Quick Synopsis – An ordinary day in August 1979 dawns hot and humid in Chicago. Teenager Teddy is living with his dad after being kicked out of his mom’s house due to his gang activity. But Teddy has thrived in the Simon City Royals, and today, he’ll be helping to lead a posse of the group’s younger members south across the city to Roosevelt High School to attend a gathering of gangs forming “the Nation”—a bold new attempt at joining forces across racial lines. This holds particular importance for Teddy, as his branch’s only Indigenous member.

But when the meeting breaks up in gunshots and police sirens, Teddy must guide the Royals back across hostile territory, along secret routes and back alleys, and stop by stop on the thundering tracks of the El. In the face of violence from rival gangs and a secret Judas in the Royals’ ranks, Teddy is armed only with a potent combination of book smarts and street smarts, and by the guiding spirit of Coyote, who has granted him the power to glimpse a future only he may survive to see.

Song This Reminds Me Of – In the City by Joe Walsh

Publication Date – Aug. 12, 2025

Bookshop Link – The El by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (Disclosure – I get a small commission if you use this link to order)

Content Notes – This book follows several characters as they travel through Chicago on their way to a gang meeting. There are several instances of gang violence, gun violence, knife violence, bleeding, death, and also racism.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

Review – This book is a wild ride through a day of the life in gangbangers in 1979 Chicago. Teddy is basically the main character though there are multiple POV’s throughout the book. Most of the other points of view are in reaction to Teddy or to provide further context to the story. Though this is more of a novella, The El does such a good job of building out a wonderful cast. Some characters you’ll really feel for, some you’re a little happy they get stabbed.

In addition to the story, there are also maps and news articles that further flesh out the story. I also thought it would have been fun if there had been a gang roster in the back as like an appendix. Just to use as a reference for the hierarchy. Teddy also has Coyote, the Native American Trickster/Hero, on his side. There are times when Teddy only catches glimpses and other times when Coyote is a tangible being that he interacts with. I loved that The El isn’t just a book about gangs, but also the need for community especially for people of color who are regularly shut out of white society.

There are a few points in the book where Teddy speaks about the future, and I wish these sections would have been called out as separate instead of fully integrated into the text. It made it difficult to understand the narrative, it felt like time in the book was slippery and I didn’t love that aspect. The overall storytelling and worldbuilding is excellent. I’d easily read the next story that Van Alst Jr. puts out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.