Chicago Shorts is a series of short stories that define the author’s childhood, growing up in suburban Dolton, Illinois, not far from Chicago. Its themes include the pleasures of small town America and discovery of the big city, teenage mischief and boyhood hijinks, youthful rebellion and self-destruction, racism, childhood friendships ending in tragedy, the wonderment of working in an animal hospital, the story of a factory worker turned millionaire and the experience of a family contending with a dark secret.