Soloway, Elaine 1939-

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Soloway, Elaine 1939-

PERSONAL:

Born 1939; married Thomas Madison; children: Faith, Jill. Education: Roosevelt University, bachelor's degree; University of Illinois, master's degree, 1977.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. E-mail—elainesoloway@sbcglobal.net.

CAREER:

Writer and president of public relations firm. Elaine Solloway Public Relations, Chicago, IL, president. Worked previously as an account supervisor for Jasculca/Terman Associates, director of information for the Chicago Public Schools, and assistant press secretary to Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne.

WRITINGS:

The Division Street Princess: A Memoir, Syren Book (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Author of the blog The Division Street Princess. Contributor to publications, including New York Times Money and Business, Chicago Tribune, WomanNews, ActiveTimes Magazine, Today's Chicago Woman, and Chicago Jewish News.

SIDELIGHTS:

In The Division Street Princess: A Memoir, Chicago native Elaine Soloway begins the narrative with her parents' purchase of the grocery store on the groundfloor of her apartment building. It is the 1940s, and four-year-old Soloway is recruited to help out with the family business. The unique perspective afforded by her child-sized workspace becomes the basis of many of Soloway's memories, as she is witness to her family's financial struggles and to her neighborhood's changing dynamic, with a constant influx of immigrants and outflux of residents to the suburbs. In her blog, Soloway remarked: "Because my parents did not leave my sight to go off to work, because we were together so many hours of the day, I learned many of my life's lessons back then that affected the woman I grew up to be." Her memoir was well receieved by critics, including Booklist reviewer Donna Seaman, who described the book as "simply and gracefully told," with a story that "has wide appeal." Chicago Sun-Times reviewer Tom McNamee called it a "a tale that reminds us that neighborhoods are both good and bad, and parents are both perfect and human."