Product Description
In 1901, Buffalo, New York, the eighth biggest city in America, wanted to launch the new century with the Pan American Exposition. It would showcase the Western hemisphere and bring millions of people to western New York. With Niagara Falls as a drawing card and with stunning colors and electric lights, promoters believed it would be bigger, better, and―literally―more brilliant than Chicago's White City of 1893. Weaving together narratives of both notorious and forgotten figures, Margaret Creighton unveils the fair's big tragedy and its lesser-known scandals. From a deranged laborer who stalked and shot President William McKinley to a sixty-year-old woman who rode a barrel over Niagara Falls, to two astonishing acts―a little person and an elephant―who turned the tables on their duplicitous manager, Creighton reveals the myriad power struggles that would personify modern America. The Buffalo fair announced the new century, but in ways nobody expected.
Reviews/Praise
"A multifaceted and well-rounded account of the ambitious and ill-fated Rainbow City that would complement Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City nicely." —Booklist Audio Review
"[Beaulieu's] straightforward style of delivery coupled with Creighton’s keen scene setting and mix of characters serves listeners well in this fascinating slice of history." —Publishers Weekly Audio Review
"Creighton skillfully maintains objectivity, showing the good and the bad, the fair's pageantry as well as its seedy underbelly." —Publishers Weekly
"Lively." —Christian Science Monitor
"Creighton shines." —Booklist
"A propulsive, edge-of-your-seat ride." —Lauren Belfer, author of And After the Fire
"Utterly electrifying prose." —Martha Hodes, author of Mourning Lincoln