It was a midsummer afternoon, halfway through a Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus performance, when the big top caught fire. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin and gasoline; in seconds it was burning out of control. More than 8,000 people were trapped inside, and the ensuing disaster would eventually take 167 lives.
Stewart O'Nan brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of the great Hartford circus fire of 1944. 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 is history at its most compelling.
Categories:
- History
- United States
- State & Local
- United States
Publisher : Anchor
Author : O'Nan, Stewart
Language : English
Edition : Illustrated
Published :2001-06-12
Number Of Pages : 384
Binding : Paperback
ISBN-10 : 0385496850
ISBN-13 : 9780385496858
Item weight : 0.8 lb
Dimensions : 0.8 in x 5.1 in x 7.9 in
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