Fire on the Prairie: Harold Washington, Chicago Politics, and the Roots of the Obama Presidency (Urban Life, Landscape and Policy)

Harold WashingtonOCOs historic and improbable victory over the vaunted Chicago political machine shook up American politics. The election of the enigmatic yet engaging Washington led to his serving five tumultuous years as the cityOCOs first black mayor. He fashioned an uneasy but potent multiracial coalition that today still stands as a model for political change.

In this revised edition of Fire on the Prairie, acclaimed reporter Gary Rivlin chronicles WashingtonOCOs legacyOCoa tale rich in character and intrigue. He reveals the cronyism of DaleyOCOs government and WashingtonOCOs rivalry with Jesse Jackson. Rivlin also shows how WashingtonOCOs success inspired a young community organizer named Barack Obama to turn to the electoral arena as a vehicle for change. While the story of a single city, this political biography is anything but parochial.