The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

It wasn't until after I received this book that I realized that its author also wrote Isaac's Storm, which is one of my all-time favorite books. The Devil in the White City proves that Larson isn't a one-hit wonder. He weaves together the cringe-worthy story of the delays that almost ruined the 1893 World's Fair with the macabre tale of H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who operated a hotel near the fair. As Holmes introduces psychopathology to the American landscape, the fair introduces the Ferris Wheel, zipper, alternating current, and the Pledge of Allegiance (and probably inspired Walt Disney, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Baum's Oz). This is a vivid picture of the train wreck of technology and freedom that shaped the twentieth century. Highly recommended.