The Rooming House Diaries

by Bill Mathis

Overview

Six fascinating and touching diaries are discovered in an old rooming house that detail the lives of the owners and tenants spanning over a century of change in Chicago's Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood. An unwed pregnant teen shows up; a teen from Paris, France appears, the result of a relationship during World War I; the first Mexican in the neighborhood is given a room and eventually inherits the place, his diary describes his young life running the streets in Tijuana, Mexico and how the rooming house served undocumented AIDS clients. The matriarch leaves a long-hidden diary that details her undisclosed life of brothels. Filled with love, life and family secrets, The Rooming House Diaries prove DNA does not always make a complete family.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940161330760
Publisher:	Rogue Phoenix Press
Publication date:	08/08/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

The Rooming House Diaries is Bill’s second novel and was inspired from growing up in a tiny town with large families, his life of working with diverse Chicago folk, and his interest in Chicago’s immigration, neighborhoods and families. Plus, he wanted to tell more of the stories he cut from his first novel, Face Your Fears. Bill won the 2015 Wisconsin Writer’s Association Jade Ring contest for nonfiction. He began writing after he retired from careers in YMCA camping and foster care. Bill and his partner reside in Beloit, Wisconsin. Bill enjoys connecting with his readers. Feel free to contact him: or visit his website www.billmathiswriteretc.com which includes his blog and some of his photography.