When writer Jason Diamond grew up in Chicago’s north suburbs, he couldn’t wait to escape. But after a couple decades in Chicago and New York City, his latest essay collection brought him back to the burbs. The Sprawl: Reconsidering the Weird American Suburbs (Coffee House Press) examines the culture, history, and distinctly American art that forms outside-but-adjacent to city life. Diamond writes in the book’s intro: “I never looked back—until I did.”
Best spot to hit the mosh pit?
I definitely go to the Lake Forest library and the Skokie library. The Lake Forest library is just so cozy and so beautiful.
Barnum & Bagel. Anybody who spent any time in Skokie probably knows it. I think about it every single day. v
