# The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

4 Hacker News commenters recommended The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a good read and a favorite, though one commenter notes it takes yellow journalism at face value, unsupported by government records.

## Why people recommend it

- Good, engaging read (1 comments): "Definitely a good read though, and a book I've recommended to a few friends." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49820060))
- Counted among favorite books (1 comments): "The Devil in the White City stands out as one of my favorite books." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49814257))
- Recommended to friends (1 comments): "Definitely a good read though, and a book I've recommended to a few friends." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49820060))

## What people warn about

- Takes yellow journalism at face value (1 comments): "takes a lot of yellow journalism at face value, which is not backed up by government records" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49817711))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553813536?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780553813531) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson", https://hackerapproved.com/p/devil-in-the-white-city/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).