"Culled from 7500 columns and spanning four decades, from his early days to his last dispatch, the writings in this collection reflect a radically changing America as seen by a man whose keen sense of justice and humor never faltered."--Jacket.

The Sixties -- September 6, 1963: Tavern gets taken for a ride, and a taxi driver mourns -- March 15, 1966: Complete apology for overrating the Irish thirst -- August 8, 1966: T-shirted punks slay a dragon -- August 16, 1967: Picasso and the cultural rebirth of Chicago -- September 14, 1967: It wasn't our "clout" she stole, but a counterfeit -- October 27, 1967: Let's update city's image -- December 19, 1967: Mary and Joe, Chicago-style -- March 19, 1968: Ghetto burial for a GI hero -- April 2, 1968: LBJ deserved a better fate -- April 9, 1968: Million in his firing squad -- April 11, 1968: Are you really a Cubs fan? -- June 6, 1968: How about gun as our symbol? -- July 8, 1968: He can dream, can't he? -- July 31, 1968: The accordion vs. the guitar -- August 28, 1968: Cops threaten law and order -- November 14, 1968: Haggis? then try czernina! -- November 22, 1968: Haggis eaters strike back -- July 17, 1969: He rockets into the past -- December 16, 1969: A jumbo gripe on airplanes -- The Seventies -- January 16, 1970:The kds tell it like it is -- July 20, 1970: A shovelful of bad thinking -- October 22, 1970: Let's all drink to Bill Goat -- August 20, 1971: Mighty Teddy still the champ -- October 25, 1971: The old man and the farm -- February 1, 1972: The day Slats fell for a girl -- April 14, 1972: He's convinced Archie's real -- October 25, 1972: Jackie's debut a unique day -- November 1, 1972: Viet verdict: mostly guilty -- November 8, 1973: Bellying up to success -- November 23, 1973: Hearty "hallo" from Greece -- December 10, 1973: A faceless man's plea -- December 11, 1973: The VA does a fast reversal -- May 31, 1974: How this city really "works" -- August 9, 1974: Let's look at immunity -- December 27, 1974: How to cure hangover : first try moaning -- September 3, 1975: A hard look at mooching -- October 8, 1975: Poverty aid, Chicago-style -- January 7, 1976: Daley always a quota man -- May 5, 1976: Mr. Sinatra sends a letter -- June 22, 1976: So, let's all pick a quote -- August 2, 1976: Hefner's back--or wait, is he? -- December 21, 1976: Daley embodied Chicago -- February 17, 1977: Why do purveyors of hate go untouched? -- July 26, 1977: Image may change, but city keeps its traditions -- April 19, 1978: Bucking hard for the Equal Rights Amendment -- July 7, 1978: Don't let food bug you -- August 11, 1978: The agony of "Victory" -- April 4, 1979: Bossy cows the party -- June 13, 1979: John Wayne's true grit -- September 2, 1979: An ode to the "softies" -- October 5, 1979: Thanks to all of you -- November 22, 1979: A November farewell -- The Eighties -- June 3, 1980: A poll cut on the bias -- June 27, 1980: Demolition Derby -- November 18, 1980: Time weakens the bond -- January 20, 1981: Epitaph for Jimmy -- March 17, 1981: These feet are made for nothing -- May 13, 1981: Algren's golden pen -- May 15, 1981: Dear God: why? -- July 30, 1981: A pact of cherish -- November 22, 1981: Mike Royko--high-rise man -- March 7, 1982: My Belushi pals -- March 16, 1982: Don't write off Belushi -- April 11, 1982: Survival talk stinks -- February 23, 1983: Give Washington break -- November 2, 1983: Halas: a classic of grit -- January 12, 1984: In Alien's tongue, "I quit" Is "vacation" -- March 2, 1984: A GOP function flush with luxuries -- March 9, 1984: Slats mistakes GOP for GOD -- September 17, 1985: A grave report from Medicare -- October 17, 1985: If this isn't danger, what is? -- November 14, 1985: Abused baby 1, system a big 0 -- December 24, 1985: A lovely couple, bound with love -- January 29, 1986: These seven were special people -- February 11, 1986: Sorry, Reggie, you struck out -- June 23, 1987: Fred Astaire was a class act until the end -- July 9, 1987: A true hero puts North to the test -- June 27, 1988: When "Prix Fixe" is hard to swallow -- August 9, 1988: Cubs Park wasn't always like this -- October 5, 1988: Shopping isn't everyone's bag -- December 20, 1988: Daley the elder and Daley the younger -- August 15, 1989: Woodstock was just a muddy memory -- The Nineties -- March 16, 1990: Why be a writer? think of your feet -- June 1, 1990: A none rub of sorts for ditzy word jocks -- June 13, 1990: Flag foes show no real burning desire -- July 12, 1990: Message on AIDS gets lost in poster -- March 12, 1991: Kuwait's future brighter than ours -- March 19, 1991: Ticket to good life punched with pain -- April 23, 1991: It didn't take long to lose Euphoria -- July 17, 1991: Sensitivity pops up in the unlikeliest place -- December 26, 1991: David Duke has a partner in slime -- September 23, 1992: Next time, Dan, take aim at Arnold -- November 27, 1992: He could fill book with pithy phrases -- December 1, 1992: Parents, not cash, can enrich a school -- December 3, 1992: Old story Is news to baby boomers -- October 7, 1993: A city in full-court depression -- November 30, 1993: Politically incorrect, but right on target -- February 1, 1994: We love her, we love her not, we love -- March 9, 1994: Whitewater almost too far out there -- June 29, 1994: EEOC is lacking in wisdom teeth -- August 30, 1994: Not his kind of photog, Ferguson is -- January 26, 1995: Don't bet on a guilty verdict for O. J. -- February 24, 1995: Horrors of the past are G-rated today -- October 17, 1995: Look, up in the sky, it's a bird . . . it's a plane . . . it's Mike! -- October 18, 1995: Eloquence and gall on Washington Mall -- January 26, 1996: And it's one, two, three strikes . . . you're sued -- April 10, 1996: Rostenkowski's sin was not changing with the Times -- May 16, 1996: Clinton's big lead easily explained in Age of Indulgence -- January 10, 1997: Arrghh! Disney walks the plank for politically correct -- March 21, 1997: It was Wrigley, not some goat, who cursed the Cubs.