From the Bookshelf of Diversity in All Forms!…

The Devil in the White City

Erik Larson,

Tony Goldwyn (Narrator)

Start date: January 1, 2017

Finish date: January 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: January's voted on book theme/topic is True Crime. …more
[close] January's voted on book theme/topic is True Crime.

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What Members Thought

Jun 05, 2015 Alana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biographical, history, thriller-horror

Writing this for the second time after my browser decided to shut itself done when I was finishing my last sentence the first time...

I happened to read this after reading The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor last year and just a few weeks ago Stephen King's Apt Pupil. The psychopathic mannerisms of King's characters and the amazing manipulative abilities of "Mr. Rockefeller" are all rolled into one in the true-life character of Dr. H.H. Writing this for the second time after my browser decided to shut itself done when I was finishing my last sentence the first time...

I happened to read this after reading The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor last year and just a few weeks ago Stephen King's Apt Pupil. The psychopathic mannerisms of King's characters and the amazing manipulative abilities of "Mr. Rockefeller" are all rolled into one in the true-life character of Dr. H.H. Holmes (which, of course, is an alias). The complete lack of any conscience and the matter-of-fact, scientific way he goes about his plots and eventual murders would be entirely incredible if not for the copious amounts of evidence to back it up. Reading about him literally give me chills and the creeps. It's enough to make you nervous about anyone who's ever overly kind to you.

The juxtaposition of Holmes' "Murder Castle" and the building of the White City of Chicago's World's Fair was brilliantly written and utterly fascinating. Both show the incredible technologies of the age, but used to very different purpose.

I found the history of Chicago and the assembling of the World's Fair in particular to be completely riveting. I had no idea how many people were involved in the construction, planning, designing, and politics of the thing. So many technologies were advanced and new ideas were developed. I had forgotten that the Ferris Wheel was introduced at the Fair, and like many other wonders, was developed specifically for the Fair. The history, while detailed, doesn't get too bogged down in its details, but vividly paints the picture of the world's (and locals) mentality of the time and how life has changed since then.

Larson doesn't go into gruesome detail of Holmes' exploits, but what he describes gives plenty for the mind to imagine and the images are not for the faint of heart. Other than that, however, I completely recommend it to anyone who's remotely interested in American or world history.

4.5/5 ...more

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May 10, 2017 Quan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: other-nonfiction

3.5 stars

This is essentially two different stories that happen around the same event, the World's Fair in Chicago, but don't ever intersect. One story is about the construction of the fair; the other story is about a serial killer who happened to be in Chicago at the time.

Both stories are interesting enough in their own right. But I'm confused why they'd be included together in the same book. The architects certainly had no clue about the killer's existence so their story is unaffected by him. I ...more

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