A book that is famously set in Kansas has been named the top Illinois book in the latest round of online voting at IllinoisTop200.com. That’s because author L. Frank Baum wrote “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” when he lived in Chicago in the year 1900.
There’s also a Central Illinois connection, as Baum’s niece… who died in 1898 at the age of five months… is buried in Bloomington. The baby’s name, Dorothy, became the name of the main character in Baum’s book.
Other top titles include Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City,” and Mike Royko’s “Boss.” Voting is now underway in the next category, top Illinois authors.