First Five: Devil in the White City

I'm bringing back the First Five! Here are my first five impressions of Devil in the White City:

1. I'm finding myself unexpectedly engaged in this book! When I first started out I was a little nervous the more historical, non-fiction writing would make reading it a task. And perhaps it was hard for the first 30 or 50 pages, but now that I'm 100 pages in, I find myself thinking about the book during the day.

2. I'm enjoying the historical anecdotes, like the fact that the regular two wheel bicycle used to be referred to as the "safe bike" because it didn't have one big and one little wheel like these used to.

3. I like that there are two stories woven together. In some reviews I read people said that was annoying. But after a rather creepy chapter on Holmes I am ready for something a little drier, calmer, safer ... especially because I read right before I go to bed. I can always end on one of the "nice" chapters. Gets me to read more than one chapter at a time, too!

4. I find Holmes incredibly creepy. I like it that so far there hasn't been anything too graphic or horror-movie-esq. Just a lot of foreshadowing ...  and we're kept a little bit at a distance too. At least for now. Maybe that will change further into the story? For a while I was thinking hoping that the Holmes part of the story was perhaps fiction. That would've been a cool tactic. To mix something super historical (the world's fair) with something completely fiction. But it's all true. Holmes really did exist. And you can visit haunted houses/sites in Chicago if reading the book doesn't scare you enough!

5. I keep picturing Holmes as Leonardo Dicaprio since he'll be playing the character in the movie (out in 2012?)

Those are my First Five impressions -- what are yours?


I looked up some discussion questions I thought might be useful as we read the book. I am particularly intrigued by numbers 6 and 8.

~Carolyn

1. Why do you think Erik Larson chose to tell Burnham and Holmes' stories together? How did the juxtaposition affect the narrative? Do you think they worked well together or would you have preferred to read about just Holmes or just Burnham?
2. What did you learn about architecture? What do you think the fair contributed to the architectural landscape in the United States?
3. How did the Chicago World's Fair change Chicago? America? The world? Discuss some of the inventions and ideas that were introduced at the fair that still impact life today.
4. How was Holmes able to get away with so many murders without becoming suspect? Were you surprised by how easy it was for him to commit crimes without being caught?
5. What ultimately led to Holmes' capture and the the discovery of his crime? Was this inevitable?
6. How did Holmes' hotel contrast with the buildings of the World's Fair? Can architecture reflect goodness or evil, or are buildings neutral until used?
7. How did the White City contrast with Chicago, the Black City?
8. What do you think of Holmes' claim that he was the devil? Can people be inherently evil? How would you explain his strange allure and cold-hearted behavior?
9. Burnham, Olmsted, Ferris and Holmes were all visionaries in their own ways. Discuss what drove each of these men, whether they were ever truly satisfied, and how their lives ultimately ended.
10. Rate The Devil in the White City on a scale of 1 to 5.