So one of the reasons I love to take a certain History professor's classes is because the outside reading he assigns for his course is always interesting. This one went above and beyond my expectations, making it hard for me to put the book down.
The Devil and the White City interweaves two narrative-threads: that of Daniel Burnham, an architect and the Director of Works of the World's Columbian Exposition/Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and that of Dr. H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who used the fair to procure victims.
It's an absolutely fascinating book, since the author takes almost everything from first- or second-hand accounts of what was happening at the time. He also manages to weave everything together so that it's engaging rather than a dry recounting of facts.
The very first chapter of the book takes place just before Daniel Burnham dies, when he's traveling to Europe aboard the steamliner Olympic on her maiden voyage, and has just tried to send a friend aboard the Olympic's sister-ship a telegram. The telegram, unfortunately, cannot be delivered to the sister-ship. The majority of the book then takes place in the years 1891-1894, with periodic time-slips put in to explain who the various people are and why they're important.
The author has a really fun habit of slipping in absolutely deadpan bits and pieces for the reader to notice and glee over. (Such as the carpenter Disney telling his sons stories about the work on the Chicago World's Fair.) It's also just a lot of fun to see how much of the stuff we take for granted came about because of all of this; Shredded Wheat, man, Shredded Wheat.
And, of course, the portion of the book about Dr. Holmes was gruesomely fascinating, and the book covers his time in Chicago through to his capture on the charge of insurance fraud and the discovery of what all he had done, the people he had killed. That's very nice and gives a sense of closure to what all has happened.
I am happily looking forward to the next book I have to read for this class.
The Devil and the White City interweaves two narrative-threads: that of Daniel Burnham, an architect and the Director of Works of the World's Columbian Exposition/Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and that of Dr. H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who used the fair to procure victims.
It's an absolutely fascinating book, since the author takes almost everything from first- or second-hand accounts of what was happening at the time. He also manages to weave everything together so that it's engaging rather than a dry recounting of facts.
The very first chapter of the book takes place just before Daniel Burnham dies, when he's traveling to Europe aboard the steamliner Olympic on her maiden voyage, and has just tried to send a friend aboard the Olympic's sister-ship a telegram. The telegram, unfortunately, cannot be delivered to the sister-ship. The majority of the book then takes place in the years 1891-1894, with periodic time-slips put in to explain who the various people are and why they're important.
The author has a really fun habit of slipping in absolutely deadpan bits and pieces for the reader to notice and glee over. (Such as the carpenter Disney telling his sons stories about the work on the Chicago World's Fair.) It's also just a lot of fun to see how much of the stuff we take for granted came about because of all of this; Shredded Wheat, man, Shredded Wheat.
And, of course, the portion of the book about Dr. Holmes was gruesomely fascinating, and the book covers his time in Chicago through to his capture on the charge of insurance fraud and the discovery of what all he had done, the people he had killed. That's very nice and gives a sense of closure to what all has happened.
I am happily looking forward to the next book I have to read for this class.
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