Like I Was Sayin' ...

by Mike Royko

A selection of one hundred of Royko's columns, from the last twenty years, includes lampoons of newspaper tycoon Rupert Murdoch and Ronald Reagan and portraits and anecdotes about Chicago and its inhabitants

Genres: Humor, Essays, Nonfiction, Journalism, Politics

306 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Pulitzer prize columnist, Mike Royko was nationally known for his caustic sarcasm. Over his 30 year career he wrote for three leading Chicago newspapers, "The Daily News", "The Sun-Times", and "The Chicago Tribune", and was nationally syndicated.

The Polish-Ukranian son of a cab driver, Royko grew up on Chicago's southside and never left the city. At age 64, he died in Chicago of complications arising from a brain aneurysm in the spring of 1997. Royko was survived by his wife, Judy, a 9-year-old son, Sam, and 4-year-old daughter, Kate, as well as two grown children from his first marriage. His first wife, Carol, died in 1979.

Reviews

[Luis Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of columns by longtime Chicago newspaperman Mike Royko. It covers from 1967-1984 and through three different newspapers. Even if you aren't from the Chicago area, the humor, logic and sarcasm Royko employs to tackle subjects such as crooked politics, health crazes, women and childhood will resonate.

This edition was published in 1985.

[David Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While including columns from his first 20 years, this focuses on Royko's work from '79 to '84 and is more about his lighter-side material, although his odes to Nelson Algren and John Belushi are affecting. Most of these hold up pretty well, although "One More Time," a best-of covering his whole career, is a better overview.

[Phillip Garland · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not as strong a collection as "One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko", but if you enjoy Royko's writing, or if you're interested in Chicago and its history, you'll find some poignant and hilarious columns here.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of Royko columns from the 1970s and early 1980s. Not quite as essential as Sez Who? Sez Me, my favorite Royko collection, but still a fun read.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago politics at its most bizarre. Column-writing at its finest.