They say there are six degrees of separation in relationships. Example: Teri Patterson knows me through both our employment and my children. She also knows my sister, Marsha, through church. I don't think the three of us have ever been in the same room together, but we carry on conversations as though we often are in the same room.
My sister, Monica, went to the same college at the same time as my co-worker, Amy Kluemke.
Another six degrees is my sister's sister-in-law, who I often spend holidays with, knows my friend, Terry Willis, quite well. Small world.
My friend, Laura Everhart worked with me for some time before we put two and two together and realized we were in the same kindergarten class in Auburn, Illinois.
Well, Laura and I were talking about our mutual love of books and hatched this hair-brained scheme to put together an online book club where we can talk about good reads together and compare notes, maybe grasp a little tidbit of knowledge we didn't have before. And, maybe get together a couple times a year, meet each other and bring the six degrees of separation down to one.
So I'm thinking anybody who wants to be part of our little group can invite other friends and create a little circle of people connected to one other in the group. We might be surprised at how many other degrees we find.
So we should open the floor to book discussion. Since I'm currently the boss of our site, I choose . . . one of my all time favorites,The Devil in the White City By Erik Larson.
Sincerely,
Fran Williams
So, why do I like it? The book mixes more truth than fiction. As the description of the world's fair grew, and the amazing things that came out of that fair were shared, I was taken with how, come 100 years later, many things we accept as every day (Shredded Wheat, chewing gum, electricity) were introduced for the first time on a large scale during that fair.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is probably the first location that a serial killer could be tied. Who knows how many the man actually killed? It makes one wonder.
OK, I've changed a setting to allow anyone to post. After we initially start our group, I'll reduce it so that only members can post.
ReplyDeleteSo, check out copies of The Devil in the White City and start reading!
ReplyDeleteCan I borrow yours? This is the one I wanted a year ago. If not I will head to the Book Rack
ReplyDeleteSorry. Caroline absconded with it.
ReplyDeleteGreat book
ReplyDeleteThis was a great book! The pages were saturated with History which is one of my favorite subjects. I loved the sinister side of the book, call me nuts, but I am such a big fan of True Crime stories, it quickly caught my interest. The blending of the two stories made you hungry for more of each as the book progressed. I am likje Fran and amazed at the grand scale that the World's Fair was developed on. We do take things for granted that started in History centuries ago that at the time were a very big deal. This is a great read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading my comment!
Laura Everhart
I also enjoyed the book....once I became accustomed to Larson's writing style. This is definitely not light reading. The historic content of the book, written in a fictional style made it a bit easier to get through layers of facts and names and events. I found myself going back and reviewing as if I were studying, at least through the World's Fair. I found those pages fascinating. I had just visited Biltmore in NC and seen Olmsted's landscape design there. His part in the landscaping of the Worlds Fair was interesting to me. And although I found the murder chapters riveting at times, I also found them a bit tedious. I felt like I was reading two different books. I recommend the book. To those who are familiar with Chicago...it is a must read.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that they have a Devil in the White City Tour? Marsha, Monica, and I went on it summer of 2009. There are very few landmarks left but if you love the book, you can visualize the whole area.
ReplyDeleteFran
Interesting. Navy Pier and Ferris Wheel tied in? Much about Holmes' areas?
ReplyDeletePretty much every structure is gone, except the island where the Japanese structures were and the museum that housed the art. Maybe the museum of science and industry?
ReplyDeleteI began reading the book on the train ride to Chicago 2 1/2 weeks ago and just finished it today. I loved the history behind the World's Fair, and while in Chicago kept looking for points of history. Little did I know that the majority of the buildings were gone as I had not read that far!
ReplyDeleteI agree how the magnitude of the event was taken on with such an attitude that there would not be failure. I also learned a lot about the items that were introduced that we have today. I was also surprised at some of the associations that came from the World's Fair--Frank Lloyd Wright, Disney, etc.
As far as the whole serial killer story line, I loved it. I normally read those types of Patterson mystery books, so that aspect kept me reading. It is scary to think how many people he actually did kill and where those skeletons are.
Did anyone read through the notes and sources? I skimmed through them and found it interesting how he pieced things together for some of the information that wasn't clear.
So....what's our next book??
I was continually amazed at what was accomplished in building the Fair.
ReplyDeleteHard to imagine all of that being done so many years ago. So many lives were lost during its construction. And so many lives lost as a result of a murderer in the midst of the Fair. Interesting parallel.
Would never have chosen this book on my own, but very glad I was able to read it and gain so much knowledge regarding the building of the World's Fair.