The Logic of a Rose: Chicago Stories
available for purchase on Amazon.com
by BILLY LOMBARDO
“Lombardo’s stories reflect the natural grace of someone who not only grew up in the city but who possesses the
precise touch to express his points with honesty and art. Indeed, while his stories are deeply rooted in the trinity of the Chicago experience—the neighborhood, religion and ethnicity—this book’s deft handling of its subject matter shows that you don’t have to follow the same tracks as the masters of the past.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Lombardo gets everything right, from a sensitive boy’s struggle to say and do the right thing in delicate situations
to Chicago’s impossible weather, as he celebrates the marvels of boyhood and everyday life.”
—Donna Seaman, Booklist
“Read this to find your heart bursting into song. Such is the utter love for humanity that infuses every line, glance
and gesture in this spectacularly tender collection.”
—Anne Calcagno, author of Pray for Yourself
“Billy Lombardo’s prize-winning The Logic of Rose: Chicago Stories, is as rich and vital as Bridgeport, the blue-
collar Chicago neighborhood in which these stories are set. Lombardo knows this world intimately and writes with
a naturalness that makes his streetsmart surface wholly convincing, but the seeming effortlessness of his storytelling
depends on a sophisticated sense of craft and a deep sense of empathy.”
—Stuart Dybek, author of Streets in Their Own Ink and I Sailed with Magellan
“The only thing better than reading these tales is hearing Billy’s voice bring them to life with the passion and
authenticity of one who has lived with and understood the good people of this hardscrabble corner of the city
that works.”
—Marc Smith
“Real or imagined, the characters are the same: sincer sensitive people who uncover swatches of beauty amid the
gritty fabric of the city, and who deep down believe in the goodness of other people.”
—Loyola University
“What the Chicago native has done is given Bridgeport—a neighborhood occasionally the scene of race-related
violence—its humanity back.”
—TimeOut Chicago