The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.51 (852 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0385496850 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-09-08 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Not for the Squeamish, but Still Recommended R. J Ridley Meticulously researched and very detailed account of a horrific event. You need to know: some of the details are horrifying, and this book is not for the squeamish. Trust me, some of the people died horrendously awful deaths, and O'Nan does not shy away from the facts.What led to the disaster was no single one error, and there really was no case of outrageous criminal neglige. Excellent Storytelling of a Tragic Event! Crystal Garland I found this book after conducting a Google search looking for information about the Cocoanut Grove fire. I had no idea the circus fire even occurred nor had I heard about it. I purchased the book and couldn't put it down. The way O'Nan writes, you actually get a genuine feel for 1944; the way he describes the events taking place, I almost felt like I was there! Even though t. "Heartbreaking and engaging" according to Piper's mama. I've read a couple books about this fire , and this is by far the best written of them. It's a wonderful balance of facts and storytelling , fairly easy to follow the names of people and what happened to them. I have read it twice just to really follow the story along and it was much more clear the second time around.I rank this with " to sleep with the Angels " and " fire in
Steward O'Nan brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of the great Hartford circus fire of 1944. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin and gasoline; in seconds it was burning out of control. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, O'Nan skillfully re-creates the horrific events and illuminates the psychological oddities of human behavior under stress: the mad scramble for the exits; the perilous effort to maneuver animals out of danger; the hero who tossed dozens of children to safety before being trampled to death. Brilliantly constructed and exceptionally moving, The Circus Fire
In the end, 167 were dead and 487 injured, of whom 140 required hospitalization. O'Nan tells their stories with compassion--albeit with a slight tendency toward the macabre. --Sunny Delaney. As some 9,000 people watched the Wallendas begin their high-wire act on July 6, 1944, a fire started on the sidewall of the big top at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Stewart O'Nan brings his storytelling ability to the tragedy of The Circus Fire. He probes the tragedy's enduring mysteries--How did the fire start? Who are the unidentified victims? Who is