Of course, Chicago politics extend beyond back-room deals and election booths. The political system deeply affects the millions of people who call Chicago home.

"If you were on the inside and you were seeking a job or a favor and you knew the right precinct captain or alderman, things were pretty good for you in the city of Chicago," says Lipinski. But Kotlowitz documents the "people for whom that was not the case."

Kotlowitz's book tells the story of Lafeyette and Pharoah, two