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Title details for American Lightning by Howard Blum - Available

American Lightning

Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century

by Howard Blum
John H. Mayer
Audiobook
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1 of 1 copy available
It was an explosion that reverberated across the country—and into the very heart of early-twentieth-century America. On the morning of October 1, 1910, the walls of the Los Angeles Times Building buckled as a thunderous detonation sent men, machinery, and mortar rocketing into the night air. When at last the wreckage had been sifted and the hospital triage units consulted, twenty-one people were declared dead and dozens more injured. But as it turned out, this was just a prelude to the devastation that was to come.
In American Lightning, acclaimed author Howard Blum masterfully evokes the incredible circumstances that led to the original “crime of the century”—and an aftermath more dramatic than even the crime itself.
With smoke still wafting up from the charred ruins, the city’s mayor reacts with undisguised excitement when he learns of the arrival, only that morning, of America’s greatest detective, William J. Burns, a former Secret Service man who has been likened to Sherlock Holmes. Surely Burns, already world famous for cracking unsolvable crimes and for his elaborate disguises, can run the perpetrators to ground.
Through the work of many months, snowbound stakeouts, and brilliant forensic sleuthing, the great investigator finally identifies the men he believes are responsible for so much destruction. Stunningly, Burns accuses the men—labor activists with an apparent grudge against the Los Angeles Times’s fiercely anti-union owner—of not just one heinous deed but of being part of a terror wave involving hundreds of bombings.
While preparation is laid for America’s highest profile trial ever—and the forces of labor and capital wage hand-to-hand combat in the streets—two other notable figures are swept into the drama: industry-shaping filmmaker D.W. Griffith, who perceives in these events the possibility of great art and who will go on to alchemize his observations into the landmark film The Birth of a Nation; and crusading lawyer Clarence Darrow, committed to lend his eloquence to the defendants, though he will be driven to thoughts of suicide before events have fully played out.
Simultaneously offering the absorbing reading experience of a can’t-put-it-down thriller and the perception-altering resonance of a story whose reverberations continue even today, American Lightning is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 16, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415957714
      • File size: 304292 KB
      • Duration: 10:33:56

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      AMERICAN LIGHTNING is the true story of the adversarial meeting of three of the most influential men of the early twentieth century: William Burns, founder of the Burns Detective Agency; Clarence Darrow, the brilliant lawyer; and D. W. Griffith, the pioneer of the film industry. All come together on opposing sides of the bombing of a right-wing Los Angeles newspaper. Narrator John H. Mayer adds an element of fascination to this historical story. He manages to impart character in his interpretations of the many unique personalities, and his passionate discourse gives a cinematic feel to the work. By far, the most fascinating aspect of the book is that all the characters are flawed--that is to say, human. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 24, 2008
      This fabulous tale by acclaimed investigative journalist Blum relates the events of October 1, 1910, when the Los Angeles Times
      building was bombed. America's greatest detective, William J. Burns, hits the scene to investigate and uncovers a massive plot by labor activists who will eventually be defended by Clarence Darrow and documented by legendary filmmaker D.W. Griffith. The story is entertaining and thoroughly engaging tale, and will have film and history buffs clamoring for more. Luckily, John H. Mayer's narration is equally engaging. Mayer reads with an air of old Hollywood: brisk, crisp and always attractive. The result is a true tale that reads like a superbly crafted novel and one that cries out for repeated listens. A Crown hardcover (Reviews, June 9).

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 9, 2008
      In 1911, Iron Workers Union leaders James and Joseph McNamara plea-bargained in exchange for prison sentences instead of death after bombing the offices of the Los Angeles Times
      —killing 21 people and wounding many more. The bombing had been part of a bungled assault on some 100 American cities. After the McNamaras went to jail, Clarence Darrow, their defense attorney, wound up indicted for attempting to bribe the jury, but won acquittal after a defense staged by the brilliant Earl Rogers. The McNamaras were investigated by William J. Burns—near legendary former Secret Service agent and proprietor of a detective agency. Surprisingly, Burns’s collaborator in the investigation was silent film director D.W. Griffith. This tangled and fascinating tale is the stuff of novels, and Vanity Fair
      contributing editor Blum (The Brigade
      ) tells it with a novelist’s flair. In an approach reminiscent of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood,
      Blum paints his characters in all their grandeur and tragedy, making them—and their era—come alive. Blum’s prose is tight, his speculations unfailingly sound and his research extensive—all adding up to an absorbing and masterful true crime narrative.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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