Chicago, 1968
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Chicago, 1968 |
| Author(s): | Melanie Mitchell |
| Date(s): | February 25, 2000 |
| Length: | |
| Genre(s): | gen |
| Fandom(s): | |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | Chicago, 1968 at AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Chicago, 1968 is a due South story by Melanie Mitchel.
It was nominated for a Serious Duck Award, along with another Mitchell story called The Woman in Seat Thirty-Eight.
The story was archived at Racine Street, and at DSA before that.
From the Author's Introduction
Undercover is lonely, and so is writing. Please let me know what you thought of my story; even a flung otter shows that you care!
Chicago, 1968. To Americans of a certain age, these words are much more than just a city and a year. They are a watershed, a moment when the structure of society collapsed in a cloud of tear gas and fear; a time when free speech was a brick, and justice was a billy club.
In the midst of the chaos stood twenty-two year old patrolman Harding Welsh, a young man caught between tradition and change, striving to do the right thing on a night when every good decision was wrong.
Reactions and Reviews
Discussion at Due South Reporter
Two years after the story was published, it, and other stories by Mitchell, caught the attention of some BNFs.
Comments are from Reporting in from Racine Street (July 25-28, 2002).
Livia Penn:I recced "Chicago, 1968" on my page almost... wow, almost exactly two years ago. This was my rec:
This story isn't my usual thing. First of all, it's completely and utterly gen. Secondly, Fraser and Ray are hardly in it-- *gasp!* But, really, I don't see how this story could be anyone's usual thing, as it's not an angst ramble, sweaty PWP or extended bout of RayTorture(tm). Chicago, 1968 is startlingly original, though, something I always appreciate. Melanie Mitchell takes off from the episode 'Doctor Longball' to focus on of the rarest characters in Due South fan fiction -- Harding Welsh. An unflinching exploration of the impact of history on one Chicago family, Chicago, 1968 explores real historical occurences without ever turning into a documentary or lecture.
I'm really looking forward to reading her other stories.
Speranza: I have to admit, I was afraid to dive into these stories, being as I'd somehow never heard of this author and I missed Livia's recc of Chicago, 1968. But I just went over to the archive and sampled some of her short-shorts. And geez, this woman's 4K stories? DON'T SUCK. Which, I mean, is maybe not a big deal to anyone, except 4K stories are practically *guaranteed* to suck (raising hands defensively) with, like, notable exceptions, okay? You know who you are. But 4K stories mostly suck, which is why I'm so shocked that these don't--and I don't mean that to sound like faint praise--that's, like, *fantastic*, that's a *miracle*. The prose so far is just lovely, and I'm really digging her characterizations. If she can do this kind of work in 4K, I can't wait to read the long ones. --Ciao, Speranza, who can't believe she missed these.