AP American History Book Review The Devil in the White City Introduction The Devil in the White City written by Erik Larson is the riveting account of the first modern serial killer of the 19th century in America. Published in 2003‚ Larson carefully and accurately creates a connecting plot of two very different characters. The first character introduced in the book is Daniel Burnham. Burnham is the architect who builds the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. He faces many challenges in
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"The Devil in The White City" is a book written about the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair but simultaneously tells the true story of Americas first serial killer‚ H.H. Holmes. The story begins in 1890 when the bidding of the location for the first World Fair in honor of Columbus discovering the Americas is released. The author‚ Eric Larson‚ introduces the stories mood by describing Chicago as a morally declining city making it the perfect target for someone like H.H. Holmes. Larson tells that in this
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nickname “The Back City” due to its heavily polluted air and the dark crimes that occurred on its streets. Women went missing each day‚ disappearing into the smoke of the city‚ and credit fraud was common. In building The World’s Fair upon Chicago’s grounds‚ Burnham attempted to beautify Chicago’s reputation. He designed glorious buildings to transform the wasteland of Jackson Park into a stunning spectacle. To lighten up the air of Chicago‚ Burnham had the structures painted white. The fair brought
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supervised the design and planning of the exposition’s major buildings. These temporary neoclassical “buildings that were made from wood frame wrapped In staff‚ a plaster mixture that gave the illusion of stone” were referred to as the White City because they were painted white (Bolotin et al. ……..). The fair
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In The Devil in the White City you can find murder‚ magic and madness at the fair that changed America. In this book you discover 1893 Chicago at the time of the world’s fair‚ also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition. The story follows two separate but connected plots. One plot consist of a serial killer in the city while another consist of the building of the fair. Each plot follows two separate characters; H.H Holmes the serial killer and Daniel Burnham the architect. I believe that Erik
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to view the metropolis as the Black City. In The Devil in the White City‚ author Erik Larson utilizes primary sources in order to establish Chicago’s reputation that they are trying to overcome. Through the primary
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Life. In The Devil in the White City by: Erik Larson‚ Larson shows that no matter how important or insignificant‚ whoever you are‚ you will die and be forgotten. Defined by Merriam Webster as “The existence of an individual human or animal.” So by definition it’s simply your being. However‚ if you look at it from a slightly more poetic standpoint‚ life is so much more. Life is breathing in the crisp Autumn air‚ relaxing in a hot bath‚ dancing and singing along to your favorite song. Life‚ however
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The Devil in the White City attempts to contrast the glorious achievements of Burnham and Root transforming windswept swampland on the shores of Lake Michigan with the despicable activities of one of America’s most vile serial killers. Both entities constructed edifices to exacting specifications: A fair to delight the public and establish Chicago as a world class city and a "murder palace" to satisfy murderous desires. The book shows the loss of America’s innocence in both a good and bad w
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In Erik Larson’s “Devil in the White City” his character Olmstead said “that we are always personally under an agitating pressure and cloud of anxiety.” This quote directly resonates with my life and how I subject myself and my body to physiological symptoms of anxiety‚ especially towards things that are not that serious. One task that causes me to feel uncomfortable is calling a stranger on the phone. I will delay making the call even if it’s regarding a minor question such as finding out the opening
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Devil in the White City “The wait was electric.” pg. 12 Electricity flows through bodies. People‚ humans‚ are conductors of electricity‚ and the wait spread through the crowd. The excitement was spreading. “Felt the electricity more keen than most.” pg. 14 The men working on the project are waiting and are more sensitive to the excitement than the crowd. “Both passed easily‚ and I flunked‚ having sat through two or three examinations without being able to write a word.” pg. 19
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