The Devil in the White City in Pop Sugar's Annual Ultimate Reading Challenge

Jul 15, 2008 Beth F rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, src-fall-2009, nonfiction, chicago

I was in fourth grade when I realized I was somewhat of a square peg that would never fit in with everybody else. This realization happened on the playground when another little girl with blonde hair informed me that I could never be friends with any of the popular people because I always wore sweaters and never sweatshirts.

I was hurt enough by the comment to remember it but also remember laughing a little bit because I liked wearing my sweaters. They were warm and soft and made me think of hap I was in fourth grade when I realized I was somewhat of a square peg that would never fit in with everybody else. This realization happened on the playground when another little girl with blonde hair informed me that I could never be friends with any of the popular people because I always wore sweaters and never sweatshirts.

I was hurt enough by the comment to remember it but also remember laughing a little bit because I liked wearing my sweaters. They were warm and soft and made me think of happy things. So even though I had to sacrifice my bid at popularity to wear something I liked instead of what everybody else was wearing, so be it. As I’ve gotten older, the situations and circumstances that separate me from “the rest of the crowd” run a bit deeper than the sweater vs. sweatshirt scenario but the result is still the same: if I like it, I like it even if I’m in the minority. And if I don’t, who cares if everybody else does? I fail at fitting in.

Several years ago, I lived in a particular neighborhood in Chicago where almost everybody fit in with everybody else. And those of us who lived in this particular neighborhood and rode the ‘L’ into the Loop everyday weekday had a certain image to uphold: black wool pea coat, pointy-toed shoes with killer heels, an iPod and a copy of The Devil in the White City. And except for a copy of The Devil in the White City I actually fit in with the rest of the crowd because things that appealed to my fancy actually appealed to the fancies of other people too! I had two black wool pea coats in different lengths, several pairs of pointy-toed shoes with killer heels AND an iPod.

But I didn’t have my nose stuck in this book. And here’s where I’ll make a contradictory statement to everything I’ve previously admitted: if everyone else is reading it, I have to read it too, just because (which is how I got suckered into reading the Da Vinci Code AND all four Twilights). Shortly before moving away from Chicago, I bought a copy of the book and it’s been collecting dust on my bookshelf ever since.

But I finally, FINALLY read it. It was a struggle to get into but I’m glad I stuck with it because after the first 80-100 pages of initial setup the book eventually became quite interesting and hard to put down. I’m always surprised when I get so engrossed in a nonfiction book because I usually find nonfiction very easy to take a break from. The author weaves two stories together, one about the building and architecture of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and the second about a serial killer operating within Chicago at the same time. Constantly switching between the two stories was a bit jarring for me and most of the time I felt like they should have been two separate books, but whatever.

I was tempted to give this book 4 stars but decided not to on account of how long it took to get into it and because the two distinct storylines weren’t as cohesive as they should have been since they were in the same book. ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2012 Rae rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: true-crime-and-forensics, 2012

Larson weaves two main stories together in this true crime / narrative non-fiction book about the World's Fair in Chicago and a gruesome serial killer of women and children.

I got bogged down in the endless trivia and was generally annoyed by the switching back and forth of the two plot threads. I think readers would have been better served by two completely separate books--one about the fair and one about the serial killer. Other than those personal responses, though, this was a decent read. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2010 Wendy E. rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club

Book club book! I don't gravitate to nonfiction, but this one was really good. I was more fascinated by the World's Fair than by the serial killer, but all in all, a satisfying read filled with, "Huh! I didn't know that" and "Hey. Listen to this." For example, the Pledge of Allegiance was created for school children to recite on Dedication Day of the World's Fair. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Meg rated it it was ok

I have been listing to a podcast...Things you Missed in History class....and between that and the fact that I keep picking this book up at the bookstore---I definitely was destined to read the book.

The book is about the 1892 World's Fair in Chicago....a mixture of the building it in the limited time they had....and a serial killer (H.H. Holmes).

The chapters about H.H. Holmes were interesting...though I wanted to know where the author got all of the information from. The chapters about the actu ...more

Like · see review

May 24, 2008 Courtney rated it it was amazing

This was a fascinating book. I had to continue reminding myself that it was not fiction that I was reading, but history. I loved the weaving of the two main historical figures- the architect who built the fair and the serial murderer that preyed on the people drawn in by the fair. Really amazing and it made me want to go read more about the fair and the killer (who was, by the way, really a sick and twisted man).

A fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

Like · see review

Jan 15, 2008 Mandy rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2006-reads

I HATED this book. It was so not worth my time. I dreaded reading about the horrible man and all of his killings. I think there could have been a decent book about the worlds fair in chicago, but that was not how this book was written. I was appalled that this book was chosen as the one book one lincoln. There were so many better finalists that year!

Like · see review