The Division Street Princess

by Elaine Soloway

Set in the 1940s, Elaine Soloway's memoir takes its title from the street that Studs Terkel exalts in his classic book, "Division Street: America" and from the pet name her father gave her. Soloway lived in a three-room flat above her family's grocery store. In her tale of bookies, poolrooms, sidewalk playgrounds, and relatives who lived down the block, we learn about her loving but embattled parents, her adored older brother, and neighborhood kibitzers. Along with her recollections of a lively, unique community, she also shows the underside of childhood and urban life. Although far from the Holocaust and the war overseas, Soloway faced dangers close to home when a child her age was horribly murdered, and when predators preyed on voiceless little girls. As Soloway struggled to find her own identity, the family store and Division Street waged battles too: for post-war prosperity, television, supermarkets, and suburbia threatened an end to corner stores and to old neighborhoods everywhere.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5
This book was so well written & really made you feel like you were the one growing up during world war 2 on division street chicago trying to chase the american dream whilst being jewish immigrants. I felt very attached to elaine in many ways & the way it was written had you experience and understand her world and struggles as she’s going through them. It was a beautiful book & made me long for a time when things were so simple & everyone was content with that lifestyle. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

[Emily Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting to get a first person account of what the city I grew up in was like 75+ years ago. I also loved that there were photos included to help paint the picture. Great autobiography!

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a snapshot of Chicago from a Jewish girl's perspective from about 1942-1950. Her family owns a grocery store on Division St. If you know Chicago there are some interesting references to this neighborhood and the city as a whole. This story certainly touches on the strains of having a family business and the changes that the city of Chicago was undergoing at this time, but doesn't really delve into those topics as much as I would have liked.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaine talks about how her parents bought a grocery store in Chicago in the 1940s which became the centre of the Jewish and immigrant community and a place where local people shared their gossip and lives. She recalls the distant war that barely seems to touch their lives, her childhood fun playing on the streets and the seedier side of the neighbourhood with child abusers lurking in the shadows.

There was not a lot of great action in this story but something about it kept me interested enough to keep reading it. It was interesting to read about a normal family growing up in changing times as the cheaper shops start to steal away their loyal customers, spelling the end of the neighbourhood shops. It talks about the changing face of the city as people of all nationalities moved into the area, and shows that the safe communities still had their problems with abuse and murder.

A nice quick read.

[Peg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked the book because I'm in need of a memoir--and I liked the idea of following a Jewish family in the 1940s. We'll see...


I just never made the leap into this book. The writing is lackluster, particularly compared to Edgar Sawtelle and others books I've read recently. I was disappointed, to be honest. It's definitely not a Liar's Club or The Glass Castle or The Tender Bar variety of memoirs. I was glad to finish it.

[Margaret McCamant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just started this. It goes really fast, which is fine: the book is due at the library in a few days. I live near the Division Street of the title, although not in the exact area profiled here, which has gone through many incarnations as a gateway neighborhood for successive immigrant populations.

This is more a memoir of the author's youth and her family than a story about her neighborhood, which was predominantly Jewish in her 1940s childhood.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, mostly fluffy read. The author recalls her upbringing in Chicago in the 1940s. Her parents owned a small grocery store and the family lived above. The author's stories range from innocent days playing with friends in the neighborhood and more serious incidents of molestation.

[Teddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful memoir of a time gone by.I grew up in Chicago and I loved this. It reminded me the stories my Grandmother told me. But the book is so well written you will enjoy no matter where you were raised.

[Zelda · Rating 2 out of 5]

blah

[Katie Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. You know those books that make you laugh and cry simultaneously, this is that read. Very special.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. It reminded me of what it must have been like when my grandma immigrated here from Germany.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was entertaining, I liked the characters but it's not very well written.