Author Roger Day Bain returns to discuss his ‘social history’ of Clarendon Hills

Author Roger Day Bain, a former Clarendon Hills resident, returns to the village at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 to present a reading of selected excerpts from his book, “Clarendon Hills Kid,” at the Clarendon Hills Public Library, 7 N. Prospect Ave.

The former Prospect School student and Hinsdale Central graduate lived in the village from 1949 to 1969. Bain now lives in Arlington Heights.

“Clarendon Hills Kid” is a memoir about growing up in the village from during the 20 years Bain lived there. In the book, he examines an idyllic childhood from the viewpoint of a boy living in the western suburbs of Chicago during the 1950s and 60s and looks at what shaped his life as the village was growing.

He includes wealth distinctions, the transformation of a wild peat bog into a park, a teacher whose words he can still recall, the all-consuming love of baseball, his family’s background, the characters and personalities present in daily life.

“Clarendon Hills Kid,” which was published earlier this year, follows Bain’s 2023 book, “Hardly Working: How I Found a Career and Kept My Soul,” a coming-of-age style memoir about his unorthodox employment history.

“That book had many scenes and chapters set in Clarendon Hills, causing me to realize that my hometown would make a worthy subject for a book,” he said, adding that the ultimate catalyst for his book about Clarendon Hills was learning of a childhood friend’s death.

Bain said he wrote “Clarendon Hills Kid” specifically for the people, past and present, who have called Clarendon Hills home, as well as those in surrounding suburbs.

“The point of view and subject matter, however, can be relatable to anyone who grew up in a suburb in the 1950s and 1960s, probably even the 1970s,” he said. “It’s social history.”

Signed copies of “Clarendon Hills Kid” will be available for purchase at the Dec. 9 event for $15.

Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/roger-day-bain-clarendon-hills-kid/