The South Side

A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation

By: Natalie Y. Moore

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel have touted and promoted Chicago as a "world-class city". The skyscrapers kissing the clouds, the billion-dollar Millennium Park, Michelin-rated restaurants, pristine lake views, fabulous shopping, a vibrant theater scene, downtown flower beds, and stellar architecture tell one story. Yet swept under the rug is the stench of segregation that compromises Chicago.

The Manhattan Institute dubs Chicago one of the most segregated big cities in the country. Though other cities - including Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Baltimore - can fight over that mantle, it's clear that segregation defines Chicago. And unlike many other major US cities, no one race dominates. Chicago is divided equally into Black, White, and Latino, all groups clustered in their various turfs.

In this intelligent and highly important narrative, Chicago native Natalie Moore shines a light on contemporary segregation on the South Side of Chicago through reported essays, showing the lives of these communities through the stories of people who live in them. The South Side shows the important impact of Chicago's historic segregation and the ongoing policies that keep it that way.

©2016 Natalie Y. Moore (P)2016 Tantor

Nice history

I like the book but don’t like that you blaming white for our failures! It’s us, not them! Why do store have to have bars between the customers. It’s us not them! Crime rate is higher in our neighborhood, why? It is us not them!

Half memoir, half investigative Journalism

I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. I spent half of my life trying to survive there. Dodging bullets and crooked police. I had no time to understand the politics behind why Chicago is this way. Natalie Y. Moore did an excellent job giving us history of America’s third largest city. I didn’t like the narrator’s voice but it’s still a great read.

I wanted to like it more.

I live in the south side, love the south side, and really wanted this book about the south side to be a home run, but it fell a little short. It was very informational and there’s a lot to to take away from it, but it’s not much of a page turner. I figured with the author being an NPR reporter that the narrative component would be a bit more interesting, but that’s where it’s really lacking. The narration wasn’t great either. Still there are some reasons I would recommend this book. If anyone wants a better understanding of the urban problems often associated with Chicago or segregation in general, this is a phenomenally well researched book. Moore speaks with conviction on these matters as someone who grew up on the south side of Chicago and it comes through in this book. Her handling of the politics in this city was also probably the best of any I’ve come across. Overall, it was a decent book but it could have been better.

Eyeopening!

Natalie Y Moore did an incredible job with writing this book. this book provides the reader with fact based thought thought-provoking information.

Balanced and Enlightening

This book is a well-written and researched account of life on the south side of Chicago. It is important for anyone seeking to understand some of the larger issues facing this segregated city, and traces topics from housing to education to violence to segregation to economic disparity through their heavily racialized past through the present day. It mixes personal anecdote seamlessly with larger arcs of policy. Moore offers a well-balanced analysis of these issues and is not afraid to decry historical actions and decisions from all parties. This book is important for appreciating the complexity of issues facing millions of Chicagoans, especially for those of us who have never lived on the South Side.

Excellent read about Chgo segregation

Enjoyed it! I had to read it for class and finished it within a week as well as reading the book. I learned more about segregation and some of the factors that make it up.

A good book but needs editing

I am a big fan of Natalie Moore and love her work on our local NPR station however I felt that thus book needed some additional editing. It felt a bit uneven and repeated material from previous chapters rather than just referencing that material. It was almost as if each chapter was a stand alone piece rather than a whole book. That being said, this was a well researched examination of segregation in Chicago from the perspective of someone who grew up and works in Chicago and I really enjoyed the book.

This is a must book!

This book chronicles the story of urban America and Black America against the backdrop of one of the most important and historic communities in this country.

Masterful

I loved it, however us Chicagoans have a unique voice. would have love to hear a person from Chicago's southside narrate this novel.

The author really knows Chicago

I uncomfortably listened to this book as a long time resident of Chicago.
I worked on the South Side for many years and tried to close my eyes to the black-white-brown racism around me—

Wow- this book is an eye opener-

Since this book was published in 2016, and I listened to it in 2024, I wish that the author would do an updated version to reflect the changes in Chicago in the past 8 years.