The Devil in the White City
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsonby Erik Larson
Shares rank 65 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Recommended as a good read and a favorite, though one commenter notes it takes yellow journalism at face value, unsupported by government records.
Recommended as a good read and a favorite, though one commenter notes it takes yellow journalism at face value, unsupported by government records.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Good, engaging read
“Definitely a good read though, and a book I've recommended to a few friends.”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “How often do you think about the 1893 World's Fair?” Counted among favorite books
“The Devil in the White City stands out as one of my favorite books.”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “How often do you think about the 1893 World's Fair?” Recommended to friends
“Definitely a good read though, and a book I've recommended to a few friends.”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “How often do you think about the 1893 World's Fair?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Takes yellow journalism at face value
“takes a lot of yellow journalism at face value, which is not backed up by government records”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “How often do you think about the 1893 World's Fair?”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The Devil in the White Cityby Erik LarsonThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Definitely a good read though, and a book I've recommended to a few friends.”
“takes a lot of yellow journalism at face value, which is not backed up by government records”
“The Devil in the White City stands out as one of my favorite books.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.