The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book. It was truly fascinating and should be required reading in all Chicago Public Schools.
It's a wonderful history of the city back in the late 1800's. There are two main themes that are woven together: one is the building of the Columbian World's Fair and the other is a psychopatic killer that became the archtype of the modern day serial killer. It showed how Chicago rose above the sewage problems, stockyard squallor and muck and grime to become a world class city in the eyes of not only the United States, but foreign countries as well. This was an exciting time when the first ferris wheel was being built, elevators were created, zippers were invented, and phones and radios were on the verge of discovery. It was also the time when a charismatic man of charm and intelligence disguised himself as a doctor and lured young women visiting the "white city" into his castle of horrors. (His building was called the "Word's Fair Hotel.")
The book is historical with pages and pages of references, quotes, facts and figures. But it's never boring. It's been said that truth is often more strange than fiction. That's certainly true of this book.
Unless you've already read it, be sure to put this one of our LIST OF BOOKS TO READ.
It's a wonderful history of the city back in the late 1800's. There are two main themes that are woven together: one is the building of the Columbian World's Fair and the other is a psychopatic killer that became the archtype of the modern day serial killer. It showed how Chicago rose above the sewage problems, stockyard squallor and muck and grime to become a world class city in the eyes of not only the United States, but foreign countries as well. This was an exciting time when the first ferris wheel was being built, elevators were created, zippers were invented, and phones and radios were on the verge of discovery. It was also the time when a charismatic man of charm and intelligence disguised himself as a doctor and lured young women visiting the "white city" into his castle of horrors. (His building was called the "Word's Fair Hotel.")
The book is historical with pages and pages of references, quotes, facts and figures. But it's never boring. It's been said that truth is often more strange than fiction. That's certainly true of this book.
Unless you've already read it, be sure to put this one of our LIST OF BOOKS TO READ.
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