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Books

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The Mirage Factory

A vivid account of the creation of modern Los Angeles, a city born from the fantasies of strong-willed visionaries, from bestselling author Gary Krist.

Named one of the Best Books of 2018 by The Washington Post, Amazon, and NPR

“[A] colorful and fresh narrative of L.A. history…The Mirage Factory is great … My only complaint after finishing the book was: more, please.” — LA Weekly

“Krist draws upon some of the best books about the era and its people, enriching them with a virtuoso deploying of detail gathered from deep dives into the primary material…Watered with imagination and invention, some mirages evidently can sink their roots deeply into reality.”–The New York Times Book Review

“[A] captivating history of Los Angeles, told through the lives of “Water Czar” William Mulholland, film director D.W. Griffith, and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.” — O: The Oprah Magazine (Top Books of Summer)

The White Cascade

A "gripping hour-by-hour account" of the deadliest avalanche in American history--the 1910 Wellington Disaster--written with "verve, humanity, and purpose" (The L.A. Times)

A BookSense Nonfiction Bestseller and Notable Book

"Krist does wonders . . . [He] describes the frantic rescue efforts . . . and the malevolent, unending storm. In a thrilling, climactic chapter, he conjures forth the avalanche."―The New York Times

"A gripping read"--Entertainment Weekly

"What a wild-eyed, horrific, brilliantly written story Gary Krist tells in The White Cascade."--Douglas Brinkley

Empire of Sin
City of Scoundrels

The masterfully told story of 12 volatile days in the life of Chicago, when an aviation disaster, a race riot, a crippling transit strike, and a sensational child murder roiled a city already on the brink of collapse.

A New York Times Bestseller

“City of Scoundrels is a lavishly intricate, well-paced account of a great city lashed to the breaking point by a political perfect storm.  . . . Above all, City of Scoundrels freshly illuminates how the riots of 1919 were a turning point for African-Americans.”

—James McManus, New York Times Book Review

“A page-turner that offers resonant insights . . . the way the disaster plays out, with Krist deftly cutting among multiple perspectives and eyewitness accounts that he has unearthed, is so spectacular and vivid that you’re picturing how James Cameron might film it all before you’ve reached page 20 . . . City of Scoundrels hits with the force of Lake Michigan’s winds.”

—Mark Caro, Washington Post 

A vibrant and immersive account of New Orleans’ other civil war, at a time when commercialized vice, jazz, and endemic crime defined the battlegrounds of the Crescent City.

A New York Times Bestseller

Named one of the Top Ten Books of 2014 by The Washington Post and Library Journal

“[Krist] chronicles the crazy excitement of the Storyville era in this well-reported and colorful tale of jazz, sex, crime and corruption. I can attest, as a native of New Orleans, that in Empire of Sin he has captured the flavors and class nuances of the town. And his interwoven story lines, intentionally or not, evoke a piece of jazz.”

—Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review

“Compelling . . . an absorbing history with a body count . . . Mr. Krist can turn a phrase with the best. He also allows his characters and sources plenty of opportunity to speak, with the result a delightful conversation. He has written the authoritative account of a raucous American experiment.”

—Preston Lauterbach, Wall Street Journal

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