A variety of DePaul University professors and researchers have produced a bumper crop of books in recent months. Many of these volumes detail various aspects of Chicago’s current metamorphosis from a dying industrial giant to a diversified modern economy that is the envy of much of the nation and the world. Among the topics examined are Chicago’s emergence as a model information age economy; the role of zoning in shaping modern Chicago; and the challenge of housing the city’s poorest residents as public housing complexes are demolished. Also included are books examining substance abuse recovery strategies and a memoir of spiritual growth coinciding with immigrating to Chicago from Havana.

“The New Chicago: A Social and Cultural Analysis” edited by John P. Koval, Larry Bennett, Michael I. Bennett, Fassil Demissie, Roberta Garner and Kiljoong Kim (Temple University Press)

(Available in August)

This volume examines how Chicago, the quintessential American city, transformed itself from the “buckle of the rustbelt” into a thriving postindustrial urban center. Edited by DePaul faculty, the book contains in-depth essays from 20 leading scholars, activists and journalists and draws on data from the 2000 census and several lifetimes of experience observing the city of Chicago. The book identifies five key forces actively shaping Chicago: globalization, economic restructuring, the physical transforming of the city and suburbs, and the evolution of machine politics and race relations. The book also analyzes the role of eight major ethnic and immigrant communities in shaping a new Chicago and includes 10 case studies of grassroots and civic action that exemplify the dynamics of Chicago’s transformation.

For interviews, contact John P. Koval, associate professor of sociology, office: 312-365-4434, e-mail: jkoval@depaul.edu

“The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning in Chicago” by Joseph Schwieterman and Dana M. Caspall (Lake Claremont Press)

This authoritative and highly readable survey vividly illustrates how zoning laws have shaped the development of Chicago’s world-famous skyline as well as its bungalow belt during the past century. From the pioneering vision of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan for Chicago to the creation of “cities within a city,” such as Marina City and Illinois Center, “The Politics of Place” explores how varying political forces come together to shape Chicago’s physical landscape. The book also dissects the making of Chicago’s recently revised master zoning ordinance and its impact on hot button issues such as the condo construction boom sweeping over much of the city.

For interviews, contact Joseph P. Schwieterman, professor of public services management and director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, office: 312-362-5732, e-mail: jschwiet@depaul.edu

“Where Are Poor People to Live? Transforming Public Housing Communities” Edited by Larry Bennett, Janet L. Smith and Patricia A. Wright (M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Publishing)

This timely volume examines the radical transformation of the huge and badly decayed residential developments of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). Home at one time to more than 100,000 residents, Chicago’s public housing system became a national symbol for the failure of high-rise, low-income neighborhoods. This volume’s contributors detail how the City of Chicago and the CHA set out to remake developments, such as the Cabrini-Green Homes, into mixed-income communities embodying key attributes of the New Urbanism design philosophy.

In richly rendered detail, “Where Are the Poor People to Live?” examines the behind the scenes politicking that won Chicago’s ambitious plan for redevelopment a green light from federal authorities. It also analyzes ongoing debates as to what factors create healthy urban communities, as well as the political and legal conflicts that have arisen from several of Chicago’s mixed-income redevelopment plans.

For interviews, contact Larry Bennett, professor of political science, office: 773-325-1973, e-mail: lbennett@depaul.edu

“Creating Communities for Addiction Recovery: The Oxford House Model” Edited by Leonard Jason, Joseph Ferrari, Margaret Davis and Bradley Olson. (The Hawthorne Press)

With alcohol and drug addiction continuing to cost the U.S. economy over $500 billion per year, the search for effective treatment continues. This volume examines the impact of strategies employed by residents of Oxford House, a self-run residential treatment program that creates supportive environments for those men and women in recovery from substance addiction. Many residents triumph over their tragedy, and this book celebrates their success. Their struggles are documented in rich and compelling detail. Over a 13-year period, DePaul University researchers document the evolution of the program and what helped lead to its successes.

For interviews, contact Leonard Jason, professor of psychology, office: 773-325-2018, e-mail: ljason@depaul.edu

Joseph R. Ferrari, professor of psychology, office: 773-325-4244, e-mail: jferrari@depaul.edu

Bradley Olson, Ph.D., senior project director, DePaul University, office: 773-325-4771, e-mail: Bolson@depaul.edu

“Thomas Jefferson’s Scrapbooks” by Jonathan Gross (Steerforth/Random House)

Despite numerous biographies, Thomas Jefferson is still largely a mystery. A major clue to Jefferson’s personality is reflected by the poems he clipped as president, kept in a scrapbook and also sent to his granddaughters. Many of these poems touched upon fatherhood, reflecting the fact that Jefferson was not only a founding father of a country, but also a widowed father of two young girls.

The poems ranged widely, covering verse on nation, family and romantic love. Poems on Napoleon, razors or potatoes, Jefferson clipped them all, however prosaic. He even clipped poems eulogizing his nemesis, Alexander Hamilton. In a sense, Jefferson’s scrapbooks were his wisdom literature – a body of knowledge he hoped to pass down to his extended family and the next generation of Americans.

Jonathan Gross, acting director, DePaul Humanities Center, office: 773 325-1780, e-mail: jgross@depaul.edu

“Habana-Merida-Chicago: A Journey to Freedom” by Antonio Morales-Pita

This inspirational new memoir reflects on the personal growth of one man who grew up in Castro’s atheistic Cuba and examines the evolution of spirituality through the prism of growing freedom and self awareness. The book details Morales-Pita’s extraordinary journey from Cuba to Chicago via Britain, the Ukraine and Mexico, as he continued to grow as an economist and lost his faith in the promise of communism. At the same time it tackles universal themes of faith in the modern era, as well as the political exigencies of how Castro has retained power for nearly a half century even while wiping out Cuban traditions such as the celebration of Christmas.

For interviews, contact Antonio Morales-Pita, adjunct professor of economics, office: 312-362-8781. E-mail: amorale1@depaul.edu

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the United States, the largest private educational institution in Chicago and the tenth-largest private university in the United States. DePaul has long specialized in addressing the problems and needs of the urban poor. Its innovative curriculum and diverse faculty specializes offering pragmatic educational programs that instill values, including a commitment to community service.