The Devil in the White City

Title	The Devil in the White City
Author	Erik Larson
Call Number	HV6248.M8 L37 2003
Location	2nd Floor Social Sciences
Rating	Highly Recommended
Book Review	This is an absolutely fascinating non-fiction book that reads like a novel. Larsen tells the story of Chicago at the end of the nineteenth century focusing on two men: Daniel Burnham, architect and urban designer who was the driving force and behind the Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, a.k.a. Herman Mudgett, a depraved and charismatic serial killer who may have had as many as 200 victims. Both men were architects, in a sense, of historic places with overlapping history. Burnham was the most influential individual behind the creation of the “White City” for the Chicago World’s Fair, which captivated the entire country and broke records for the most highly attended recreational event in history at the time. Holmes built his “castle” which housed many guests who came to Chicago to visit the World’s Fair and were never heard from again. For the librarians out there, there’s a great epilogue and long list of resources in which Larson discusses his sources for constructing his story, including scenes where no one survived to give an eye-witness account.
Submitted By	Taylor Greene
Department or Major	Leatherby Libraries
Status	Staff