Royko's a solid writer in the old mode of honest journalists. He takes any bias or subjectivity out of his work, which is good. That makes this book eye-opening.

Dick Daly, like his son and the preponderance of Chicago Democrats was a lying, corrupt, racist man who'd do anything to continue his dominance over the Chicago political machines. And Royko explains this, having viewed the entire era from a local angle.

If you like stories and insight, look here.

Noteworthy is how little things have changed four decades later. His son is now the mayor, racists like Jesse Jackson and Rev. Wright are still relevant and spewing hatred (and getting away with it) and now they have "their" candidate---of "hope" and "change."

People think Barack H. Obama is a new face, but he's the consummate politician. He's the same corrupt guy that most Chi Dems are.

By now all of America should fathom the truth: Obama made a devil's bargain with a number of racists to establish his own street credentials in the rough and tumble world of Chicago politics. And here he is today.

Those who ignore history repeat it---and vote for this Empty Suit at their own ignorance and peril in 2008.

Book came quickly. It was just a little bit more weathered than I expected, but it's an old book so I'm not complaining

Book came quickly. It was just a little bit more weathered than I expected, but it's an old book so I'm not complaining

Yup, I too was alive and kicking during most of The Mayor's reign, and I have to agree, it's got the ring of truth to it. This book was intended as more of a verbal portrait of Daley and the city he helped shape than as a political analysis, although Daley's administration is effectively dissected. Civics classes AND journalism classes should be required to read this since not only is it an outstanding example of what is known in some circles as "Literary Journalism" but because it's more than just political theory,it illustrates the real life nuts and bolts workings of a big city. This is right up there with Caro's "The Power Broker" What's really wild is that I read this book right after I read "The Godfather" and both of the titular characters operated in much the same way!

Yup, I too was alive and kicking during most of The Mayor's reign, and I have to agree, it's got the ring of truth to it. This book was intended as more of a verbal portrait of Daley and the city he helped shape than as a political analysis, although Daley's administration is effectively dissected. Civics classes AND journalism classes should be required to read this since not only is it an outstanding example of what is known in some circles as "Literary Journalism" but because it's more than just political theory,it illustrates the real life nuts and bolts workings of a big city. This is right up there with Caro's "The Power Broker" What's really wild is that I read this book right after I read "The Godfather" and both of the titular characters operated in much the same way!

A great read (though dated) of the political machine Richard J Daley enhanced in Chicago. Though Daley himself never pursued the money end of the corruption, his machine enhanced their wealth and Daley's power in their almost total control of the city. Daley was a great politician, turning set backs to political advantage. Daley tolerated crooked cops, until he was forced to hire a reformer. After awhile he took out the reformer, and hired an enforcer as police commissioner. This is a great read about the machine that controls Chicago. This gives an interesting look into the mind of the political machine of Chicago.

This is a great book. If one wants to read further on the Chicago Democratic political machine or Richard J. Daley, American Pharoeh is another great book. This should be required reading for those who live in Illinois.

This is a serious and ambitious coverage of the internal workings of Chicago government. This book didn't make me laugh as Royko's "Sez Who? Sez Me!" did, but is so insightful and well-written that this reader, not too knowledgeable about politics, thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story is important because it uncovers a truth otherwise overlooked by the media (for example, what really happened at the police riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention). Amazingly, despite the ugliness of the politics portrayed, Royko's writing is not too judgemental; any judgement of Daley is left to the reader. As Royko describes the rise of Daley's Machine, it becomes clear that the motivation behind most of Daley's actions was simply to keep his enemies powerless and keep the Machine's dominance intact, even when it means promoting inept allies to positions of power or neglecting the needs of Chicago's most struggling people.

Royko's classic portrait of Daley and "his" Chicago is perhaps most distinguished by its narrator. While the facts remain the same between this book and others such as American Pharoah, the profound attachment and understanding of a man who spent his professional career writing about the same city that shaped Daley creates a much more colorful and intricate perspective on mid 20th century Chicago. Presented as a journalistic piece rather than a heavily footnoted history or political science text, Boss engages the reader on a more narrative than statistical level. Through personal stories of machine "grunts" and smoke filled rooms, Royko accomplishes more in just over 200 pages than the statistical tome American Pharoah does in over 600. It comes down to one necessary and incontrovertable fact: only a Chicagoan can truly understand and synthesize the experience and leadership of his or her city. East-coasters can write about the "City with Big Shoulders" until their knuckles seize up, but they will not be able to truly appreciate the subtleties of Chicago's culture and psyche. As a highly respected voice in Chicago journalism who was at loggerheads with Mayor Daley on numerous occasions, Royko presents an honest and faithful version of Chicago and its mayor.

A good detailed writing of the corrupt Richard Daley of Chicago and how he kept getting away and away with it

Royko gives a one-sided portrait of Mayor Daley. Royko doesn't allow the reader to form his own opinion of the Mayor based on the fact of the administration; the author found it necessary to tell the reader that the actions were brutal, hypocrytical, etc which gave the sense that Royko wanted to make absolutely sure that we, as the audience hated Mayor Daley, without question.

This is an entertaining book, without question, but I would have found it more enjoyable had it been more objective.