The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America Themes
Perseverance
The Devil in the White City is chock full of perseverance. Chicago's a city determined to score the bid for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Burnham's an architect resolved to secure his plac...
Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
In The Devil in the White City, dreams take shape and materialize before Burnham, Chicago, and the world. Burnham dreams of the city and makes it happen. What he presents is a magical realm for all...
Women and Femininity
The Devil in the White City depicts an era when women were leaving the 'burbs for the cities. They were experiencing certain freedoms for the first time, choosing where they wanted to live and work...
Madness
Grab your popcorn, because The Devil in the White City is better than a really good Netflix series. It tells the story of H. H. Holmes, America's serial-killing psychopath (though the term "psychop...
Change
Chicago is certainly swept up in change when the World's Fair comes to town. As The Devil in the White City reveals, the turn of the century brought along with it changes in gender roles, culture,...
Awe and Amazement
The Devil in the White City captures a turning point in the way Americans perceived cities. Burnham's White City, in all its beauty and charm, truly amazed people. No longer were cities necessarily...