Brewers Hill. The Historic Third Ward. Riverwest. A sense of place is important to all of us, and the neighborhood where we reside can say a lot about personal values, priorities and lifestyle. In Milwaukee, like all major metropolitan areas, the rich heterogeneity among its many different neighborhoods has given rise to a plethora of iconic landmarks and rich traditions.
A new book by Milwaukee historian John Gurda provides a comprehensive guide to Milwaukee that shares the oft-forgotten stories behind the city’s development and redesigns. Part history, part sociology and part compelling narrative, Gurda’s Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods provides a striking look at both Milwaukee’s diversity and commonalities, shown through 37 unique neighborhoods.
Illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs as well as original works of art, City of Neighborhoods shares the familiar stories of the city’s early developers, including notables Frederick Pabst, Solomon Juneau and Byron Kilbourn, among others who are remembered today through buildings bearing their names, streets dedicated to their legacy and world-renowned industry. Featuring breathtaking images and detailed descriptions of the city’s best in centuries-old architecture as well as modern-day gems such as the Milwaukee Public Market, the Riverwalk and the beautiful new Sixth Street Bridge, and spanning neighborhoods from Downtown to the East Side, this tome puts Milwaukee on the map with its breadth of information and expansive descriptions of the city’s urban possibilities and achievements. Told with a rich historical perspective, City of Neighborhoods chronicles how time has changed communities into the locales we live in today.
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Gurda, a Milwaukee-born historian who has been studying the city since 1972, is the author of 21 books, including The Making of Milwaukee, which was produced as an Emmy Award-winning documentary series by Milwaukee Public Television in 2006. He will host a book launch at the Grain Exchange (225 E. Michigan St.) on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 6-9 p.m.
Book Happenings:
Henry Winkler
11 a.m., Sept. 28
Pfister Hotel
424 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Best known as the “Fonz” on TV’s “Happy Days,” Henry Winkler is also the co-author of 17 children’s books and travels the country speaking about children’s literacy. Winkler will serve as the keynote speaker at SHARP Literacy’s 14th annual “A Novel Event.” More information about the event and the work of Milwaukee-based SHARP Literacy can be found at sharpliteracy.org.
Celest Ng
7 p.m., Sept. 28
Boswell Book Co.
2559 N. Downer Ave.
In Celeste Ng’s debut bestseller Everything I Never Told You, the author tells a gripping and mysterious tale of a 1970s mixed-race Midwestern family dealing with grief, loss and secrecy. When 16-year-old Lydia Lee is found dead in a local lake, her family must come to grips with her death and unburden themselves of the many secrets they all carry. Touching on relevant current issues, this debut is a searing portrait of one family’s struggle to understand a tragedy.
