The epic of Chicago is the story of the emergence of modern America. Here, witness Chicago’s growth from a desolate fur-trading post in the 1830s to one of the world’s most explosively alive cities by 1900. Donald Miller’s powerful narrative embraces it all: Chicago’s wild beginnings, its reckless growth, its natural calamities, its raucous politics, its empire-building businessmen, its world-transforming architecture, its rich mix of cultures, its community of young writers and journalists, and its staggering engineering project. The saga of Chicago’s unresolved struggle between order and freedom, growth and control, capitalism and community, remains instructive for our time, as we seek ways to build and maintain cities that retain their humanity without losing their energy.