A Reader's Review

Book 4 of 2015 was certainly the longest. At 430+ pages, The Making of Milwaukee, by John Gurda was a delightful look back at how Brew City came to be. Being a homer and a history enthusiast, there was a special place in my heart for this book even before I opened it up. However, once I did get started, it didn't take long before wrapping up. It put the pieces of Milwaukee's local history together like a 1,000 piece puzzle. Little by little in a  precise and careful manner. From morphing marshland into manufacturing or Socialism into segregation, this book documented the highlights and low lights of my town in an unbiased way. I know have a better connection to many of the street names I travel on regularly, understand some of the "big players" in Milwaukee's development, and have more of an appreciation for this city now than I have ever had before.