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“Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago�� is a book written by Mike Royko following the story of a politician who ruled Chicago. The author who wrote this was a newspaper columnist who followed Daley closely and was capable of displaying his knowledge in the paper. This book follows Richard J. Daley’s rise up the political ladder as he took control and made bold decisions to win over the people of Chicago. Daley was born in 1902 and lived in a Roman Catholic home. He lived in Bridgeport Chicago and was an average boy with no special talent. He soon found his best qualities and began to work on them. His leadership and easy to get along with personality pushed him into college as he desired. After college he landed himself a job working in the city where his climb started. That first job was only the beginning of his forty eight year tenure. For twenty of those forty eight years Richard was able to work as the mayor for Chicago. One of Daley’s best qualities was being able to connect with the whole city. He shared qualities of a man in the office to a man doing construction. That was why people loved him so. He controlled every group even the silent majority. Throughout the book Royko followed specific times where Daley showed his leadership qualities and wonderful characteristics. He was a man who you could sit down and have a conversation without even knowing who he is. He was a confident man who walked into rooms already knowing where he was going. This book always spoke about how good of a man he was but failed to show some of his poor choices. Readers notice how strong of a presence he had in Chicago, but don't realize how that is the extent of who he can reach. His twenty years as mayor before and during the Vietnam era is where he made a name for himself by connecting with the people of Chicago and making them his own. Through the book you see the progression of Richard as a politician and as a person. You see him gain confidence and maintain composure during tough times.
In my opinion this book was a slow read but eventually it covered things that I found interesting. The way that the author wrote impressed me because of the amount of detail he was able to go into. I felt as if that I was there next to Richard J. Daley making his executive decisions and going through his tough times. I constantly desired being there in that time period because I can connect with Daley’s attitude. Also with my current knowledge with that time period from taking classes in school like Vietnam Era, I am not far away from when Richard J. Daley was working. Throughout reading this book I was able to enjoy what was going on and would read it again. This book was really well done and stands the test of time. Although this is a few decades old, it is still a strong well written book that deserves a read by anyone interested in politics. If you don't understand politics clearly, it will be hard to follow what is going on from time to time. Also, the author begins to write about areas as if you also know where it is, which makes it hard to figure out where everything is taking place. With everything considered I would give this book a solid four out of five stars. This was a quick and interesting read that portrayed Richard J. Daley in such a wonderful way.