The Devil in the White CIty
The Devil in the White City
Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City. First Vintage Books Edition. New York: Random House, Inc., 2003. Print. The Devil in the White City is a literary nonfictional novel written by Erik Larson set during the construction of the Chicago's World Fair in 1893. The Chicago Fair was created to celebrate the four-hundredth anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the new world. It was a cozy home to an intelligent architect, Daniel Hudson Burnham, and a mass murderer, Henry H. Holmes, and describes their lives in great detail. It was a glimpse of the future for the public, a new sight of hope in the troubling economy. The Devil in the White City is a book that depicts every event that happened during the Chicago's World Fair. From the men who lived up to America's expectations by building the fair, to the mass murderer who was gruesomely killing young men and mostly women and going completely unnoticed. Burnham, the main architect of the fair, was troubled with so many problems such as finishing the Ferris Wheel, bad economy, and paying off the debt of building all the attractions but he did it and that is what makes it such a great achievement. The main attraction, the Ferris Wheel, is what saved Burnham though. It helped him pay off the debt and make some profit. The “Devil” in this book is Henry H. Holmes. He captured his victims by luring them into his hotel which people called the “Castle”. He would lock them in rooms and have them gassed or skin them to sell their bodies to be made into skeletons for medical schools or sometimes just incinerate them. Larson's book is complex and interesting. It shows the contrast of the United States crowning achievements and the horrors that one man can commit. Holmes thrill of killing is wrote in very descriptive words that leaves your skin itching, almost as if you were there watching the whole thing in person. Holmes didn't just kill for the thrill though, he did it for insurance money.
Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City. First Vintage Books Edition. New York: Random House, Inc., 2003. Print. The Devil in the White City is a literary nonfictional novel written by Erik Larson set during the construction of the Chicago's World Fair in 1893. The Chicago Fair was created to celebrate the four-hundredth anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the new world. It was a cozy home to an intelligent architect, Daniel Hudson Burnham, and a mass murderer, Henry H. Holmes, and describes their lives in great detail. It was a glimpse of the future for the public, a new sight of hope in the troubling economy. The Devil in the White City is a book that depicts every event that happened during the Chicago's World Fair. From the men who lived up to America's expectations by building the fair, to the mass murderer who was gruesomely killing young men and mostly women and going completely unnoticed. Burnham, the main architect of the fair, was troubled with so many problems such as finishing the Ferris Wheel, bad economy, and paying off the debt of building all the attractions but he did it and that is what makes it such a great achievement. The main attraction, the Ferris Wheel, is what saved Burnham though. It helped him pay off the debt and make some profit. The “Devil” in this book is Henry H. Holmes. He captured his victims by luring them into his hotel which people called the “Castle”. He would lock them in rooms and have them gassed or skin them to sell their bodies to be made into skeletons for medical schools or sometimes just incinerate them. Larson's book is complex and interesting. It shows the contrast of the United States crowning achievements and the horrors that one man can commit. Holmes thrill of killing is wrote in very descriptive words that leaves your skin itching, almost as if you were there watching the whole thing in person. Holmes didn't just kill for the thrill though, he did it for insurance money.