ABOUT THE BOOK
The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America is about the making of a great city and the development of two extraordinary, yet utterly disparate, men. The book is set in Chicago just before and during the 1983 Worlds Columbian Exposition (or the Worlds Fair as its more commonly known). Chicago is perched on the precipice of a great transformation, but whether for good or bad remains to be seen
Larson tells the story of the fair through the eyes of two men, both brilliant, each representing a different side of the city where they live. Daniel Burnham, a businessman and architect, has a vision of the glorious city Chicago can become. He represents the purity of spirit, innovation and diligence that make Chicago a great city. H. H. Holmes, a charming psychopath who uses the fair to lure his victims, represents the citys darker side. Holmes is as efficient in his killing as the citys slaughterhouses, and as destructive as its frequent fires. As Burnham elevates the citys reputation, Holmes threatens to destroy its burgeoning greatness.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Nayla Wren has worked as a union organizer, comedy writer, farm hand, and performance artist. Currently, she is a law student at UCLA. She regularly presents on art, sociology, and law at academic conferences and writes about entertainment for various blogs. She lives in Los Angeles, where she once saw Glenn Danzig order a piece of apple pie.
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
The Devil in the White City is a story of two brilliant men: Daniel Burnham and H. H. Holmes. The book cuts back and forth between the two in order to highlight the greatest achievements and most sinister flaws of turn-of-the-century Chicago.
Burnham is skilled businessman who runs an architectural firm with his partner John Root. The two are responsible for remarkable innovations; together they designed and built some of the nations first skyscrapers. Burnham and Root campaigned for Chicago to host the 1892 Worlds Fair, and when their campaign succeeds, Burnham is put in charge of the construction. He is determined that his fair rival Paris and thereby show the world that Chicago is a cosmopolitan, world-class city.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Quicklet on Erik Larson's The Devil in White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America
+ About the Book
+ About the Author
+ Overall Summary
+ Chapter-by-Chapter Commentary
+ ...and much more
Erik Larson's The Devil in White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America
