is a real treat. I saw Chicago on every page, and it was beautiful and complex.


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2Birthdays & 2Cellos

Yes, our birthdays are in the summer...but our birthday gift from Mom & Dad got postponed until last weekend - a sold out 2Cellos concert!

Neither Jesus nor I have ever seen a show at the Chicago Theatre, so we enjoyed seeing the inside of this landmark building. The music was pretty alright too. ;) 

Museum of Contemporary Art: Murakami

I've lived in Chicago for almost seven years, and this past weekend I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art for the first time! My fiance isn't huge on the concept of "contemporary art," and I'm not passionate about it, so it hasn't been high on our list of things to see, but their current Murakami exhibit beckoned us to finally check a look.

One of the things about contemporary art is it's always changing (to be contemporary, ya know), so none of the exhibitions at the MCA are permanent. Right now (and until September 24), Murakami is the anchor exhibit, taking up most of the top floor, but smaller galleries on the lower floors were...interesting as well.

If I'm being honest, it was difficult to take some of the pieces seriously in these smaller galleries. At times, I literally looked around me to see if we were all being punk'd. While the spaces, how they were arranged, and the presentation of the art were all seamless and effective, I wasn't as immersed in the emotion or talent of the art as I have been at other museums. I mean, there was literally a collection of contact lenses in one of the galleries. This is just a clay bowl with an imprint of a debit card in it. It felt too come mierda (as a Puerto Rican would say) to have a reaction other than "Hmm." I don't doubt that what's in the museum is art, but it's more commentary and statement than art for art's sake.

Takashi Murakami though, didn't disappoint. Neither Jesus nor I knew who he was before seeing his works at the museum, other than that he is Japanese and has collaborated with Kanye West. The entire gallery read like a visual autobiography, tracing Murakami's artistic journey to the creator he is today. I'm always a sucker for diverse portfolios and seeing how an artist (of any kind) evolves. Moods and phases are obvious in retrospect and you can further appreciate recent works knowing where they came from. Murakami is a contemporary artist, yes, but his influences reach deep into Japanese history. Add that to his own personal history, and all those layers add up to a wonderful viewing experience.

Chicago History Musuem

Why have I never been here before?! The Chicago History Museum is interactive, educational, and a fun time for this transplant and her native fiance.

Free Museum February

Chicago/Illinois people: the Field Museum is free all February! Go find something new there, like the creative additions to the Native American exhibit, or pay for the upgrade to see the temporary Tattoo exhibit (the exhibit is temporary...not the tattoos). Whatever you do, take advantage of living in a city with a vibrant museum culture.

Inspiration Kitchens & Garfield Park Conservatory

Because sometimes you need a quiet, beautiful place to shut out the world's nonsense while you recharge. Also, amazing food for a worthy cause.

In 1989, former police officer Lisa Nigro began passing out sandwiches and coffee to residents of Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. Today, under the Inspiration Corporation umbrella, Inspiration Kitchens provides training and jobs, along with other supports, to street-based and low income populations interested in working in food service. Because I'm all about voting with my dollars (and because the food is a grand slam), eating at Inspiration Kitchens before a visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory was a no-brainer for Jesus and me. He got the shrimp skillet, I got chicken on a biscuit, and we both got wowed by our meals.

We got real zen once inside GPC - I love how hushed people get around abundant plant life, both massive and tiny. While Jesus took a few laps around the different rooms searching for Pokemon, I sat on a bench in the Fern Room and read. It was glorious. And were it not for a lingering cough, which made my lungs favor the Aroid House, I could have sat in the Desert House for several hours, just being quiet.

Play Ball?

It's hard not to think about baseball right now. In Chicago (more specifically, in my apartment & in an elementary school on the North Side, the two places I spend most of my time), water cooler talk is all about the Cubs. Almost everyone has an opinion on them, either highly positive (This is their year!) or historically negative (They're gonna choke!)...except me.

Would I like the Cubs to win the World Series? Sure, why not. Will I lose any sleep if they don't? Nope. I'm not a good baseball fan in general - I only start following it in October, and watch only the World Series itself, if that. On top of that, when I am a fan at all, I'm a fan of the White Sox (who were World Series Champs as recently as 2005, not that ESPN remembers). For me to enthusiastically cheer on the Cubs now feels like more than jumping on the bandwagon. It's inauthentic - traitorous, even.

Instead, I'll watch quietly from my couch, cheering on a good game in general. I'll ask Cubs fans how they're feeling about upcoming games 3 & 4 (and likely 5) here in Chicago. I'll enjoy the playing of "Go Cubs Go" over the PA system at school. And I'll most definitely stay far away from Wrigleyville this weekend, where a combo of Halloween weekend and the games that could decide the winner of the World Series will probably incite a drunk zombie riot.

River North Adventure

Sometimes you just gotta get out and about in your city. Jesus and I did that Sunday and we were treated to a fun day of exploring and people-watching. We strolled up and down the Riverwalk (which has changed so much since I've moved here!), making up backstories for the people we saw and speculating on condo prices in the neighborhood. We waved to visitors on their boat tours and marveled at the bravery of kayakers who seemed to not have a care about whatever toxins they sat in.

Our main reason for being in River North was to see the Discover Da Vinci exhibit at Water Tower Place. We gazed at replicas of Da Vinci's masterpieces, tried out a few of his inventions, and heard Mark Rodgers speak on Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and their influence on the Italian Renaissance. Our tickets also got us entry to the Chicago Sports Museum, so we re-tested our reaction times and shot a few hoops with the greats. And since we were there, we of course had to visit The Art of Dr. Seuss Gallery and American Girl Place. (We'll never not be amazed at the accessories you can buy for a doll.)

Then we took our time walking back towards the train - Jesus was playing Pokemon Go, so he wanted to chill near parks or cross the street (and back again) to catch something new. We stepped inside Fourth Presbyterian Church and saw their courtyard, an altogether strange juxtaposition next to Hancock and the shops of Michigan Ave. A sign outside of the Historic Water Tower caught our eye and we stopped there as well to walk through a short history of Cards Against Humanity (Chicago-based!). When there were benches, we sat for a few minutes.

Yep, sometimes you just gotta get out (sans agenda).