Erik Larson (1) (1954–)

[[Erik Larsen]] is a favorite, for his ability to illuminate forgotten bits of history by highlighting the darker, more esoteric corners of the story. So, I wondered how he would find a fresh angle on World War II and Nazi Germany, given the breadth already written on the subjects.

The catalyst for the narrative is the appointment of William Dodd to be ambassador to Germany in 1933, as Hitler was consolidating power. He takes his family with him, which includes his daughter Martha. Dodd's show more instructions from FDR were to find out what all the hubbub was about regarding this Hitler fellow. While I've read a bit about anti-Semitism, pro-fascism, and isolationist sentiment in the United States, it was still shocking to read about this family's endless attempts to sane-wash Hitler and his goons. Dodd ends up landing a few jabs at the Nazis, but ultimately comes off, with his daughter, as lacking the imagination that would be required to understand how power hungry Hitler and his inner circle were, even as they watched the Night of the Long Knives from the front row in 1934.

Larsen also spends some time talking about many of the bit players in the pro- and anti-Nazi camps who are little discussed today. My favorite was Mildred Fish-Harnack, a little-known Wisconsin-born American who would go on to be a vital part of the resistance, and ultimately guillotined for her bravery.

5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended!!!!! show less

It's hurricane season, and as Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas and threatened American's southern Atlantic coast (and while scientists corrected an infantile politician on the projected storm track), I spent time reading about a portentous hurricane that tiptoed noisily but without notice from the western coast of Africa across the Carribean and the Gulf of Mexico to practically obliterate Galveston, Texas. The year was 1900, and (weirdly) the landfall date was September 8 (I say show more weirdly because I completed my read on 9/6/19).

Looking on-line at archival photos taken following that (unnamed) storm was like looking at news photos of the Bahamas. (Isaac's Storm, sadly, has no photos and the map depicting the areas damaged by the storm is irritatingly out of sync with the narrative.) Here and there are scattered still-standing structures, some canted, most missing roofs, porches, and windows. The ground, roads, walkways all are covered layers deep with boards scattered every whichaway. Neither the text nor the photos can convey the stench of decaying corpses—not only human remains, but hundreds and hundreds of horses, family pets, livestock. The death toll can't be known. People were swept out to sea, buried beneath the rubble. The smell, the logistics, and public health concerns prompted on-the-spot burials and on-the-spot pyres

The focus of Erik Larson's narrative is just how this event happened, and most significantly, why there was no warning. The short answers: ignorance, folly, and hubris. For the long answers, do read the book. Even the most informed and thoughtful "experts" at the 19th century's close did not understand—at all— the science of hurricanes, cyclones, and tornados. But the "experts" were loath to project any uncertainty. What they didn't know killed a lot of people.

Two thumbs up. show less

This was an absolutely fascinating account of the birth of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. I don't normally read history books, but Erik Larson's storytelling skills really made this book a page-turner. Intertwined with the story of America's first serial killer, who made the World's Fair his stomping grounds, the book reads like a thriller.

Not knowing the history of the Chicago World's Fair, I was impressed at the number of now-famous architects and businessmen involved in the project, and show more in the number of other very well-known projects these men also undertook either simultaneously or in the future. The paths that crossed in this enormous undertaking and the inventions that came out of the project or were used in the project for the first time in history - such as alternating current electricity and the Ferris wheel - were awe-inspiring.

The interwoven story about serial killer H.H. Holmes was gruesomely fascinating as well. The entire Part IV that was dedicated to a detective's task of finding three children that Holmes was believed to have killed had me absolutely riveted, albeit with a growing feeling of terrifying dread in my stomach.

It is a rare book indeed that leaves me feeling significantly more educated AND entertained. Now I want to read all of Erik Larson's other books! show less

I loved this book!

I knew of H. H. Holmes already from documentaries and podcasts, but this couches that horror in a broader context of the Chicago World's Fair and the cultural climate at the time. Be warned that Holmes is not the main focus if that's the hook for you, but rather the Fair is the foundation of this book. Larson unfolds these events with fastidious detail, wry humor and subtle yet affecting expressiveness. I was left at the end with a sense of wonder and sadness which I think show more is quite the feat. show less