Sometimes the best time machine you can find is a good book.
This week on the MashReads Podcast, we take a deep dive into American history by reading and discussing The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson. The book offers a glimpse into the past by exploring the creation of the Chicago World's Fair ... and the serial killer who plagued it.
Join us as we discuss the impressive amount of research Larson conducted for the book, the allure of World's Fairs, and why The Devil In The White City has captured so many readers over the years.
Then, inspired by The Devil In The White City, we discuss our favorite books that reveal interesting and little known history including The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts, and The Monopolists by Mary Pilon.
And as always, we close the show with recommendations:
Aliza recommends Night by Elie Wielel. "It's a beautiful, tragic book. And I think it's really important for people to actually really be cognizant of the darker parts of humanity so they can be active to fight against them."
Jeremy recommends the song "Somebody's Baby" by Jackson Browne. "Listen to the song. It's such a good song and it's more than stood up to the test of time." He also recommends Drop City by T.C. Boyle. "Boyle has a very strange, surreal, wandering style that's very cool."
MJ recommends watching this video of a Dad and his son singing Frank Sinatra together in the car. "It's in a tab that on my computer called 'Mood Booster.' And I watch [this video] when the world is tough and I want to smile. It's such a charming, charming video." He also recommends the McSweeney's article "And God Created Millennial Earth." "It's the creation story but told with 2017 millennial flair."
And don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter for the latest, greatest book news.
Topics Books
