President Mugwump's Overall Impression from Part One of Devil In The White City

Chaos. Chaos everywhere; with Chicago being the epicenter.

• Civic Pride has sprung from the impressive reconstruction after the Great Chicago Fire. 
• The Windy City is itching and clawing for the privilege of holding the World's Columbian Exposition.
•  An economic panic is fast approaching. 
• Chicago has now become the 2nd most populous city in America. 
• Young women are flocking to probably the most dangerous city during the Gilded Age, Chicago. 
• Men are in abundance, looking for any kind of job that will pay enough salary to get them through each night without starving. 
• A constant rumbling of trains and buggys can be heard until midnight. 
• The city is expanding, urbanizing, growing - especially upwards. The first "sky scrapers" have been built by Burnham and Root. 

1. Even the lives of Burnham and Root are chaotic:

• Burnham failed out of Harvard; no formal architectural training
• Root married a dead woman (essentially), then married her sister
• Their firm is booming, work is intensive and arduous 
• Most importantly, they have been commissioned to design and build a fair that would surpass the one in Paris!

• The fair has added a whole new level of chaos to the mix. A deadline to build the fair by, social consequences of picking Eastern architects over home grown Chicago architects, Root dies halfway through, the Eastern men aren't fully committed; the list can go on forever. Not to mention.. Burnham's whole reputation rests on this fair.

• I repeat: CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS.
• There really is no other way to put it. Chicago is non stop movement, Chicago is striving to urbanize, globalize, and be recognized as more than a hog butchery. 

Now, the most interesting part of Part One; H.H. Holmes.

• Amidst the mass chaos, is the maniac H.H. Holmes. Erik Larson portrays the psychopathic murderer as very calm amongst the craziness surrounding him. That's the tone I got when I read about Holmes. He's calm, calculated, charming, sly, and most of all, absolutely mental. 
• As the reader I felt.. excited..? while reading about Holmes' absolute disregard for the social norms of the time. It's almost thrilling to see Holmes completely manipulate innocent towns people. It's strangely interesting to see how his maniac brain worked: especially during the creation of his building, and I guiltily admit, I especially enjoyed the parts where he made people.. disappear.
• It's more of a, "how in the world does he get away with this" kind of feeling I have for Holmes. It's disturbing actually, but disturbing in a way that makes the reader want to keep reading and see what the crazy man has in store next. 
• One thought that came up when I read about Holmes planning his building, was, "what if Holmes would have pursued an actual career in architecture, like Burnham and Root?" He planned the building quite well, looked forward and anticipated, and could definitely swing any business deal he wanted. Just an interesting thought.
• Overall, Larson really makes Holmes the most intriguing character in the book, and it's all true, which makes Holmes that much more interesting. 

In summation...

• Chaos.

                                                                                                                                - President Mugwump

                                                                                                                                                    Jay Bahl