I find that the book so far does a great job bringing interest and light on such a historical event. There is so much information on the different characters, the fair itself, and all the steps that are leading up to the construction of the fair. I think that one of the most significant issues in the US between 1880-1890 was competition. From the beginning I got the sense that Chicago had something to prove. They wanted to be awarded the commission of building the World’s Fair because they wanted to prove to their own city, this country (especially to New York), and to the world that they were capable of constructing a brilliant and proud representation for the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s decent into the New World. They wanted everyone to know that they (Chicago) had the smarts and guts to pull it off. I definitely sensed the most competition between Chicago and New York. “New York was the nation’s capital of cultural and social refinement, and it’s leading citizens and newspapers never let Chicago forget it” (16).

I think another issue that Chicago faced was the time frame in which they had to build it. It was very ambitious thinking. “How is it possible that this vast amount of construction, greatly exceeding that of Paris Exhibition of 1889, will be ready in two years?” (119).

I think that Larsen chose to intertwine the story of the Fair and Holmes because its so compelling. Constructing the World’s Fair is interesting but the fact that one of the most famous serial killers of all time used it to find and kill victims makes it so much more fascinating. I think he also wrote it this way because its the classic tale of good versus evil. The World’s Fair built by Burnham was such a success but it was also dark and tragic because of what Holmes used it for.