The White City

I just finished reading "Devil in the White City" and wondering what took me so long. I think Michelle's had it sitting on her bookshelf for about 4 years. I thoroughly enjoyed the history of Chicago in the time of the great World's Fair--the challenges of architecture in the city, the trouble with workers' unions, the origin of the Ferris Wheel and PBR, and the effects this one event had on our country for the following century.

It was also a fascinating look at the success and power of two men who had great ingenuity, determination, and influence, and how differently their lives played out. One man--Daniel Burnham--was the driving force behind the building of the World's Fair, the world's greatest architect of the time, and probably one of the biggest reasons the fair succeeded at all. He orchestrated things that even with today's technology and advancements, would seem incredible. The other man--a physician who went by the pseudonym H. H. Holmes--was a psychopath in the classic form, putting up a very convincing front of charm and innocence while murdering probably dozens of people in nearly broad daylight. Both men put significant effort and planning into their respective dreams, to starkly different effects.

What makes one man's dream of greatness change the world and another man's lead to death? The book gave very little insight into the upbringing and moral formation of these two men, though I suspect that had a good deal to do with it. It highlights the importance of an informed conscience, of the building up of virtue, of the importance of looking outside oneself. For even though Burnham started with the goal of notoriety, in the end he fought for the glory of his city and his people, which Holmes thought only of his perverse pleasure.

I'm sure Larson's next book "In the Garden of Beasts" will make it's way into my hands sooner rather than later.