Chicago Noir

The city of Chicago has spent much time and money over the last decade marketing itself as a tourist-friendly destination for the whole family. The hard-bitten streets once represented by James Farrell and Nelson Algren may have shifted locales, and they may be populated by different ethnicities, but Chicago is still a place where people struggle to survive and where, for many, crime is the only means for their survival. The stories in "Chicago Noir reclaim that territory.

Neal Pollack worked as a reporter for the "Chicago Reader from 1993-2000, where he wrote the "Petty Crime" column, among other assignments. He is the author of three books of satire, including the cult classic "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature. He is a regular contributor to "Vanity Fair and lives in Austin, Texas.