Facinating Acount of a Great Tragedy

Where does Chicago Death Trap rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best.

What other book might you compare Chicago Death Trap to and why?

I would compare this to any of David McCullough's works. The author took a well known historic event and told what happened from many points of view so that you got the whole, real picture in the end.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, on a long road trip.

Any additional comments?

The tragic events in this book are hard to hear about, but anyone intending to design or build public buildings should be required to listen or read it. The best way to prevent repeating bad history is to know about it.

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Not just about the disaster

Would you listen to Chicago Death Trap again? Why?

Yes, it is a really interesting story (but very sad).

Any additional comments?

I loved all the historical detail about the theatre and its neighbourhood; it gave the story so much more interest than a straight description of the disaster.

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Great book for Fire Marshals

Great book to take you through the story of a tragic event of fire history

A Very Gripping Account of the Iroquois Fire

One of the the very best accounts of the events and people who witnessed the events surrounding the 1903 Iroquois Theatre Fire. Touted as totally safe and fireproof by the promoters, the Iroquois Theatre was a fire-trap. Many changes to building safety evolved out of this terrible and tragic event. It is frightening to think of how quickly this fire spread and how little time there was to react at a very crowded theatre event, and to find the exits, which were mostly hidden or locked. A great review of everything that went wrong, the deficiencies in building safety, the miraculous stories of survival, and of those who helped others. Put together really well! A grim reminder to be aware of your surroundings at all times, and the fastest way out. So many people were impacted by this tragedy! Interestingly, the facts sound amazingly similar to The Station fire in Rhode Island in 2003 - 100 years later.

Im always suspicious when...

a book doesn't have many reviews. Rest assured, this is the case of an underrated gem. Very well constructed narrative. Loved it.

Heartbreaking, gritty account of national tragedy.

Well written and detailed account of this sadly forgotten incident. This book reveals the history behind many current fire and building codes. Hard to believe there have been so many similar tragedies since this event occurred. Greed, corruption, and myopic thinking are clearly not confined to the past.

Compelling

A very compelling history to a rapidly changing United States. I did feel the Gary Regal's reading was slightly dry, but it doesn't detract from the writing.

Tragic

The tragic fire that occurred in 1903 at the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago, killed over 600 people. It’s a heartbreaking story.

There were many illegal and deadly decisions made by individuals involved with the construction and managing of the theater. Doors were locked at the performances by the theater manager, fire exit signs were not installed, no fire sprinklers were installed, no fire suppression equipment, eg: fire extinguishers, were available. The list of the illegal code violations are detailed in the book.

I highly recommend this book.

Very Interesting

Many details about the aftermath I didn't know. I found the way in which the trial unfolded quite intriguing.

wow

It is amazing how far we have come as a society, yet how quick we are to place blame on others. Tragic story, people should read to see the importance of things we take for granted like exit signs simple door locks, occupancy loads.