The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore Book Review

The Last Days of Night is about the largest patent lawsuit in our nation's history. Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse battled in court over the patent of the lightbulb, this later called "The War of the Currents". The main character in The Last Days of Night is Paul Cravath, a young lawyer chosen by George Westinghouse to represent him. Paul faces many challenges while representing Westinghouse, including almost being killed. Paul meets many people along the way like Nickola Teala who joins Westinghouse's operation and tries to develop a new lightbulb and Anges Huntington whom Paul falls in love with. By the end of the book, Paul realizes that people will do things they had never dreamed of before, things that are very unethical, all because of money. I would recommend The Last Days of Night to most readers because it talks about U.S. history, it has a great plot, and the book is easy for the reader to understand.

The Last Days of Night plays an important role in U.S. History. The book is about "The War of the Currents", this was the largest patent lawsuit in our nation's history. It also focuses on important figures in our nation's history such as Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse. This book is very relevant to anyone interested in electricity because it is about the patent lawsuits surrounding the lightbulb and how that made the invertors strive to make a better product. "Thomas Edison had not patented the perfect light bulb, agreed the judge. He patented the field of light bulbs. That he'd later improved on his design, and that Westinghouse had potently improved on in even further, was beside the point." (Moore 212) It is also relevant to anyone interested in U.S. history, specifically the judicial system and patent law as the main focus of the book is about the largest patent lawsuit in our nation's history. "First there was Edison v. Westinghouse itself—the main event—and the 312 assorted lawsuits that came with it." (Moore 198)

While reading The Last Days of Night I was never bored. The book has a great plot and is always surprising you. "But I'm not the one who electrocuted William Kemmler, who set fire to Tesla's lab... 'No, we didn't,' said Batchelor calmy. "George Westinghouse did.'" (Moore 337). Graham Moore did a wonderful job at taking the real people and making them characters in his book. Many historical fiction novels have an abundance of unnecessary detail which makes the book difficult to understand but I did not find that to be the case with this book. The detail that this book provides is the perfect balance to where the reader gets lots of good information while also not boring the reader. "It was the 'electrical chair.' A convicted crime would be strapped to a chair made of wood, with metallic contacts attached to his forehead and lower back" (Moore 195), without this detail the book would have stayed the same but it adds depth to the book by giving the reader a picture of what is happening. The Last Days of Night is a book that maintains a great plot while simultaneously providing a good amount of detail and not boring the reader. 

Many notable historical sites are featured in The Last Days of Night, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Opera and The Statue of Liberty. In addition to the well know sites this book also has many notable figures that most people today recognize like J.P. Morgan and Thomas Edison. "Only fifty feet away was Thomas Edison… It was J.P. Morgan the man he had come to see." (Moore 290-291). This helps the reader better identify with the characters and when the reader can identify with the characters the book is easier to understand. The book also features a great system of organization with three parts and different chapters in those parts. The part-to-part and chapter-to-chapter flow are great. "What did Nikola Tesla want?" (Moore 70) "Lemuel Serrell, Tesla's attorney, made it quite clear he shared little of his clients ambivalence toward money—he wanted an additional forty thousand dollars just to make a deal." (Moore 71). With the easily recognizable locations and people that help you relate to the characters and the great flow that this book offers The Last Days of Night is very easy to understand.

The Last Days of Night is a great book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in U.S. history, electricity, or anyone interested in finding a good read because it is important in U.S. history, it is very interesting, and it is easy to understand. The book also has very good sources, using 13 historical and scientific experts. Without these experts, the book would not be as historically or scientifically accurate. The book also has many notable historical places and figures which helps the reader better understand the book and gives the reader a new perspective on many key historical figures. This book has a great delivery always ensuring the reader is never bored. Graham Moore did an amazing job transforming "The War of The Currents" into a hist