American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, The Birth of Hollywood, And The Crime of the Century

by: Howard Blum

Published by: Crown Publishers

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

Howard Blum’s new book, American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, The Birth of Hollywood, And The Crime Of the Century, couldn’t have been released at a better time. As Wall Street chokes and gasps and financial institutions fail, American Lightning is a subtle reminder that the U. S. economy has never been all sunshine and flowers. Labor and capital (management) fought bloody battles as it whirls into the twentieth century.

The beating heart of the book is the one a.m. October 1, 1910 bombing of the “Los Angeles Times” building and the deaths of twenty-one newspaper employees. The nation reeled from the slaughter. Justice was demanded. The bombing was labeled as “the crime of the century.” Blum does a good job in describing the night’s events. Blum is a journalist and his ability to report is evident.

After the bombing, the three main characters enter: movie pioneer, D. W. Griffith; William J. Burns, the nation’s greatest detective; and Clarence Darrow, America’s crusading attorney. Although the three men only met together for a span of approximately no more than two minutes, the how and why these three giants’ careers intersect is the main thesis of American Lightning.

Griffith, a failed playwright, was making movies about the war between labor and management. His movies brought in audiences by the thousands. The movies were able to give faces to the harsh injustices of the modern world.

Burns was investigating a Peoria, Illinois, bombing that led him to L.A. With his son and numerous operatives, Burns conducted one of the most exhaustive manhunts this nation has ever seen. When arrests were made, three men were ultimately charged with the murders of the “Times” employees.

Enter Darrow, who is coerced into becoming the lead defense attorney and ultimately is charged with jury tampering.

The cast and plot is large and complicated. Blum does a great job in keeping all the lead and supporting characters straight. The story moves easily between the three men, keeping the reader in sync with all the events.

While each part of American Lightning is a captivating story, when they are put together in 321 pages, Blum must rely on more reporting than storytelling. The narrative flows well, but it doesn’t snap. I was easily able to follow the structure, but at times it was more like reading a history book than anything else.

Armchair Interviews says: Interesting story of violence and the aftermath.