New Book Club Title – The Devil in the White City

October 11, 2021 by Nicole Mason
Policy/Legislative

APA Utah Book Discussion of “The Devil in the White City” for CM Credit

APA Utah will host two opportunities to participate in a book discussion on The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson on Monday, November 8, 2021. The first will be held online from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM, and the second will be in-person from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at High Point Coffee in West Jordan, Utah.

This free event will be registered with the American Planning Association (APA) for certification maintenance (CM) credit. Please register to attend by emailing Judi Pickell at admin@apautah.org. And the first two registrants will win a free copy of the book!

For those unfamiliar with this best-selling book, which features the origins of modern city planning, APA published a Planning Advisory (PAS) Memo in 2007 that contained a recommended reading list for city planners and described the book as follows:

“City planning is scary enough on its own. But what happens when you combine a detailed account of a landmark event in American city planning history, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and Daniel Burnham’s role in it, with an equally detailed account about the real exploits of a serial killer? We won’t tell you more than that, but you’ll want to hide under the covers. When this book was published, the entire APA Research Department read it … with the lights on.”

Sounds like a perfect way to spend some free time this October, doesn’t it? The Devil in the White City is readily available from local booksellers and online (both new and used) at modest prices. Digital and audio formats are also available, but we highly recommending reading or listening to the unabridged version if possible. The unabridged audiobook is 15 hours long, while the abridged version is 6 hours. Both productions are extremely well done.

We hope you treat yourself to our “Halloween” reading selection this October and look forward to our book discussion(s) on November 8—which coincidently is also World Town Planning Day.