The Devil in the White City

Hi there everyone! So today I am reviewing a book that I had to read for AP Human Geography entitled "The Devil in the White City" which is written by Erik Larson. I have not only recently read it, but I have also written an essay and done a "creative project" with it, so I feel pretty confident that I have a very good understanding of this slightly strange book. Well, away we go!

Characters: Daniel Burnham: leading figure of the World's Colombian Exposition/ one of the most prominent architects in Chicago/ started the "City Beautiful" project
H.H. Holmes: one of America's most notorious serial killers/ creator of the "Murder house" in one of Chicago's burrows/ most often killed his victims in a gas chamber
Fredrick Olmstead: designed Central Park/ head landscaping architect of the World's Colombian Exposition/ frequently suffers from ailing health

The Plot: The Devil in the White City is really a story with two plots. The first "plot" tells the story of Daniel Burnham and his legion of architects who set out to create the greatest World's Fair America has ever known. Burnham and the other aritects do this in response to Paris's impressive World's Fair, and work to top this magnificent feat. Faced with an impossibly close deadline, and obstacles at every turn, Burnham and his team begin to wonder if the fair will ever get finished at all. On the other side of the Chicago, a very different man reigns. While Daniel Burnham and his "White City" represent all that is good in Chicago, H.H. Holmes represents the deep, dark, underbelly of the Chicago slums. A ruthless serial killer, Holmes lures most of his victims into a Murder Castle where he disposes of them with no traces to be found. Full of hope for a great fair, the people of Chicago don't realize that they are harboring a man who will become one of the most famous mass murderers in the history of the United States, until it is too late.

What I liked: Let me just start out by saying that I thought this book was absolutely flawless. I don't normally read a book where I could find no faults, but for this one, I have absolutely no criticisms. First, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of research that Larson did to make "The Devil in the White City" absolutely perfect. Every quote that was in this book came from the private journals, public statements, or correspondence of these remarkable historical figures. It would have been very easy to just make up the dialogue of these figures, or make up the arguments that they had, and even to make up events. But Larson did none of that: every single action was supported by real quotes that these historical figures once said. These quotes by themselves gave us as readers a very personal glimpse into what these people were like. I believe that a piece of writing can tell you more about a person than you might think, particularly when the writing is casual, where there is no intention to impress, or sound a certain way. Beyond just the things you say, writing can show us HOW you say them, what words you use, when can tell you a variety of things from education level to hometowns. I absolutely loved all of these quotes which gave me as a reader, a very unique look into the mind of these historical figures, even the minds that were a bit more uncomfortable to look into (H. H. Holmes). I have also never read a story like this before. Such a sharp juxtaposition between two worlds isn't normally written about in such a way. but these two worlds instead of fighting against each other for the reader's attention in the book, seemed to flow seamlessly together to create a beautifully written novel. The detail in these two worlds gave the reader this true image of what Chicago was like in 1893: the good and the bad. The best and the worst of Chicago. Burnham and Holmes. It is easy to write about history and leave out the parts that are convenient for your purpose: like if you are writing to shock people, leave out the good deeds, or if you are writing to glorify, leave out the bad parts. Larson left nothing out: he showed us all of Chicago's perfection, all its imperfection and made Chicago 1893 a real place, not a figment of one. I have also found the World's Fair a fascinating subject; with so much creative explosion and cultural mingling, it must have been a truly amazing place to visit. It was said in "The Devil in the White City" that it would take two whole weeks to see it all. I loved the subject matter, but I could see how some people could find the endless plot of construction a little dull. However, I don't think anyone could find Holmes's portion of the book slow. It had a relentless pace, not unlike Holmes himself. It was absolutely chilling to read the very words Holmes wrote in his memoirs about himself. But I had never read anything like that before, and it was an interesting albeit, disturbing experience.

What I didn't like: Nothing.

Overall: 10 out of 10. This goes down as one of my favorite books of all time. What a flawless and complicated read. I was never bored.

The Appeal

Hi everyone! So today, I am reviewing a book that I finished a few weeks ago entitled: "The Appeal". It is by a rather famous author named John Grisham. He is not only, a very prominent writer, but several movies have been made based off his books. Here we go!

Characters: Wes and Mary Grace Payton: prosecuting lawyers in the Crane Chemical Case/ parents of two young children/ win $38 million in putative damages off the Crane Case
Carl Trudeau: owner of Crane Chemical Company/ responsible for the dumping of toxic materials into the water/is a multi-billionaire
Barry Reinhart: hired by Trudeau to make sure Crane wins the appeal/ specializes in getting the "right people" elected/ plans to unseat justice Shelia McCarthy
Ron Fisk: Reinhart's political pawn/ designed to be an advocate for big business/ ends up making the deciding decision on the appeal case of Crane chemical

The Plot: In a small town in Mississippi, the people know that the water is bad. Not only is it bad, but it is cancerous. Their only hope is a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jeannette Baker against Crane Chemical Company asking to receive compensation for the deaths of her husband and young son. The town hopes that if Jeannette wins, the water may be ultimately cleaned up and the town's health restored. Against all odds, Baker and her two hardened, hometown lawyers, Wes and Mary Grace Payton, win the suit and a total $41 million in damages. While this is where the story would seem to end, it is actually where the story just starts to pick up. Infuriated that these back country justices robbed him of millions, Carl Trudea, owner of Crane, decides that there can be no uncertainties during this appeal. So he decides to hedge his bets: he hires Barry Reinhart, a so-called "election specialist" to help make sure the appeal results in the "appropriate" result. Reinhart's strategy? Create the perfect justice candidate out of the virtually unknown Ron Fisk and fund him by big business and Christian interest groups and pit him against Shelia McCarthy, a more liberal appeal court justice. Then all Reinhart has to do is make sure Fisk votes with Crane during the appeal. In a furious race to keep McCarthy on the court, the Paytons and the other attorneys in Mississippi will begin to wonder: are big businesses finally meddling in the court systems of this small town?

What I liked: Before I start, I wanted to note something interesting. This is my first John Grisham novel, and right off the bat I liked it very much. But what was interesting is that when I went to Amazon.com to get a picture for the post, I was surprised to see that "The Appeal" only had two and a half stars (out of 5). I found this shocking. I am not sure if that is a reflection on the fact that this is the first Grisham novel I have read and it is not, admittedly, one of his more famous ones, or if it has to do with the fact that I often differ from the Amazon rating. Case in point, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is closer to four stars on Amazon, but I would probably give it no higher than one. So this is just my sort of disclaimer that Grisham may have written far better novels and this may not be his best work. That being said, if this isn't his best work it is still very good. I have never read a novel like this before which is rather surprising. Politics are an unpleasant fascination for me. Politicians and big business interactions can be corrupt and sometimes even disturbing (in a sense that companies have so much influence over our "freely elected" government) yet at the same time, I love learning about politics and still have genuine hope for the system. So for me, the subject matter was truly interesting. While I found the huge amounts of money and bribery to get Fisk support disturbing, it was astonishing to learn how much influence these groups have. I sort of felt the sensation you get when you look at something disgusting and want to look away but you just can't. One of the things I liked about Grisham's writing style was the general lack of fluff: it was direct, and to the point, with the characters developed enough to keep you interested. One of the things I noted when I looked through the Amazon reviews was that an astonishing number of people thought the characters were not well developed. While I understand that their complexity was not something to write home about, I feel like it wasn't so much about the characters, as the interaction of the characters together. It was about big business versus the hometown, not Trudeau versus the Paytons. They simply represented something on a much larger scale. Also, the book certainly kept me guessing: I found the ending surprising and almost a little frustrating (but in a good way). By the way, my dad said that all John Grisham novels have happy endings: readers out there can you comment on this? Because the novel I read (spoiler ahead) did not have a very happy ending.

What I didn't like: This is not an attack on Grisham: I totally understand why he wrote the character the way he was written but I am still furious. Ron Fisk was a complete idiot (sorry but that is the only word that works here). He allowed himself to be wooed by these businessmen and it never occurred to him, he had no inclination whatsoever, to question why in the world these men were funding him! He never thought about the repercussions of his actions and he never thought about what he was doing. Fisk was almost like a kid who jumps into the pool without looking, and without thought of the kid who he jumps on. He didn't seem to have any moral fiber, and when it just seemed like he would get some, he backed up again and proved yet again, what a chicken he was.

Overall: 8 out of 10. I guess I didn't give it higher because there was no "wow" factor like I was expecting out of a John Grisham novel. But I will definitely pick up another Grisham novel in the future.

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Greene

Hi everyone! So today I am reviewing a book that I read a few weeks ago called The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Greene, which was written by Joshua Braff. So without further ado, here is my review!

Characters: Jacob Greene: younger brother of Asher/ is very good at reading Hebrew/ suffers from a learning disability
Asher Greene: older brother of Asher/ an exemplary artist/ is constantly fighting with his father Abram
Abram Greene: self-absorbed father of Jacob and Asher/ married to Claire/ has serious anger management issues

The Plot: Jacob Greene is a young boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1970s in a repressive Jewish household. Forced to endure not only hours of strict Hebrew school, as soon as Jacob returns home, the worst of his day begins. Jacob's father Abram is obsessed with perfection in his children and he considers everyone in his family, in some shape or form, to be a complete failure. Belligerent, belittling, and cruel, Jacob and his older brother Asher long to escape the world they have lived in for so long. The deep divisions between the family become even more apparent as Jacob's mother Claire returns to school to get her Ph.D. and becomes even more distant from the family. Alone and confused as Asher begins to drift away from him, Jacob starts to wonder if his life will ever get better.

What I liked: I absolutely loved the relationship between Asher and Jacob. The two boys had only each other to rely on, and that reliance created a beautiful and realistic relationship. What particularly struck me about the Asher-Jacob dynamic was that it had both light and dark. There were times when Jacob and Asher fought like normal siblings, where Asher would lock Jacob out of his room, refuse to talk to him, or yell at him like an older brother. But when it mattered most, we as readers knew that Asher was going to come bursting in to save the day. For example, when Jacob is writing thank you notes to the people who sent him Bar Mitzvah gifts, Abram becomes frustrated that Jacob's notes are not perfect, and do not have flawless grammar. Abram becomes so enraged and reaches the point where he is almost physically abusing Jacob when Asher rushes into the room and starts to defend Jacob. Now, a few hours ago, Asher was completely ignoring Jacob. It was this kind of love, that no matter how irritated Asher was he was going to help Jacob, that you really connected to as a reader. It always bugs me when characters and relationships are one dimensional. Jacob and Asher had many levels to their relationship: friends, brothers, occasional partners in crime, and sometimes annoying siblings that live down the hall. But that complexity is so important when you are reading, otherwise the story just gets dull. Second, I found the character of Jacob's and Asher's father, Abram, totally and completely frightening. There are characters in stories that you love to hate, the best example for me being Professor Severus Snape in Harry Potter, but Abram just honestly gave me chills of fear. He was an awful father to his children, by not only acting verbally abusive, but acting as an insolent toddler who didn't get his McDonald's happy meal toy when something did not go his way. He spat, he shrieked, he threatened, he yelled, he cursed, but never in any of the pages did he show true love to any of his children. Jacob, Asher, and Claire's struggle to break out of his vicious hold was awful to watch, and I cheered aloud when Claire told Abram she wanted a divorce. I cheered when Asher got into Rhode Island College on scholarship, and he could finally get away from his evil father. But I was terrified for Jacob, who was now left on his own. Braff's biggest strength was his dynamic, strong characters that no matter how polarizing, always drew you in. Braff also managed to have a strong and witty sense of humor that was present in Jacob's commentary of events, which was nice to see. Otherwise, the story would have been too heavy and too dark.

What I didn't like: Okay, I thought the end scene was really weird, and slightly awkward. I don't really want to spoil the end, but it was not really my favorite scene. I thought it was strange, and kind of uncomfortable, which I guess was the point...but still I felt like it was a bizare addition to the end of the story. I also thought the whole story line with the babysitter was odd as well. These parts just seemed forced, and kind of peculiar, in comparison with what was a well-written, easy flowing story.

Overall: 7 out of 10. I liked the family dynamic, but the story was slow in some places, and there were some awkward writing moments. But overall it was a decent read.