American Writers Museum — Attraction in Chicago

WARNING: This "museum" has a political agenda and does not respect authors or their works with whom they politically disagree. No clearer example of this is their write-up for Ayn Rand and her novel "Atlas Shrugged". Their write-up:

"In this dystopian tale, catastrophe ensues when the world's business leaders shrug off their responsibilities and refuse to work. Rand intended her novel as a critique of government regulation, which, in her view, smothered industrial innovation."

Only her critics who have NEVER read her novels and are on the opposite political spectrum (literally communists) would ever write such tripe. "the world's business leaders shrug off their responsibilities and refuse to work" Just what you'd expect to hear from a slave-owner. Her novel is only dystopian for those who are slave-owners and parasites on society. For innovative producers, it is a tale of emancipation. That is who John Galt, the story's mysterious character (the novel's first sentence is literally "Who is John Galt?"), has been successfully quietly convincing to go on strike. To no longer be taken advantage of and wrongly disparaged.

And her novel was NOT merely "a critique of government regulation, which, in her view, smothered industrial innovation" but of communism. Of collectivism. Of the idea that one's labor is government's property to do with as government leaders and lobbyists, and not the producers themselves, see fit. That taxation is theft. And, no, Ms. Rand was not an anarchist (a person who wants no government at all) but a minimalist who views government as a necessary evil that needs to reduced to as little as possible and vigilantly watched to make sure it doesn't grow beyond that. And Ms. Rand spoke from personal experience having fled Russia as it was taken over by communism, which is another interesting thing that this museum "forgot" to mention in her write-up. Oh, and I am sure that the other authors presented in this "museum" who opposed slavery also had inserted in their write-ups that their opposition to slavery was just "in her view" or "in his view" bad.

But, for this "museum", the above is truly a reason to question anything it says about any author. If they were so disingenuous, deceitful, and disrespectful to Ayn Rand, which other authors have they been likewise to in their presentation of them. And that's saying they even presented them to the public. Personally, I think they had to present Ayn Rand in this "museum" for her exclusion would have gone noticed and publicly commented upon. Oh, and this is the ONLY write-up given to her. This "museum" gives larger write-ups to much less distinguished and known authors along a wall opposite to the little quips given authors on the wall where the above is said of Ayn Rand. A serious and deep review of this entire museum is in order. Until then, this is not a museum but a propaganda machine. Don't visit it. Don't donate to it. Warn...

I arrived here around 1:05pm on a Saturday afternoon with my son and sister using the all inclusive Go City Pass. It is located on the 2nd floor of the building.

Cassidy Kearns was the front desk staff that checked us in. The process was easy as they simply scanned our passes. It wasn’t busy at all.

A part of the Go City pass was a challenge to complete called “murder in the Chicago loop”. After we checked in, we went ahead and got it, so that we can complete the mystery after we finish reviewing the museum. If you are in a party you can do it as a group. Per Cassidy, this is something new that they are doing. (Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do it due to timing. We planned to do it the next day but just didn’t work out).

The first area was the children’s area with children books. We sat here for a bit and I listened to my son read me a book. I like this option. I work a lot and this vacation was work free. This allowed for some educational quality time. He read the Grinch.

Most of the museum was interactions which was cool. On one wall, there were tiles you turn that can reveal sound, a smell, or something to see.

In one area, you can create a character and a backstory. My sister and I didn’t do it but we went through and read most of what other people have already done. Some were good, some were funny, and some were inappropriate. I think staff should periodically go through them. If you’re a parent, I’d monitor what your child writes and proofread before letting your child read them.

My favorite part was the typewriter and being able to send a letter. It was $2, which wasn’t paid. I believe this paid for the stamp and the envelope.

Towards the end, there was a machine that will print off a story! You choose how quick of a read you want, and it prints out! I really wish I had allocated more time here. We were supposed to had been there earlier but my sister and son wanted to sleep in, lol.

I would most definitely return when I’m back in the area. I highly recommend checking them out, especially if you’re into reading and writing. There was a lot of activities,...

I've gone to the Writers Museum several times. The children's book section is good, as is their hallmark timeline attraction that shows the evolution of American literature in all kinds of formats and genres. The word waterfall is a must-see, but the vintage typewriters always seem to grab my kids' attention the most. The AWM has a ton of manipulative and interactive elements, which are bathed in striking and colorful displays. New is a machine that generates a printout of a 1-, 3-, or 5-minute read paired to the genre selected.

Currently, the featured exhibit is based on gaming, with a concentration on role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. It provides good history about the industry and its impact while spotlighting several creators over the years. There are multiple activities as part of this exhibit that really appeal to children, including some cloaks and accessories for live action role-playing. In a separate room, people could play a table game or examine other works related to the exhibit.

Ultimately, the AWM pays homage to the history and contributors of American literature, being careful to go far beyond the WASP-y nature of the "canon" that dominated lit classes for too long. The museum also inspires creativity and makes writing accessible for all. A terrific value find on Michigan Avenue just north of...