The Secret Life of Houdini

I’m not going to lie. I find the life of Houdini fascinating. It would be easy to focus on the magician/escape artist parts of his persona. However, the book details his drive and intentions from a young age to absorb information and develop his craft are inspiring. Before he was even a teenager, Houdini was walking 20+ miles (one way) to the neighboring town to find work and develop his craft.

As he became the worldwide phenomenon he is known for today, Houdini used his talents and never abused his notoriety. Houdini was very intentional in how he wanted to… show more.

My professional background's in magic, so Houdini's an endlessly fascinating character to me—both in his real life and the grand illusion he built of himself as the early 20th century's greatest showman. Erik Weisz was a skilled performer with a passion for physically testing himself. Harry Houdini, by contrast, was a superhuman master mystifier, a tireless crusader against psychic fraudsters—and also, allegedly, a rather successful spy. What emerges in this book is a man at war with his own constructed alter ego. A man who literally escaped his own grave many times before falling victim to the very claims of… show more.