jesowings 's review for:

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

4.0

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This book has been on our bookshelf for years, but it hadn't even crossed my mind. The other day I was listening to an interview with Erik Larson and The Devil in the White City came up and I thought it sounded pretty interesting. Holy smokes. I hesitate to say "I enjoyed it" because the story of H.H. Holmes is just terrifying. The book is remarkably written, the detail and history of the efforts and expense that went into the production of the Chicago World's Fair is fascinating. Really well written and wonderfully constructed as a tapestry of a time and place, and chilling to realize the resemblance to crime and economic disparity that persists over 100 years later in our country.