The El

Styled after the Warriors, this takes place in Chicago when times were a bit easier, slow and pre-tech rush. It's a point in a time where a perspective was different to many and but so real and raw for others especially to those in Chicago during that period. Wonderfully described and reminiscent of a fun but dangerous time in Chicago. Wonderful read!

This story was very cool to read. Seeing everyones point of views from all the characters that were introduced. This is defiantly a book I will have to reread since I feel like I was not grasping what was going on during some parts. I liked the magical realism of some of the things that happened. If you want something similar to maybe The Outsiders than this is your book.

Book had a lot of gang violence that it opened with.Not something I like reading

Theodore C . Van Alst Jr’s voice is so distinct, reading his books feels like visiting a friend, as if we’re sitting in a room, or more likely a bar, and he’s telling stories, great stories, stories that are so real and detailed you think, wait, is this a memoir?And then you realize you don’t care, doesn’t matter, cause it’s a great story and you don’t want to miss a word. His latest, The El, is another great read, an all voices heard, multi-POV day in the life of Teddy, the Mikeys (there are three), Lil Man, Lil Psycho, I won’t list the whole gang (literally) as they take the El out of their territory and through Teddy’s beloved city of Chicago.Make no mistake it is a bloody day, and like his Sacred books (Sacred Smokes, Sacred City, and Sacred Folks) it’s a wonder they get through it with no harm done. Well, there was that one guy and the third rail, so… yeah, it’s violent. Violent in a hand to hand way, the kind of violence you can’t inflict from fifty feet away, if you want to hurt someone, you gotta risk getting hurt. So yeah, they get pretty banged up and no guns in sight. Well, there was that one but it ran out of bullets. It feels like the distant past and it is, technically it’s decades ago. But the restlessness, the need for something more, the constant vigilance and planning to keep the family safe- this is very familiar. Trying to keep a community safe. Too familiar.It’s an absurd amount of responsibility for someone in high school. When you read it, you’ll see what I mean. The management of it all, the herding of these cats, the sheer willpower just to survive the day- well Teddy does get some assistance. Turns out there are connections available when you truly belong to a place.And the family these men make. They’re teenagers but they’re men but they’re also ya know, into snacks. In the middle of all the chaos, maybe it was right before or in between, anyway, they ask Teddy for a story. And right there you have everything- everything we need from art, everything we need from each other. And Chicago running through it all as they run through Chicago.Chicago Chicago, the sense of Chicago is so thick - it’s not that Chicago is another character, I know it’s popular to say this or that city becomes a character- it’s more like you can feel Chicago in the characters, feel them breathe it in. They belong to Chicago and it belongs to them.When you come to the end of a Van Alst book all you can do is hope he’s writing the next one, cause you’d sit there all night if he’d tell you another story. Honestly. Solid storytelling for the whole ride.

Historical fiction that shows the true face of Chicago in August 1979. Gang activity was an everyday occurrence, leaving young men wounded or worse. The elevated highway (EL) was the principal means of transportation for these young men and women as they moved across the city. The story begins as we are introduced to Teddy, a member of the Simon City Royals. On this day, Teddy leads a group of young men to a summit meeting of gang members seeking to unite into a single, larger organization. Teddy is hoping to find more indigenous youth; he's the lone native american in his gang. This sets the plot line for the book. As the members assemble at the High School, violence breaks out, and all thought of a peaceful meeting disappears quickly. As chaos and confusion multiply, Teddy will gather his numbers together and start the dangerous journey back to their territory. Teddy's ability to think quickly and take action as needed will be tested at every street corner and alley. The tension is built and held at maximum speed with twists coming from inside the group. This is an excellent book. It's been a while since I fell so far into the action that I lost time. Theodore C Van Alst Jr deserves much more than 5 stars.