Hack
Stories from a Chicago Cab
Cabdrivers and their yellow taxis are as much a part of the cityscape as the high-rise buildings and the subway. We hail them without thought after a wearying day at the office or an exuberant night on the town. And, undoubtedly, taxi drivers have stories to tell – of farcical local politics, of colorful passengers, of changing neighborhoods and clandestine shortcuts. No one knows a city's streets – and thus its heart – better than its cabdrivers. And from behind the wheel of his taxi, Dmitry Samarov has seen more of Chicago than most Chicagoans will hope to experience in a lifetime.
An artist and painter trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Samarov began driving a cab in 1993 to make ends meet, and he's been working as a taxi driver ever since. In "Hack: Stories from a Chicago Cab", he recounts tales that will delight, surprise, and sometimes shock the most seasoned urbanite. We follow Samarov through the rhythms of a typical week, as he waits hours at the garage to pick up a shift, ferries comically drunken passengers between bars, delivers prostitutes to their johns, and inadvertently observes drug deals. There are long waits with other cabbies at O'Hare, vivid portraits of street corners and their regular denizens, amorous Cubs fans celebrating after a game at Wrigley Field, and customers who are pleasantly surprised that Samarov is white – and tell him so. Throughout, Samarov's own drawings – of his fares, of the taxi garage, and of a variety of Chicago street scenes – accompany his stories. In the grand tradition of Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Mike Royko, and Studs Terkel, Dmitry Samarov has rendered an entertaining, poignant, and unforgettable vision of Chicago and its people.
Reviews
"Fact: I first rode in Dmitry's cab when he was driving in Boston in 1993. He owned the first cellular phone that I ever saw, and he has been broadcasting back from the strange frontier of hack life ever since. He's a good driver, but more than that, he's as skilled a navigator of the forgotten American city as you'll find, and his writing is funny, grim, humane, and welcome" – John Hodgman, author of "More Information than You Require"
"Samarov captures the most shocking and, sometimes, quietly poignant tales... When chatty barflies, clandestine drug buyers, inebriated sports fans, and prostitutes mentally preparing for johns pour out to their cab driver on a nightly basis, the truth is stranger than fiction" – TimeOut Chicago
"Nobody dreams of being a cabdriver but many of us get sidetracked. Dmitry Samarov, an art school grad, is one such lost soul. This book, which combines his passion and his detour, is an evocative and accurate look at the life of a big city hack. Drop a few extra bills over the front seat. Mr. Samarov rates a sizable tip" – Jack Clark, author of "Nobody's Angel"
"'Hack' is one man's witness to a contrary, luminous, and difficult city. Samarov's city is also Algren's city, Terkel's city, Royko's city... Except Dmitry Samarov gets closer, moving while the city sleeps, and having an actual dialogue with its denizens; we take his journey, through the cruelties and comedies. Think of Zola – if he was driving a cab and had Samarov's mordant gallows humor and humanity as his guide. Dmitry Samarov testifies to our messy, contradictory, and vital city" – Tony Fitzpatrick
