A review by baggman
American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood & the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum

3.0

I'm not one for Historical Narratives, so I wasn't really sure of what I would find in this novel. Turned out it was exactly what I suspected, and why I'm not into Historical Narratives.

Even with my initial apprehension I was initially drawn to this novel by the mention of Clarence Darrow, D.W. Griffith, Samuel Gompers, and Billy Burns (Frankly, I had never heard of Burns before this book). I guess my knowledge of American history is, sadly, lacking. I had no idea that these persons had any professional interaction, or that there was a Trial of the Century well before anyone ever heard of O.J. Simpson.

The book deals with the bombing of the Los Angeles Times building in 1910, killing 21 people; the hunt for the person responsible, and their subsequent trial. The bombing, as the book points out in detail, was a direct result of a intense nationwide conflict between wealthy business owners, Capitalists, and labor, which was significantly influenced by the Socialist movement. Seems pertinent for me to point to a quote by Edmund Burke, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." But, what do I know.

The book is full of interesting facts that attempt to describe the feelings and attitudes of early twentieth century American. Things that I did not know or, clearly, did not understand. The book was interesting and informative, just not entertaining. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it wasn't worth reading. From a historical point of view, it was great. As entertainment, which is important to me, it was somewhat lacking.