The Dark Sides of the White City - Page 2

In contrast, many wonderful inventions and products were introduced at the Fair, including engineering marvels like the Ferris wheel, timeless treats like Cracker Jacks, efficient electricity using alternating currents, and architectural inspirations that changed the design of cities throughout the country. The legacy of the Chicago World’s Fair lives on in places like Epcot Center (Walt Disney’s father worked at the fair), in the stories of L. Frank Baum (Oz was modeled after the White City); and in every local carnival with its midway, unique food, rides and entertainment.

There are more detailed books on Holmes (see my review of Harold Schechter’s Depraved), and numerous biographies of Burnham and other architects, but you would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining, compelling or better written account of the entire saga of this fascinating slice of history than The Devil in the White City. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it, and found myself re-reading especially interesting passages, like rewinding a video, to fully absorb its magic.

Article Author: Loretta Dillon

LORETTA DILLON is a blogger, author and playwright. She began her writing career publishing a neighborhood newspaper and handwritten and illustrated books as a child in a Cleveland suburb. Because her strongest literary influences were MAD magazine …

Visit Loretta Dillon's author page — Loretta Dillon's Blog