Book: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson has been one of many books I had on my reading list.  I've seen my coworkers reading this nonfiction book, and I've seen high schoolers read this for their class. So, it's great to say, yes, I have finally finished reading it too!

If you love history, this is a book for you.  Being a history major, I found The Devil in the White City to be enjoyable and knowledgeable at the same time.  Larson writes history the way it should be, like a riveting story that makes you wonder what will happen next. 

Court of Honor, World 's Fair, Chicago 

I would say that this book is divided into two main parts (though there are other various additions to the story here and there), one being of the people who were behind the creation of the World's Columbian Exposition, also known as The Chicago's World Fair (1893) in Chicago, such as architect, Daniel Burnham and the other being the story of the serial killer, Dr. Henry Howard Holmes who lived in Chicago and created a business there in anticipation of the money that would come in with the fair.

The sprinkling of interesting facts here and there, and the dropping of names like Mark Twain coming to see the fair (He was unable to actually visit it, spending his days in a Chicago hotel recovering from an illness.) is blended well together with the pace and flow of the story. I really found the chapters about Dr. Holmes intriguing.  Perhaps that is because he keeps killing and luring his victims in with such ease that there's this reader anticipation for what will happen next and who will ultimately catch him in his tracks. 

1st Ferris Wheel, World's Fair, Chicago

What I liked most about  The Devil in the White City was that it made me wish I could have been at the World's Fair in Chicago.  I wanted to see the White City, and I could image it in my head as I read.  To see the presentation of new technology, art, and entertainment and know that the whole country and world wanted to be there too must have been an amazing feeling.  The Word's Fair  was a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival to the New World in 1492, yet it was also a showcase of everything that was changing in the United States.  It's a shame we don't have anything like this nowadays.