How detailed is your knowledge of our region? Take our quiz to find out.
Our proximity to the third-largest U.S. city enriches our lives not only with economic opportunity, but also with arts and culture. Numerous great authors hail from Chicago and many others have made the city or its suburbs the setting for their stories. See if you can match the book to the author.
A. Willa Cather
B. Saul Bellow
C. Upton Sinclair
D. Richard Wright
E. Edna Ferber
F. Scott Turow
G. Philip Roth
H. Erik Larson
I. Audrey Niffenegger
J. Veronica Roth
K. Sandra Cisneros
L. Judith Guest
M. Ray Bradbury
N. Gwendolyn Brooks
O. Theodore Dreiser
P. Henry Blake Fulle
1. “The Jungle,” 1906. A worker in Chicago’s meat-packing industry suffers abuse from turn-of-the-century capitalism.
2. “Presumed Innocent,” 1987. A Chicago prosecutor is charged with the murder of his colleague and mistress.
3. “Native Son,” 1940. A young African-American man is trapped by poverty on Chicago’s South Side.
4. “Dandelion Wine,” 1957. A 12-year-old boy experiences a nearly idyllic childhood in “Green Town,” based on Waukegan.
5. “Sister Carrie,” 1900. A Wisconsin country girl seeks her American Dream in Chicago.
6. “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” 2003. A Chicago librarian and art student find love even though he spontaneously journeys to other time periods.
7. “The Song of the Lark,” 1915. Named for a famous painting at Chicago Art Institute. A Colorado woman hones her vocal talent in Chicago.
8. “The Cliff Dwellers,” 1893. The first skyscrapers emerge in Chicago, transforming the lives of their builders and inhabitants for better and worse.
9. “The House on Mango Street,” 1984. A Latina girl determines who she will become as she comes of age in Chicago. This book is frequently taught in schools.
10. “The Adventures of Audie March,” 1953. An audacious young man navigates life on his own terms in Chicago.
11. “Ordinary People,” 1976. An affluent North Shore family struggles to cope with two family tragedies.
12. “The Girls,” 1921. Three generations of strong women living on Chicago’s South Side are determined to improve their lives.
13. “Maud Martha,” 1953. A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet’s only novel. The title character matures to adulthood in Chicago’s African-American neighborhoods.
14. “Letting Go,” 1962. Intimate portrait of four characters during a few tension-filled years of their lives, with an eye toward the way social pressures impact them.
15. “The Devil in the White City,” 2004. Based on the real-life serial killer who used the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago to lure victims.
16. “Divergent,” 2013. The dystopian adventure of a brave young woman faced with hard decisions in futuristic Chicago.
Quiz Answers
1. C. Upton Sinclair, “The Jungle,” 1906.
2. F. Scott Turow, “Presumed Innocent,” 1987
3. D. Richard Wright, “Native Son,” 1940
4. M. Ray Bradbury, “Dandelion Wine,” 1957
5. O. Theodore Dreiser, “Sister Carrie,” 1900
6. I. Audrey Niffenegger, “The Time Traveler’s Wife, 2003
7. A. Willa Cather, “The Song of the Lark,” 1915
8. P. Henry Blake Fuller, “The Cliff Dwellers,” 1893
9. K. Sandra Cisneros, “The House on Mango Street,” 1984.
10. B. Saul Bellow, “The Adventures of Audie March,” 1953
11. L. Judith Guest, “Ordinary People,” 1976
12. E. Edna Ferber, “The Girls,” 1921
13. N. Gwendolyn Brooks, “Maud Martha,” 1953
14. G. Philip Roth, “Letting Go,” 1962
15. H. Erik Larson, “The Devil in the White City,” 2004
16. J. Veronica Roth, “Divergent,” 2013