murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America
Erik Larson: The devil in the White City (2003, Doubleday)
447 pages
English language
Published Nov. 10, 2003 by Doubleday.
This is the story of the men and women whose lives were irrevocably changed by the Chicago World Fair, and of two men in particular: an architect and a serial killer. Spicing the narrative are the stories of a cast of historical characters including Buffalo Bill, Scott Joplin and Theodore Dreiser.
To one side, the main architect of the Columbian Exposition that would top the Paris World Fair where the Eiffel tower was introduced. To the other, a sociopathic killer taking advantage on the growing numbers of young single women looking both independence and work in Chicago. A gripping story.
It seems everyone read this when I lived in Chicago except me, but the true crime hook turned me off then. Turns out it's mostly about architecture and temporary facades of respectability, and engagingly told as popular history. Satisfyingly travel-back-in-time-to-Chicago.
