The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

curt_holman‘s read-bag review piqued my interest in this book, primarily due to my casual interest in circa 1900 technology and entrepreneurship.

Here’s Curt’s synopsis of the subject: “This lively history text follows narratives on two tracks, primarily (but not exclusively) based in Chicago. Track One depicts the tumultuous planning, construction, implementation and aftermath of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 (technically the “World Columbian Exposition”), primarily from the point of view of chief architect Daniel Burnham. Track Two recounts the horrific practices of H.H. Holmes, a charismatic doctor, landlord, pharmacist, fraud and serial killer.”

The catch is that I’ve little interest in (and somewhat of an aversion to) crime stories, which the second track definitively is. So I was jerked between being fascinated in a good way and repulsed in a bad way as the story jumped between the tracks. I considered just reading the story of the fair, but the book is well written and engaging enough that skipping sections felt wrong. Kind of like seeing candy in a bowl and being unable to stop eating until you get that sick feeling once the bowl is empty.

But aside from the sugar-crash, it’s a good read. I learned a few things about good old Chicago’s history, which I miss just a little bit more than the other cities I’ve lived in.