Out of the Wild, Into Chicago

More than 5 years in the making, "Chicago Unleashed" is a collection of whimsical images created by author, photographer, and Chicago native Larry Broutman. The images combine wildlife photographed by Broutman in the wildlands of the world and iconic Chicago urbanscapes he also photographed. The cover image shows a lion photographed in Kenya, comfortably poised beneath one of the lions in front of Chicago's Art Institute.

The concept of these fanciful pieces was created for the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago during its design and construction. The animal from one of the images serves to identify each floor of the hospital. Artworks created for the hospital are included in Chicago Unleashed and identified as such.

Text accompanying each image provides information on the city's most important art, architecture, tourist sights, parks, and more, often with a tongue-in-cheek twist in the lighthearted spirit of the book.

Larry Broutman became an avid wildlife photographer and world traveller while still pursuing his career as a materials scientist and engineer. Larry was a university professor and successful entrepreneur in the field of plastics engineering, and had authored and edited more than 10 engineering texts in the field of plastics and composite materials, before devoting himself to his photographic interests.

All author proceeds are donated to The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Disabled, and Access Living, Chicago-based nonprofit service agencies.