Here's Where: A Guide to Illustrious St. Louis

Many famous people, past and present, have ties to St. Louis. With that in mind, Charles Brennan has tapped into the St. Louis connection and written an insightful guidebook about this midwestern city.            With maps and cross-referenced appendixes, Here’s Where gives locals and visitors alike an opportunity to pick a favorite famous person and visit a related site—such as a home, school, church, or restaurant. Brennan pinpoints the apartment on which Tennessee Williams based the setting for his play The Glass Menagerie and the shoe factory where Williams once worked—and where he encountered some of the characters that later appeared in his plays. Brennan identifies the birthplaces of poet Maya Angelou and music legend Chuck Berry and cites the street-corner location where Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra sold newspapers, as well as the restaurant where Berra waited tables before joining the major leagues.            Brennan includes more than 160 entries that list anecdotes and interesting facts. The entries range from notable people from the 1800s, for example, Mark Twain, to today’s celebrities, such as singer Sheryl Crow and rap star Nelly.            The entries are organized alphabetically; an appendix cross-references the entries by category (movies and television, sports, literature, political figures). Also, each entry is keyed to one of eight maps of St. Louis areas, making it easy to locate the sites.

With maps and cross-referenced appendixes, Here's Where gives local and visitors alike a chance to explore the ties many celebrities have had to St. Louis. Top-rated radio host Charles Brennan pinpoints the apartment on which Tennessee Williams based the setting for The Glass Menagerie and the shoe factory where Williams worked-and where he met some of the characters that later appeared in his plays. He also identifies the birthplaces of Maya Angelou and Chuck Berry and cites the street-corner location where Yogi Berra once sold newspapers. Here's Where includes more than 160 entries, ranging from notable people from the 1800s to today's celebrities, such as singer Sheryl Crow and rap star Nelly.

Charles Brennan is a top-rated radio host at KMOX in St. Louis. He is coauthor of Walking Historic Downtown St. Louis.