Hard City

Hard City

by Howard, Clark

4.6 (52)

4.6 stars from 52 reviews

667 pages~11.1 hr readPublished by MysteriousPress.com/Open Road

$7.9933% off peak

Last checked: Apr 19, 2026

Hidden GemHighly rated but flying under the radar. Fewer readers have found this one yet.
Price history: $0.50 $11.99

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $0.50 $11.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Frank McCourt
  • Tara Westover
  • Jeannette Walls

Fans of these books will like this...

  • A Child Called It
  • The Glass Castle
  • Angela's Ashes

Perfect for you if...

  • You grew up watching a parent struggle with addiction and recognise the particular loneliness of that childhood.
  • You're drawn to character-driven stories about people fighting their circumstances rather than swooping rescues.
  • You appreciate semi-autobiographical fiction that doesn't flinch from the uglier parts of American life.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer uplifting narratives where hard work guarantees a happy ending.
  • You find detailed depictions of poverty, neglect, and the foster care system too heavy to sit with.
  • You're looking for a quick read. This is a dense 667-page novel that demands your full attention.

About this book

Hard City is a semiautobiographical novel set in 1940s Chicago that follows Richie, a young man navigating poverty and hardship as the son of a single mother struggling with heroin addiction. His adolescence becomes a constant struggle between hope and brutality, with positive influences including a boxing coach and a job at a bowling alley offering brief respite, alongside his determination to find his absent father. Richie faces multiple obstacles: the criminal justice system, abusive foster homes, and a period of exile with his grandmother in Tennessee. Desperately lonely, he must contend with want and war while resisting the temptation to abandon his aspirations for a better life. The narrative moves between flashbacks of his early years, traumatic adolescent experiences, and his eventual return to Chicago, as his fate remains uncertain.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$6.00$11.99Aug '20Feb '24Mar '25Apr '26
$0.50$11.99

Currently on sale at $7.99 — 33% off peak. Price has dropped 31 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 46 days. Typically stays discounted for 6 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#13,311#1,064,982#2,116,653Aug '20Nov '23Feb '25Apr '26

Currently around #1,597K in the Kindle store — a niche title.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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4.0★4.5★5.0★Nov '23Jun '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.6★ from 52 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has remained stable at 4.6 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$6.00$11.99Aug '20Feb '24Mar '25Apr '26PredictedApr '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $7.99. It typically returns to around $11.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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Howard, Clark

1 book on Vagrant Press

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