This Week's Good Book - "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Last year we took a trip to Chicago and I thought I'd do a little reading about Chicago prior to the trip. I came upon this book and was captivated by the story woven through the magnificent Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was nicknamed the “White City” for its majestic beauty. Architect Daniel Burnham built it; serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes used it to lure victims to his World’s Fair Hotel, designed for murder. Both men left behind them a powerful legacy, one of brilliance and energy, the other of sorrow and darkness.

The World’s Fair introduced America to such classic favorites as Cracker Jack, Shredded Wheat. and Juicy Fruit and was the birth of historically significant symbols like Columbus Day, the Ferris Wheel, and the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a truly magical place, where the most important figures of the late 19th century made their appearance, among them Thomas Edison, Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Clarence Darrow, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Buffalo Bill, and Helen Keller. Many looked to the fair as a source of inspiration, from Walt Disney, whose father, Elias, helped build the White City, to L. Frank Baum and his illustrator, who visited the fair and created the grandeur of Oz based on what they saw.

But, there was a sinister side to this fair, a serial killer. In fact, he was a doctor. Erik Larson tells a true tale of grandeur and mayhem at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.