Rapper, actor and activist Common was in Chicago this week to talk about his latest book, “And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self.” The Chicago native sat down with WTTW News to talk about the book and some of his activism.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander certainly waxes poetic when lamenting the fates of our oft-underperforming sports franchises. But now he’s turned his literary and wordsmith abilities to poetry in a new book called “Sweet Dreams: Poems and Paintings for the Child Abed.”

In her new book, Lauren Viera compiles a list of places to eat, buy food, drink, shop and sleep with a short description of why each location is a “hidden secret.”

David Vass’ new memoir, “Liar, Alleged,” is a wildly entertaining narrative of gay life in the 1950s and ‘60s. The book moves through the hedonism of the ‘70s, the tragedy of the ‘80s and why it all matters now.

A Chicago-area writer explores the myths and legends surrounding Ernest Hemingway, the Oak Park-born titan of American literature. 

Tommy Orange’s novel, “There There,” has been chosen as the latest selection for the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program. The book, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, tells the story of Native American life, not as it existed centuries ago, but as it does now.

Perfectionism might sound like a good thing, but in practice, it can perform more like procrastination – and waiting for perfect scenarios can prevent us from getting the credit and success we deserve. 

In her book “Homecoming: El Viaje a Mi Hogar,” Margarita Quiñones Peña describes the migrant journey to Chicago through her own eyes as a child coming to her new home of Chicago in 1993.

In “The Shoemaker’s Magician,” Cynthia Pelayo blends film history and Chicago history into a genre-crossing journey into the occult. The story opens with the discovery of a gruesome murder in a downtown theater.

For decades, two schools of thought have clashed on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. 

From jumping out of airplanes to zip-lining through the jungle, Luvvie Ajayi Jones has become an expert at challenging fear — but not all of her daring adventures involve leaving the ground. She tells us about her new book, “Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual.”

A cancer diagnosis unleashes a whirlwind of emotions and questions for patients and their loved ones. To help them navigate through this trying time, Dr. Ranjana Srivastava, an oncologist and former Chicago resident, shares her knowledge in a new book, “A Cancer Companion: An Oncologist's Advice on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery."

Chicago is not defined solely by its human residents. It’s a city with a living, evolving "ecological web of interactions" between man and animal, according to Gavin Van Horn. He joins "Chicago Tonight" to talk about "City Creatures," a book which details urban wildlife history through essays, poetry, photography and paintings.

One of the most memorable quotes in Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain’s homily at the funeral of his good friend and mentor, Cardinal Francis George, came from George himself. “The only thing we take with us when we die is what we have given away,” Sartain said, quoting the Cardinal who had spoken to him about the nature of death. Given this core belief, it is no surprise that George spent much of his final weeks, and even his final hours, fine-tuning the manuscript for a forthcoming book of personal essays called A Godly Humanism. 

Author Gillian O'Brien joins us to discuss her book Blood Runs Green, a non-fiction account of the largely forgotten murder of a prominent Irish-American doctor who was also the member of a secretive Irish Republican organization.

A new book brings together 152 portraits from the Chicago Tribune archives. We'll talk with the Tribune Picture Editor Michael Zajakowski about the pictures and the people behind them.