What do you think?
Rate this book
Royko: A Life in Print
With the incisive pen of a newspaperman and the compassionate soul of a poet, Mike Royko was a Chicago institution who became, in Jimmy Breslin's words, "the best journalist of his time." Royko was by all accounts a difficult man, who would chew out his assistants every morning and retire to the Billy Goat Tavern every night. But his writing was magic. No one captured Chicago like Mike Royko. No one wrote with his honesty, his toughness, his passion, and his humor.
In this, the first comprehensive biography of one of the most important Chicagoans of the century, Dick Ciccone, a long-time colleague and editor of Royko's at the Chicago Tribune , captures Royko at his best and at his worst. We see Royko on his tenth drink of the afternoon. We see him sweating over columns minutes before deadline. We see him romancing his wife and torturing his legmen. We see him barbequeing ribs and riffing on politicians. Mike Royko was a man of the people. With his keen sense of justice and his murderous pen, he became the most widely read columnist in Chicago history. His column was syndicated in more than 600 newspapers across the country.
With 7500 columns spanning four decades, Royko's writing reflects a radically changing America. Royko not only tells the story of one of America's greatest newspapermen, but also explores the dramatic changes in journalism over the course of the twentieth century.
In this, the first comprehensive biography of one of the most important Chicagoans of the century, Dick Ciccone, a long-time colleague and editor of Royko's at the Chicago Tribune , captures Royko at his best and at his worst. We see Royko on his tenth drink of the afternoon. We see him sweating over columns minutes before deadline. We see him romancing his wife and torturing his legmen. We see him barbequeing ribs and riffing on politicians. Mike Royko was a man of the people. With his keen sense of justice and his murderous pen, he became the most widely read columnist in Chicago history. His column was syndicated in more than 600 newspapers across the country.
With 7500 columns spanning four decades, Royko's writing reflects a radically changing America. Royko not only tells the story of one of America's greatest newspapermen, but also explores the dramatic changes in journalism over the course of the twentieth century.
480 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2001
7 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 30, 2018
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrin...
'Stop Kardashianism Now'... haha yes!! (Kardashian=Trump)
Oh how Royko would have loved that declarative: literally! The Continental & Royko belong to an era that's gasped and gone and so too the days of newspaper readership/relevance with the exception the handful of still operative stalwarts in major cities where tradition dies slower. He was a newspaperman of legend, an old school self-taught journalist who was uncompromising in pursuit of truth/justice for the common man who worked for a living. His run as columnist ran for over 30 years during which he skewered any and all malfeasance especially political figures - the "Boss" Richard J Daley his main target. It was a time before political correctness had such a stranglehold on culture and Royko was anything but PC although he also championed equal rights and minority causes like few others in his time. He was from immigrant lineage like most Chicagoans and gave & took racial slurs in joking fashion never intended for belittling only rather to say we are all alike and don't take it personal. He was picketed many times over the years by groups who had yet to comprehend the difference. It did though finally do him in as he outlasted his cultural/professional generation - PC & technology/corporatization changed for good how we take in the world around us. Facebook & Twitter [literally] scamp the day. AND he was a lifelong Cubs fan, a sixteen inch softballer, a ribfest originator, a frequenter of the Billy Goat tavern and jazz lounge haunts, fisherman & golfer. All good. This is a damn fine biography of a Chicago legend who will be remembered until a new Mrs. O'Leary's cow burns it down again OR our current PC abuser gets us nuked for bad manners. Milk the cow and dump the chump!
Yeah, yeah, I'll down my drink and vamoose, pal.
'Stop Kardashianism Now'... haha yes!! (Kardashian=Trump)
Oh how Royko would have loved that declarative: literally! The Continental & Royko belong to an era that's gasped and gone and so too the days of newspaper readership/relevance with the exception the handful of still operative stalwarts in major cities where tradition dies slower. He was a newspaperman of legend, an old school self-taught journalist who was uncompromising in pursuit of truth/justice for the common man who worked for a living. His run as columnist ran for over 30 years during which he skewered any and all malfeasance especially political figures - the "Boss" Richard J Daley his main target. It was a time before political correctness had such a stranglehold on culture and Royko was anything but PC although he also championed equal rights and minority causes like few others in his time. He was from immigrant lineage like most Chicagoans and gave & took racial slurs in joking fashion never intended for belittling only rather to say we are all alike and don't take it personal. He was picketed many times over the years by groups who had yet to comprehend the difference. It did though finally do him in as he outlasted his cultural/professional generation - PC & technology/corporatization changed for good how we take in the world around us. Facebook & Twitter [literally] scamp the day. AND he was a lifelong Cubs fan, a sixteen inch softballer, a ribfest originator, a frequenter of the Billy Goat tavern and jazz lounge haunts, fisherman & golfer. All good. This is a damn fine biography of a Chicago legend who will be remembered until a new Mrs. O'Leary's cow burns it down again OR our current PC abuser gets us nuked for bad manners. Milk the cow and dump the chump!
Yeah, yeah, I'll down my drink and vamoose, pal.
July 9, 2015
There was a time when I thought Mike Royko was a “bleeding heart” with a “foul mouth,” but a brilliant sense of humor. I read his syndicated column (when I could find it) with the same kind of gusto I devoured Art Buchwald’s (when I could find it). At the time, I neither lived in the Chicago of Royko or “The City” of Buchwald. Yet, each columnist expressed their city, the culture underpinning that city, and the significance of that city in ways that, as a young man, I couldn’t explain. Reading Mike Royko: A Life in Print helps me understand, a little bit, why a columnist so focused on one city could have been so important to me when living half-a-continent away.
Although I ended up in “soft” journalism or “pop” journalism as editor-in-chief of a seminal computer game magazine, Royko’s hard-nosed journalism was part of my inspiration. His motto seemed to be “The Eagle Does Not Hunt Flies” (pp. 239-40), but his life and work left a reminder that one occasionally goes after the vulture and hits the sparrow (p. 12). Anyone who has ever tried to put the truth in print knows the danger of that.
Even his approach to dealing with friends when he covered their lesser efforts and failures was similar to mine. “Friends are friends but the column was always the column.” (p. 193) Indeed, his advice is that same as I would give, “If you get too close, then you’re going to feel uncomfortable when you have to stick it to them.” (p. 213)
Another famous creator who was syndicated in newspapers was the famous cartoonist, Bill Mauldin. My junior high school history professor introduced me to this cartoonist’s very honest view of World War II. Mauldin was pretty honest about Royko as quoted in this book:
“Royko is like his city. He has sharp elbows, he thinks sulfur and soot are natural ingredients of the atmosphere, and he has an astonishing capacity for idealism and love devoid of goo.”
(pp. 136-7) Perhaps, Royko’s own estimation of his personality is particularly insightful: “I would have made a bad editor. I could never fire anyone.” (p. 258)
F. Richard Ciccone, who had the distinction of being Royko’s editor for a time, has written a marvelous tapestry juxtaposing the historical backdrop, the human being, and the writing of a powerful journalist. In terms of history, I hadn’t realized (and I had just graduated high school at the time) that the Students for a Democratic Society were rumored to be planning and believed to be planning the contamination of the Chicago water supply with LSD (p. 148). The mere logistics (not to mention the cost) of such an operation demands a hefty degree of skepticism. It added to my already jaundiced view of government because it sounds like an excuse for excessive government force that was leaked by the first Daley’s administration. And you really get a picture of the infamous ward boss, Ed Quigley, when you read Royko’s great line about hustling votes, “’When it came to bringing back the dead,’ one of Quigley’s old cronies said, ‘that Dr. Frankenstein was a piker compared to Big Eddie.’” (p. 241)
To me, though, the two most memorable lines in the book had to do with definitions. I resonated with Royko’s definition of “clout.” Royko asserted that it didn’t simply mean power, but the will to circumvent the law in order to use it (p. 306). But, I’ll never forget his definition of a newspaper reporter: “If there’s a big puddle in the street, a gentleman puts his coat down for a lady to walk on. But a newspaperman spits in the puddle, then goes to ask the sewer department why the puddle isn’t draining.” (p. 438) No wonder Royko was seen to be such a gadfly and no wonder he was so significant.
I doubt if anyone is picking up this book new, but if you’re interested in Chicago history, it’s a significant book to read. There are places where I wasn’t sure why Ciconne was detailing certain personalities or talking of insignificant events, but in spite of that, the book was significant to me.
Although I ended up in “soft” journalism or “pop” journalism as editor-in-chief of a seminal computer game magazine, Royko’s hard-nosed journalism was part of my inspiration. His motto seemed to be “The Eagle Does Not Hunt Flies” (pp. 239-40), but his life and work left a reminder that one occasionally goes after the vulture and hits the sparrow (p. 12). Anyone who has ever tried to put the truth in print knows the danger of that.
Even his approach to dealing with friends when he covered their lesser efforts and failures was similar to mine. “Friends are friends but the column was always the column.” (p. 193) Indeed, his advice is that same as I would give, “If you get too close, then you’re going to feel uncomfortable when you have to stick it to them.” (p. 213)
Another famous creator who was syndicated in newspapers was the famous cartoonist, Bill Mauldin. My junior high school history professor introduced me to this cartoonist’s very honest view of World War II. Mauldin was pretty honest about Royko as quoted in this book:
“Royko is like his city. He has sharp elbows, he thinks sulfur and soot are natural ingredients of the atmosphere, and he has an astonishing capacity for idealism and love devoid of goo.”
(pp. 136-7) Perhaps, Royko’s own estimation of his personality is particularly insightful: “I would have made a bad editor. I could never fire anyone.” (p. 258)
F. Richard Ciccone, who had the distinction of being Royko’s editor for a time, has written a marvelous tapestry juxtaposing the historical backdrop, the human being, and the writing of a powerful journalist. In terms of history, I hadn’t realized (and I had just graduated high school at the time) that the Students for a Democratic Society were rumored to be planning and believed to be planning the contamination of the Chicago water supply with LSD (p. 148). The mere logistics (not to mention the cost) of such an operation demands a hefty degree of skepticism. It added to my already jaundiced view of government because it sounds like an excuse for excessive government force that was leaked by the first Daley’s administration. And you really get a picture of the infamous ward boss, Ed Quigley, when you read Royko’s great line about hustling votes, “’When it came to bringing back the dead,’ one of Quigley’s old cronies said, ‘that Dr. Frankenstein was a piker compared to Big Eddie.’” (p. 241)
To me, though, the two most memorable lines in the book had to do with definitions. I resonated with Royko’s definition of “clout.” Royko asserted that it didn’t simply mean power, but the will to circumvent the law in order to use it (p. 306). But, I’ll never forget his definition of a newspaper reporter: “If there’s a big puddle in the street, a gentleman puts his coat down for a lady to walk on. But a newspaperman spits in the puddle, then goes to ask the sewer department why the puddle isn’t draining.” (p. 438) No wonder Royko was seen to be such a gadfly and no wonder he was so significant.
I doubt if anyone is picking up this book new, but if you’re interested in Chicago history, it’s a significant book to read. There are places where I wasn’t sure why Ciconne was detailing certain personalities or talking of insignificant events, but in spite of that, the book was significant to me.
March 30, 2015
Solid but unspectacular biography of the great writer. With such a rich subject, a biographer would be hard-pressed not to write a decent book, but that's about all this is - decent. Royko fans would be better off reading his great compilations instead.
April 5, 2020
This book is comprehensive about the life of the late Chicago journalist Mike Royko, full of details about his life, family, and career-and yet does not tell the whole story.
I admit I knew almost nothing about him except what I read in his column when it appeared in the Chicago Tribune. That he had addiction and mental problems was fleshed out, and how the newspaper industry and Chicago politics and the city in general had changed from Royko's childhood to his old age were covered, and how he and everyone else had to adapt. He was driven by principle and genuine morals but also by egotism and insecurity, even if he tried to cure his personal problems in his later years. And the book even points out some of Royko's hypocrisies such as chastising the Daley family for avoiding wartime combat when Royko did the exact same thing.
Yet what Ciccone fails to cover is that while Royko was certainly liberal by early twentieth-century standards, by his later years he became distinctly less liberal (rather then truly conservative). He was hardly sympathetic towards homosexuals and mentioned that homeless people were mostly people with mental problems (true or not), and while he mentioned how blacks suffered generations ago, he criticized them for their bad behavior in more modern times. He even laughed at the term "undocumented" as an euphemism for "illegal aliens".
And he did not always hit the nail on the head either. Royko turned out to be wrong about Reagan not only as a politician but as a person, and he also turned out to be wrong about Gary Dotson's being a rapist or Bob Greene's being a good journalist. The book says much about Royko, but could and should have been more accurate.
I admit I knew almost nothing about him except what I read in his column when it appeared in the Chicago Tribune. That he had addiction and mental problems was fleshed out, and how the newspaper industry and Chicago politics and the city in general had changed from Royko's childhood to his old age were covered, and how he and everyone else had to adapt. He was driven by principle and genuine morals but also by egotism and insecurity, even if he tried to cure his personal problems in his later years. And the book even points out some of Royko's hypocrisies such as chastising the Daley family for avoiding wartime combat when Royko did the exact same thing.
Yet what Ciccone fails to cover is that while Royko was certainly liberal by early twentieth-century standards, by his later years he became distinctly less liberal (rather then truly conservative). He was hardly sympathetic towards homosexuals and mentioned that homeless people were mostly people with mental problems (true or not), and while he mentioned how blacks suffered generations ago, he criticized them for their bad behavior in more modern times. He even laughed at the term "undocumented" as an euphemism for "illegal aliens".
And he did not always hit the nail on the head either. Royko turned out to be wrong about Reagan not only as a politician but as a person, and he also turned out to be wrong about Gary Dotson's being a rapist or Bob Greene's being a good journalist. The book says much about Royko, but could and should have been more accurate.
May 2, 2022
What a great look at both Mike Royko and the Chicago newspaper industry. It's incredible today to think of someone who wrote 5 columns a week for 30 years. I went back to read some of the ones from the 70s, discussing political corruption and war-I was shocked to see how prescient they were. It's a lost Chicago in this book and you can see how Royko started to fall out of step with the New journalists coming up-the author makes a point to complain about their mindset, but doesn't each generation lament it's passing? What's more serious is the prediction of the internet continuing to erode readers and destroy local news. That has come completely true. What shocks me is that we still have two major newspapers left in this city, although once the Hedge fund gets through with the Trib, it may only be one.
March 8, 2024
Fairly well written bio of a really interesting guy, tho I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked him personally. Alchoholic, heavy smoker most of his life, it seems he spent more time in bars than at home, at least until he married his second wife (his first died) and adopted kids though he apparently provided well. Not an easy man to like, but he had a high stress job, pumping out 5 columns a week for most of his career. Later in life he tried to quit smoking and drinking numerous times, and worked from home most of the time. Reportedly made $500k a year towards the end of his life, and spent most of his time at home, esp. after adopting kids with his second wife, including working from home. Died in 1997 shortly after surviving a brain aneurism operation.
July 14, 2020
Mike Royko was a jerk and a drunk, but an excellent writer and columnist. He died 29APR1997. It was fun to read about an ordinary (apart from his fame as a columnist), relatively modern person. Ciccone did a fascinating job of describing Mike Royko's ancestors.
Read
June 17, 2008Mike Royko was Chicago personified, a hard-working, hard-drinking, hard-living journalist whose newspaper column for 30 years spoke to the ordinary Joe. At least it did at first, and for a long time. But in his later years, he was a hater, not merely a curmudgeon. He turned sour. It was a shame.
I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand Royko, Chicago politics, Chicago journalism, or just wants a good biography to read. Ciccone does an excellent job not merely describing Royko's roots, but showing how that affected the person he became.
Despite his brilliant writing, incisive political insights, and empathy for the ordinary Joe, Royko was a deeply troubled man. He was a severe alcoholic (as was his father before him), a workaholic who loved his family but was hardly ever around, a famous and successful columnist who was jealous of others and could hold a grudge like you wouldn't believe. When he remarried and started a second family (by adoption) after his first beloved wife's death, he spent more time on family things and tried to stop his self-destructive behavior, with limited success.
Ciccone does not hide Royko's warts (and they were many), although he does become a bit of an apologist about his later, nastier side.
Filled with anecdotes about Chicago's newspaper wars, sports teams (such as they are), its famous, infamous and not-famous-at-all, this will go on the shelf with all my other Chicagoana.
One irritant, though. Ciccone is a newsman. He was managing editor for the Chicago Tribune and teaches journalism. Did he not read the proofs? Did his editor not read the proofs? Aside from such annoyances as the constant use of the word "anabuse" when he means "Antabuse", and calling Mike and his wife "the Royko's", Ciccone gets repetitious, telling stories more than once in a way that makes it clear that he thinks he's saying it for the first time.
But that's a minor quibble about an otherwise fine book.
I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand Royko, Chicago politics, Chicago journalism, or just wants a good biography to read. Ciccone does an excellent job not merely describing Royko's roots, but showing how that affected the person he became.
Despite his brilliant writing, incisive political insights, and empathy for the ordinary Joe, Royko was a deeply troubled man. He was a severe alcoholic (as was his father before him), a workaholic who loved his family but was hardly ever around, a famous and successful columnist who was jealous of others and could hold a grudge like you wouldn't believe. When he remarried and started a second family (by adoption) after his first beloved wife's death, he spent more time on family things and tried to stop his self-destructive behavior, with limited success.
Ciccone does not hide Royko's warts (and they were many), although he does become a bit of an apologist about his later, nastier side.
Filled with anecdotes about Chicago's newspaper wars, sports teams (such as they are), its famous, infamous and not-famous-at-all, this will go on the shelf with all my other Chicagoana.
One irritant, though. Ciccone is a newsman. He was managing editor for the Chicago Tribune and teaches journalism. Did he not read the proofs? Did his editor not read the proofs? Aside from such annoyances as the constant use of the word "anabuse" when he means "Antabuse", and calling Mike and his wife "the Royko's", Ciccone gets repetitious, telling stories more than once in a way that makes it clear that he thinks he's saying it for the first time.
But that's a minor quibble about an otherwise fine book.
May 5, 2020
As a big Royko fan, I looked forward to finding out more about one of America's favorite newspaper columnists. I wish there was more insight about him, particularly as he aged. Not enough to explain why he moved to the dreaded Chicago Tribune, as he termed it. Not enough about his change from AWOL dad to doting father with two adopted children. Not enough to explain his drinking and smoking and the toll it took. Too much reliance on a few of Royko's legmen and women and a couple friends. In sum, not critical enough to rise above a profile to a telling biography.
February 3, 2012
The author detailed Royko's life without judgment (and I think there's a lot people can find fault with). There is a ton of news history in this book, even beyond the details of Royko's life. I've read that people think this is the most authoritative and complete look at a complicated man's life, a full tour of his life behind what people read in the column. I'm glad I read this, even not having read almost any of his newspaper work.
August 5, 2008
Bought this bio of one of my idols for a dollar at a garage sale. It is much too hagiographic, but I am paging through it for good Chicago journalism stories. I'm skipping a lot of pages but that is okay, you can read quicker that way.
January 17, 2008
Mike Royko is a unique Chicago voice and this collection of his colums is a nice pop-cultural/political walk through Chicago.
December 30, 2012
The book is a great reminder of what it means to be a Chicagoan, told through the story of a person who embodies the ethos that the city instills in its citizens. A truly fascinating read.
July 14, 2016
Great read on Chicago Newspaper biz
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews