Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Pages: 384
Rating: Do Not Recommend
Synopsis: Halfway through a midsummer afternoon performance, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus's big top caught fire. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin and gasoline; in seconds it was burning out of control, and more than 8,000 people were trapped inside. 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 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.
Review: I need to see the author's outline. This is a disorganized mess of facts, figures, and names. The story is completely lost, which is a shame because I think there's a story worth telling here.
This is also available as an audio book, but I don't know how someone listening would even be able to follow the people and events.
This is also available as an audio book, but I don't know how someone listening would even be able to follow the people and events.
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