The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski enters the world of Harry Houdini and his legions of devoted fans in an immersive, entertaining, and magical work on the illusionistâ€™s impact on American cultureâ€”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 neighborâ€™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 The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski enters Houdini World to understand why the magician still enthralls people. Posnanski immerses himself in Houdiniâ€™s past and present, visiting landmarks, museums (including one owned by Copperfield), attractions, and private archives. Filled with false histories and improbable facts, Houdiniâ€™s life is an irresistible contradiction. His sweeping afterlife is no less fascinating.

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 â€œNothing on earth can hold Houdini prisoner,â€ and begins his path to becoming that nationâ€™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 rabbiâ€™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 Posnanskiâ€™s personal obsession with the magicianâ€”and magic itselfâ€”The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is a poignant odyssey of discovery, blending biography, memoir, and first-person reporting to trace Houdiniâ€™s metamorphosis into an iconic figure who has inspired millions. Posnanski takes us on a joyous, thrilling, and, yes, magical journey to discover why Houdini enduresâ€”and what he still has to teach the world about wonder.
Country USA
Manufacturer Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2019-10-22
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2019-10-22
Format	Kindle eBook

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

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