Joe Posnanski enters the colorful world of Harry Houdini and his
legions of devoted fans to explore the illusionist's impact on global
culture--and why his legacy endures to this day.
Nearly a century after Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926, he feels
as modern and alive as ever. The name Houdini still leaps to mind
whenever we witness a daring escape. The baby who frees herself from her
crib? Houdini. The dog who vanishes and reappears in the neighbor's
garden? Houdini. Every generation produces new disciples of the
magician, from household names in magic like David Copperfield and David
Blaine to countless other followers whose lives have been transformed by
the power of Houdini.
In rural Pennsylvania, a thirteen-year-old girl finds the courage to
leave a violent home after learning that Houdini ran away to join the
circus; she eventually becomes the first female magician to saw a man in
half on television. In Australia, an eight-year-old boy with a learning
impediment feels worthless until he sees an old poster of Houdini
advertising "Nothing on earth can hold Houdini prisoner," and begins his
path to becoming that nation's most popular magician. In California, an
actor and Vietnam War veteran finds purpose in his life by uncovering
the secrets of his hero.
But the unique phenomenon of Houdini was always more than his
death-defying stunts or his ability to escape handcuffs and
straitjackets. It is also about the power of imagination and
self-invention. His incredible transformation from Ehrich Weiss, humble
Hungarian immigrant and rabbi's son, into the self-named Harry Houdini
has won him a slice of immortality. No one has withstood the test of
time quite like Houdini. Fueled by Posnanski's personal obsession with
the magician--and magic itself--The Life and Afterlife of Harry
Houdini is a poignant odyssey of discovery, blending biography, memoir,
and first-person reporting to trace Houdini's metamorphosis into an
iconic figure who has inspired millions.
