Summary Of The Devil In The White City By Erik Larson

The book, “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson, is intriguing by the title alone. I had not previously heard about the book or the major events in the book, so it was interesting being able to read without bringing presumptions to the text. The “White City” mentioned in the title is Chicago, Illinois where the meat of the story occurs. “The Devil” mentioned in the title, is referring to Herman Webster Mudgett, commonly known by alias Dr. H. H. Holmes. This novel follows the construction of the World’s Columbian Exposition Fair in Chicago by architect Daniel Burnham whom is striving to prove to the nation and world that he is capable of building never-before built concepts within unheard of time frames. At the same time as the fair,

He then worked his way into writing articles for The Wall Street journal that were then published in other journals. He found success in this career path, but decided to walk away from it to pursue his passion, writing books. I aspire to be more like Larson in this aspect. After reading about Larson and his childhood, it is evident that he has had a passion for drawing and writing when he was back in grade school. He never pushed to be at the top, he simply did what he enjoyed. It just so happened that he was extremely talented author and found much success and recognition in the stories he authored. Overall, it appears that Larson enjoyed absorbing information and truly understanding. When finding information and sources about Holmes, he became intrigued. His examination further into the sources inspired him to write “The Devil in the White

It is Chicago that won the bid for the home of the World’s Columbian Exposition Fair, it is Chicago that Burnham, the architect, found so much potential in, it is Chicago that Holmes evil desires put into motion. The city of Chicago now carries out the legacy of both Burnham and Holmes. Burnham was given the power over the exposition. He contacted the architects, hired landscapers, and bore a vision to create something the world has never seen before in nearly every possible aspect of the fair including size, style and appeal. He understood every decision he made was crucial because of the expectations people from all nations had for the fair. Chicago could emerge as a powerhouse over other populated cities in the United States and the United States could emerge as an evolving supreme nation over all others. The an unthinkably short deadline to meet, the success and the beauty Burnham was able to capture is truly miraculous. His’s intentions for the fair were pure; he truly desired Chicago to be molded into the “white city” and many would say he achieved his goal. On the opposite end of the spectrum, but a few blocks away from the exposition, Holmes also saw potential. Holmes was already a criminal, but his bloodthirsty desire grew when the opportunity arrived to prey on the people swarming to Chicago because of the opportunities and the exposition. He designed a “hotel” that had designated secret rooms that he used to