The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

By: Erik Larson

 

This book covers so many topics and is so entertaining it's hard to know where to start. Centered around Chicago at the end of the nineteenth century, World's Fair of 1893.
Daniel Hudson Burnham, architect, manager, and mastermind of the fair builds the White City, a marvel in itself. Meanwhile Henry H. Holmes is a serial-killer devil, a charismatic young man who calls himself a doctor, but is a con man with blood-curdling obsessions. Holmes builds an apartment building to lure young women into his house of horrors, which stood in the shadows of the greatness of the Fair.

The book covers and includes: Frederick Law Olmstead, George Ferris, Edison, Archduke Ferdinand, Buffalo Bill, Susan B. Anthony and many more. The book shows how the acheivements and the pace of change was at just as break neck of a speed as today. The beauty and the horror created by men, the growing pains of a nation, the personal achievements and conflicts of great men; all wrapped up in a sweeping narrative. As good as any novel, but it's all true!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

 

By: Sherman Alexi

 There are few books that make you laugh, make you cry, and make you reflect on your life. I will say that even more rare is the book that I want to read more than once.  The book which I believe is partly autobiographical tells the story of a 14-year-old Indian who refers to himself as Junior. He goes to Reardan High School, an all-white school off the reservation (which he refers to as the rez).

Junior wants to be a cartoonist, and he fills this "diary" with funny, reflective, self-deprecating drawings. Junior's best friend is Rowdy, a troubled kid who acts out, violently at times, who may suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome. Rowdy and Junior's relationship becomes strained when he leaves the rez to go to Reardan and much of the book deals with this dynamic. Junior seems to be caught outside of both the world of Reardan and the world of the rez, very much the outsider.

Dealing with very flawed parents, a depressing community, the crushing depression that kids in poverty can feel, and struggling against it all; I could relate with Junior. His story of seeking to do better and rise above it all with humor and creativity feels authentic. I recommend this book to both adults and teens because of its humor and uplifting story which transcends any age.