McAPUSH: Michaela Paul - Devil in the White City

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Michaela Paul - Devil in the White City

I selected Erik Larson's Devil in the White City due to my newfangled interest in dark history, such as the serial killers who quietly resided in our world in the past. The author apprises readers of the remarkable events that revolve around the 1893 Chicago's World Fair. Larson speaks the story of two particular men: H.H Holmes, a serial killer impersonating as an endearing doctor, and Daniel H. Burham, the architect held liable for the construction of the fair. Burham was pushed to his limits greatly, as he was forced to overcome the loss of his partner in a short period of time, and bypass obstacles to construct the "White City" in which the fair was located in. Holmes devised the World's Fair Hotel, in which he included a gas chamber and crematorium, and used the nearby fair grounds to lure his victims in. Overall, the book can be a challenging read, as there is a lot of information to store, but the captivating history overrides this and makes the pages seem to turn faster and faster.

1 comment:

Mcapush said...: I am also interested in dark history and things like that, so I actually almost chose this book! It sounds very interesting to read and like you said, challenging according to various reviews. From your comment, the book seems to show the complexities of loss in different ways, as Burham loses his partner and must cope, while Holmes enjoys torturing and killing victims, not contemplating the loss that he is burdening the victims' families and friends with.
-Kassidy Hopkins; July 30, 2014 at 10:30 PM