In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen

Book:  In the Garden of Beasts


Author:  The unparalleled Erik Larson 


Grade:  A 


Recommended To:  Non-fiction lovers, people who loved Devil in the White City.


Erik Larson has done it again.  He has written another non-fiction masterpiece.  If you've been following this blog for a while,  you will know that this is the third Erik Larson book that I've read this year.  This is because if I like something, I want more of it.  And boy do I like Erik Larson.

This newest work is about Ambassador Dodd and his family and their adventure in Germany during the rise of Hitler's Nazi Party.  This book starts with Dodd getting the ambassadorship to Germany in 1933 and ends when he is removed from the post by Roosevelt some 4 years later. During this time Hitler as appointed the Chancellor of Germany and slowly started implementing regulations and rules that restricted the movements of the nation's Jewish population.  The book also tells of the many attacks on American citizens for their failure to celebrate Nazism and salute during parades and gatherings.   This is a little known part of German and American history and it is fascinating to read about how so destructive a man kept his tenuous grip on Germany in the beginning.

This book is incredibly interesting because Dodd had the opportunity to meet with many of the higher German officials, including Hitler himself.   Dodd was one of the few Americans who had an early hesitation around Hitler and his party and after his ambassadorship was one of the few who spoke out severely against the Hitler regime.

Dodd's daughter, Martha is also heavily featured. She is depicted as having varied and wild sexual tastes and even became romantically involved with several Nazi officials - but she finally falls for a Russian undercover operative. Her story is fascinating.

The story is pieced together through letters, journals and speeches that were made during the time period and Larson's research allows him to present a very thorough picture of life as an American in Nazi Germany before the war. Larson is detailed in ways that other non-fiction writers are not and that makes his books by far some of the best non-fiction that I've ever read.

This book was so good, that I nearly believe that it was better than Devil in the White City and certainly more comprehensive than Isaac's Storm.  Both of which I reviewed this year.  You can be sure that I will keep reading Erik Larson and I hope he continues his strong bid for best-non-fiction-writer that this blogger has ever read.

Happy Reading!!

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

Book:  Isaac's Storm 

Author:  Erik Larson 

Grade:  B+ 

Recommended To:  Non-Fiction Fans, Storm Chasers, People Who Drink Hurricanes. 

 This is the non-fiction account of the 1900 hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas which destroyed virtually everything on the island, and stunted Galveston's growth as a major American port forever.

The book revolves around Isaac Cline, the meteorologist who failed to predict the biggest hurricane ever and the surrounding stories of family that suffered through the storm.  Larson does an excellent job of choosing a few stories, some happy, some extremely tragic and crafting the whole experience of the storm.   The book starts out with Isaac's career journey to Galveston and the scandals surrounding the National Weather Bureau. 

The scandals were surprisingly entertaining and Larson wrote about then with a dry biting wit that made the National Weather Service of a century ago nearly comical.  Unsurprisingly,  the weather service 100 years ago sucked.  They had just figured out how to use a barometer and they made a lot of assumptions about how hurricanes traveled - without actually knowing much at all. 

This book was very well done.  It sounds totally boring - a book about a hurricane and meteorologist who can't predict anything - but Larson really did an excellent job crafting a compelling story.  This is nearly as good as Devil in the White City perhaps even better because Larson didn't have to weave two completely incongruent stories together that just happened in the same city at the same time.  

This book was a riveting B+.  I really enjoyed it, even though it took me ages to complete because it was my "train book."  If you liked Devil and have even a passing interest in hurricanes - you are going to love this book.

Happy Reading!!

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Book:  The Devil in the White City 

Author:  Erik Larson 

Grade A- 

Recommended To:  All Chicago Lovers! 

Ok, I can't give this book an A because if I give too many of those out this blog just becomes a bunch of books that I like and not a serious book review blog.  Also, I had some issues with it, but we'll get to those in a sec.  Otherwise, I completely loved it.  There were shocking moments, laugh-out-loud moments, and really endearing moments.  Overall it was an incredibly honest assessment of Chicago's performance during the "fair that changed the world." 

This book had two parallel stories that probably belonged in different books, but both stories were well presented and very well researched.  First, of course, there is the story of the construction and planning for the 1893 World's Fair that was hosted by Chicago.  This story follows the main architect Daniel Burnham and his quest to change the world with his fair.  What I really liked about this book were the references to Chicago - you find out at the end that one of the Fair's buildings was turned into the Science and Industry museum!  Awesome!

I also thought there were some really funny parts in the book.  For example one of the exhibits, the Algerians, arrived at the Fair an entire year ahead of schedule!  Plus, there are all sorts of fun and goose-bump-inducing suspenseful moments, like where the author doesn't reveal the name of the creator of the most impressive structure at the fair until far into the novel.  If you've ever seen a poster for the World's Fair, you know it is the Ferris Wheel, but it so fun to be "surprised."

The second story that this book follows is the story of H. H. Holmes who was a doctor/mass murderer of women.   He was completely creep-tastic and his story was enthralling especially because he was so clever in hiding the fact that he killed anyone.   The one issue I had with this book was that the stories seemed disconnected.  The only similarity between the stories was the fact that they happened at the same time.  

If you live in Chicago this is a must read.  It is so exciting to hear about Graceland Cemetery, the Lakeshore, the Ferris Wheel, and the L in a city that is often dissimilar to the one we live in today.  This was a very powerful work and I rediscovered "pleasure reading" when I read it.

Happy Reading!