The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
by Erik Larson
senior sem. (12/13/2010)
I thought the book was excellently written. It was both suspenseful with the story of the serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes, and informative with the story behind the magnificent Chicago World's Fair. Even though I wasn't alive during that time, the book made it seem like i was right there.
I never knew how massive of an event the 1993 World's Fair was historically, and the implications that made it seem impossible to build. I was panicking just like Daniel Burnham and Frederick Olmsted were when they realized how short of a time they had to build the massive fair. I learned that many common things that we use today were born in the fair, like the shredded wheat.
I have never heard of Dr. H.H. Holmes until i read this book, and was surprised that he was probably Americas first serial killer and he belonged to Chicago. My stomach turned each time I read of the creepy ways he killed women and children, and the building he created specially for killing.
It was sad to know everything that happened after the World's Fair. It was almost as there was no point in living in Chicago anymore.