A few days ago I finished reading American Lightening, by Howard Blum. This is the fascinating story of America's first experience with terrorism in the early 1900s, the golden age of cinema, and the struggle between large corporations and workers' unions which led to explosive violence and, literally, explosions across the country. What made this read all the more interesting were the connections between Indianapolis, Muncie, and Hollywood, with many of the home-grown terrorists cutting their teeth in the Hoosier state, blowing up trains, buildings, and businesses in Peoria, IL and many points west.
American Lightening is also the story of the first true American detective, Billy Burns, and his international hunt to track down the terrorists and bring them to justice. Not an easy task in the age prior to fast-track communication and transportation, but ol' Billy had a knack for gaining the confidence of hoodlums and corporate executives alike. He figured out the puzzle which eventually led to the arrest and conviction of several involved in an ill-fated plot to bring down big business and win the day for the unions.
Burns eventually retired from detective work and became the first head of the newly formed FBI, but that only lasted a year. J. Edgar Hoover quickly succeeded him as head and began wearing women's dresses shortly thereafter. This will be a tough book to beat as one of my favorites as I devour other books in 2010.
And the rest, as they say . . . is history.
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