If Chicago Could Talk

“Bronzeville: The Black Metropolis"

By: Alvin Hayes

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

In this fascinating tale set in 1919, the Thomas family leaves New Orleans for Chicago as part of the Great Migration, seeking equality denied in the South. They are confident and optimistic. But hope is extinguished when they are met by 6,000 National Guard troops deployed to quell an earlier race riot.

Linda and Ben prepare their nephew Trey to lead the family through the treacherous landscape of a big city plagued by segregation, police violence, and corruption. Is he ready? They devise a risky plan to challenge real estate covenants banning Blacks from buying homes in white neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Trey’s girlfriend, Tallulah, leads the "Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work" protest, confronting the President of Marshal Fields department stores over their discriminatory hiring practices. The police are called to break up the protest. Tallulah is like her mother Opa, she never backs down and disperses the police.

Opa, reminds Tallulah of their proud Choctaw heritage and tells her they will leave her abusive father, Ray. Despite Tallulah's fear of his threats, Opa reassures her, “No one is going to touch you or your brother.” “What about you?” Tallulah asks. Opa smiles, “I have a plan. That's all you need to know."

John Arceneaux, the Godfather of Bronzeville, battles to protect his territory from Italian and Irish mob bosses during Prohibition but he trusts the wrong people. The police captain, also on his payroll, arrests those who betrayed him.

Tolliver Investigative Services is hired to find two missing women, one white and one Black. The case evolves into a murder mystery after their bodies are found. The police think James, a family friend, may be involved.

Steeped in history and packed with action, "If Chicago Could Talk" is a tale of family resilience, heroes, heroines, villains, and heartache.


“Until The Lion Tells The Story The Hunter Will Always Be The Hero” – African Proverb