The Devil in the White City

is a fantastic novel about the CHICAGO architects behind the 1893 World's Fair (the buildings were constructed white, thus the title "The White City"). This non-fiction story was written in 2003 by Erik Larson (the film rights have been purchased...perhaps it will be on the big screen one day).

Reading this novel allows the reader to get to know the personalities behind Chicago's premier architects Burnham, Root, and Sullivan as well as understand the interconnectedness between architects all around the world. The competition among architects and cooperation between them in order to complete a project was a delight to read. It made me wonder if competitors would reach out to one another in this era in order to turn out the best product possible.

A side story is developed in the novel as well. The devil is a doctor that finds elaborate ways to lure people, mainly female, into his confidence and eventually kill them. The story of the building of a crematorium in his home was disturbing!