The World of Mike Royko

by Doug Moe

Book Overview

This illustrated biography is the first account of the colorful life of Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko, Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling author, and legendary journalist who personified Chicago in all its rough-edged charm. Drawing on exclusive photos and interviews with Royko's family and intimates, the book chronicles Royko's rise from a "flat-above-a-tavern" youth--raised above a bar on Chicago's Polish northwest side--to one of the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 029916540X
• ISBN13: 9780299165406
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.7" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Slats when we need him the most.

My oldest son,now in his thirties,greatly suprised me earlier this year when he responded to my question of what book had the most impact on him when he was growing up.He said it was more than just a book;it was the columns of Mike Royko,particularly those describing the views of Slats Grubnick."They countered all the dining room table"liberalisms"you and mom always were urging on me".While Slats and his creator,Royko,are no longer with us to directly influence my son's son on a regular basis,they are brilliantly brought back to life in this loving and honest book by Madison newspaper columnist,Doug Moe.I don't recall reading if Moe ever met Royko in person,but in this absolutely enjoyable gem,written with the cooperation of Royko's family and cohorts,Moe writes with an authority and wisdom that The Great Royko himself would love.See for yourself!As for me,I'm planning atrip to The Billy Goat tavern where I plan to hoist a few:to Slats,Royko,and Doug Moe.Thanks for the memories and inspiration.

It's about time..........

This book is a wonderful look at one of the great journalists of the 20th century. Whether you are a long time fan of Royko or are just curious about who he was and why his writing had such an impact on readers, you are in for a great read. The photos and text work very well together as Doug Moe masterfully takes you from the humble beginnings of Royko's life down through the years to his final days as the most syndicated columnist in America. Royko's story is fascinating. He was not your typical journalism school product since he, in fact, never went to journalism school. He was a self-taught, street-smart genius who learned his craft while on the job. As this book makes clear, he quickly mastered the fundamentals of sound journalism and then went on for decades entertaining and informing us all with his great writing. The book covers the highlights as well as some of the intriguing details of how it all unfolded. I recommend you read it and pass it on to a good friend.

Slats Grobnik would approve

As anyone who ever read him knows, Mike Royko was a complex man with a rare talent. He hated phonies and bureaucrats and regularly lambasted them in his column. But he had a heart of gold and constantly spoke up for the little guy, the underdog who did not have the clout to speak up for himself. Doug Moe's book celebrates and pays tribute to this fine writer. The accompanying photos are charming and help bring the subject to life. Reading THE WORLD OF MIKE ROYKO made me remember what a treasure he was and realize how much I miss him.

Excellent - captures the flavor of Royko & Chicago

Like millions of others, I followed the columns (read: exploits) of Mike Royko when he was in the Chicago newspapers. Doug Moe's biography serves his subject well in lean, workmanlike prose, capturing the flavor of the Chicago streets and neighborhoods as well as the man himself. Moe brings it alive so you can almost feel the ink smudges on newsprint and smell the Old Style in the corner bars in the dim light of winter nights. Photos and anecdotes complement the narrative, which Moe relates with his usual straightforward understated virtuosity (in other words, no sentences like this one), compelling the reader to turn the page to see what is going to happen next. Indispensable reading for anyone who wants to learn more about Royko, the writing life, newspapering, and a certain now-vanished and legendary era in Chicago journalism. The book fills a welcome niche on the bookshelf.

The surprisingly well-rounded man behind the barbed writer

Doug Moe had full access to Mike Royko's family, friends, and colleagues, present and past. He used it to put together a warm account of the many-sided man behind the sometimes acerbic, Pulitzer-Prize-winning columns. And, as a six-a-week newspaper columnist himself, he has a clarifying intuition for his subject. Royko fans will be telling these stories to each other for years. I took the new photos for this book, but the real photograhic gems are the never-before-seen shots of the younger Royko, his people and his world. The perfect Christmas gift for Royko's readers who miss him.