So, about Devil in
the White City…I’ll be honest. I haven’t cracked the book open yet. Yes, I admit
it, I am a chronic procrastinator, bear with me. So I guess I’ll start by
talking a little about the book itself, then maybe something about why I chose
it for book club.
Devil in the White City
(I’m going to call it DWC from now on) is a two-for-one –special, in that it
tells two stories at once. Chapter by chapter, Larson alternates the stories of
the World’s Fair, and of a serial killer. This struck me as interesting,
because although they took place at the same time and place, they seem like
completely different stories to me. On one hand, the story of the World’s Fair
seems like it could be written as a dry and historical account, whereas the
serial killer plot lends itself to mystery, suspense, and drama. Of course,
because this is creative nonfiction, I am interested to see how the contrast between
these two stories plays out.
After going through the
list of books for book club, I felt kind of lost. And also pressured. What if I
chose a book that I hated? What if I gave myself yet another unbearable reading
assignment? So, I Googled each book, and looked up some important information,
such as, the genre, the author themselves, critical acclaim, and (dare I admit it?) page number. After reading some of the subjects of the books, my list of possibilities was narrowed significantly. (Demon
in the Freezer was immediately crossed off the list – no offense – I’m just not
really into Sci-Fi. And Krakauer 's Into the Wild isn't really my scene either). Then there was DWC
The first thing I
noticed about DWC was the caption proudly displayed on the cover – “#1
National Bestseller”. Okay, so it can’t be too bad if a lot of people liked it.
Another plus, was that it was a combination of thriller and history, which
seemed similar to my love for historical fiction, and thriller movies. The third
and final detail that sold me on DWC was the fact that it is about the
World’s Fair, which I have learned about briefly in other courses, but, like
many other things, was glanced over all too quickly. Sold.
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