For the Love of Mike: More of the Best of Mike Royko

I now live in Southern New England, Connecticut to be exact. My daily newspaper is the Hartford Courant. There is not one single columnist that I can read on a consistent basis. Syndicated national columnists today don't really tell the everyday story. In Cleveland I read the Plain Dealer every morning . During this time every Mike Royko column was a must read. Mike told stories. These stories were of common everyday folk and how they dealt with their problems. This presented the beat of Mike Royko. All these writings represented the very essence of social justice and reform that Mike Royko demanded. Mike showed in his writings injustice, governmental bureaucracy and favoritism to the privileged elite in their dealings with the common people. Mike Royko was the poster boy for Mid-Western hospitality. He is what he is. He told a story and let you decide what was right. Mike Royko is a true pedigree. He wrote the truth as he saw it. Roger Ebert is right in his assessment of Royko, he just tells it as it is! Good read. I wish he was still here.

For those of us that enjoyed the daily newspaper column by Mike Royko (1932-1997) from 1963-1997, there were many favorites. This edition is a second collection of Royko columns published after he died (the first was ONE MORE TIME). Royko was witty, hard-hitting, self-deprecating, irreverent, serious, sympathetic and funny - often in the same column. He took on crooked politicians, stuffed shirts, and arrogance in high places, reserving soft spots for minorities, little people, stressed-out workers, drinkers, and anybody getting a raw deal. This collection of columns falls short of those in its predecessor, but there are still lots of laughs and serious writing here.

I liked this book better than the first volume but don't really know why. I found myself wishing for more follow-ups. ie. What happened to the lady who had to go to court to prove she wasn't a mother?

This book is for those of us who love Mike Royko. It is a sequal to the superb "One More Time," collection that came out last year. This time the introduction is written by former collegue Roger Ebert, who delivers an appropriately poinaint snapshot of the man. Then Royko's own words take over. As always, he is at his best when deflating puffed up politicians or defending the little guy against big corporations and big government. This book adds a bonus of also including the verbal sparring that Royko would occasionally do with readers who outraged by a particular column. It also singles out individual Royko sayings for easilly quotable repeating. Royko was a true Chicago original and perhaps the best newspaper columnist of all time. Reading this book is another reminder of how the void of his absence has yet to be filled and perhaps never will be.

If you enjoyed reading Mike Royko's articles in newspapers or his previous book entitled "One More Time" you will enjoy this latest offering of more of his past articles. He covers a variety of subjects ranging from his beloved Chicago Cubs to politics and civil rights in his usual sarcastic manner. Neither book, however, has had my favorite article entitled "Real Fans Endure Phonies". The book is a good read and one I intend to keep for my library.