disconightwing's review
4.0
First off, I started reading this book and I didn't have a real reason why. I love the circus, but I knew exactly what I was getting into here: a really depressing nonfiction with a lot of unsolved history and more questions than answers. As I was finishing it today, I happened to read the date of the fire for the ten millionth time... and realized that the anniversary of that fire is today. Just a creepy little bit of synchronicity to bring everything around full circle.
Anyway, this book was de-pres-sing! Not that it had any business to be anything but, of course. But if you're looking for a book that wraps everything in a neat little package and answers all of your questions, or makes you want to toss it aside and go find the Shriners... you should probably not read this book.
I actually feel disappointed after finishing this. Not because it was poorly written, or boring (though it did seem long), but because nothing has been solved. That's no fault of the author's, and I didn't dock any stars from the rating because of it, but I feel unfulfilled somehow. There's probably no way at this point to ever get the answers to the questions the book raises.
On one hand, this book is really disjointed—you read one sentence about a person and then three chapters later there's another sentence about the same person. In fact there's really only one victim that gets mentioned in several paragraphs so the reader gets the full effect (Little Miss 1565). It makes it hard to follow someone's story when it's spread out, one sentence at a time, over a whole book. On the other hand, the disjointed writing style almost feels perfect for this book—it worked, and it worked because it was a very simple and effective way to make me feel like they must have felt all those years ago. There was a sentence about the mayor, maybe halfway through, where it said at the beginning of the disaster all of these people were strangers and by the end of the day they were all familiar to him. That's how I felt at the end of this.
Another thing—this book was really kind of graphic. Not over the top graphic. It wasn't needless gore. It was “hey, this is what happened.” And if there are images now that are always going to stick in my mind, well, maybe that's not a bad thing. But seriously, I'm never going to forget the description of a mother and a child who literally melted together.
Usually with nonfiction books I don't always like a completely unbiased account. This time, I liked that the author didn't try to impose any of his own theories on the “unsolved mystery” part of the book. Enough to disprove the theory of the unknown girl's identity, sure, but he never came out and said who he thought she was, either.
I'm just going to say this to get it off my chest, even though it's not a problem with the book, just with people in general. There were SEVERAL unidentified victims and people only cared about one. It was very touching, how the two men went and put flowers on Little Miss 1565's grave every year until they died. Very nice how they said, “if she were my little girl I would want someone to remember her.” Well, that's very sweet. Except there are two other unidentified children, and they barely get a mention. Their graves are right there and they never get flowers. I'm not trying to cheapen the men and their completely sweet act. I'm asking why it seemed like no one cared about the other two. (Note: I do understand that it's because 1565 was so recognizable and still unidentified. That's not the point I'm trying to make here.) I think at the end of it, I felt worse for the other two kids because they were just kind of forgotten in all the hype about the “famous” one.
I felt like they didn't deserve to get remembered because they got burned more. That is a really sad way to feel about something like this.
I don't think I'll ever reread this book. Not because it was bad, but because once is enough!
Anyway, this book was de-pres-sing! Not that it had any business to be anything but, of course. But if you're looking for a book that wraps everything in a neat little package and answers all of your questions, or makes you want to toss it aside and go find the Shriners... you should probably not read this book.
I actually feel disappointed after finishing this. Not because it was poorly written, or boring (though it did seem long), but because nothing has been solved. That's no fault of the author's, and I didn't dock any stars from the rating because of it, but I feel unfulfilled somehow. There's probably no way at this point to ever get the answers to the questions the book raises.
On one hand, this book is really disjointed—you read one sentence about a person and then three chapters later there's another sentence about the same person. In fact there's really only one victim that gets mentioned in several paragraphs so the reader gets the full effect (Little Miss 1565). It makes it hard to follow someone's story when it's spread out, one sentence at a time, over a whole book. On the other hand, the disjointed writing style almost feels perfect for this book—it worked, and it worked because it was a very simple and effective way to make me feel like they must have felt all those years ago. There was a sentence about the mayor, maybe halfway through, where it said at the beginning of the disaster all of these people were strangers and by the end of the day they were all familiar to him. That's how I felt at the end of this.
Another thing—this book was really kind of graphic. Not over the top graphic. It wasn't needless gore. It was “hey, this is what happened.” And if there are images now that are always going to stick in my mind, well, maybe that's not a bad thing. But seriously, I'm never going to forget the description of a mother and a child who literally melted together.
Usually with nonfiction books I don't always like a completely unbiased account. This time, I liked that the author didn't try to impose any of his own theories on the “unsolved mystery” part of the book. Enough to disprove the theory of the unknown girl's identity, sure, but he never came out and said who he thought she was, either.
I'm just going to say this to get it off my chest, even though it's not a problem with the book, just with people in general. There were SEVERAL unidentified victims and people only cared about one. It was very touching, how the two men went and put flowers on Little Miss 1565's grave every year until they died. Very nice how they said, “if she were my little girl I would want someone to remember her.” Well, that's very sweet. Except there are two other unidentified children, and they barely get a mention. Their graves are right there and they never get flowers. I'm not trying to cheapen the men and their completely sweet act. I'm asking why it seemed like no one cared about the other two. (Note: I do understand that it's because 1565 was so recognizable and still unidentified. That's not the point I'm trying to make here.) I think at the end of it, I felt worse for the other two kids because they were just kind of forgotten in all the hype about the “famous” one.
I felt like they didn't deserve to get remembered because they got burned more. That is a really sad way to feel about something like this.
I don't think I'll ever reread this book. Not because it was bad, but because once is enough!
ireitlitam's review
3.0
It was a very interesting book, well written and difficult to read at some points. The scope of the tragedy extended beyond the victims and it was interesting to examine the progression of the investigation after the fire. My only complaint is that very little time was spent on the acutal fire with few instances of heroics detailed. After reading the captions beneath various circus personnel I expected to hear of their actions but those were never mentioned. However the book was still very gripping, taking care not to sensationalize the tragedy and remained very respectful. I would reccomend it.
papagenothehedgehog's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the most horrifying books I have ever read. I sometimes still have nightmares about it. Still, I am glad I read it, so that the victims (particularly Little Miss 1565) are never forgotten.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This book is about the Hartford Circus fire, that occurred in Hartford, Connecticut on July 06, 1944. The circus was produced by Ringling Brothers- Barnum And Bailey. Somewhere between 6-8,000 people were in attendance, but there is not a definite number. Some estimates give around 10,000 people. There were a lot of factors that contributed to the loss of 167 people and the injury of hundreds more. One of those is that circus shows were still being held under tents. The tents were made of canvas, treated with a waterproofing method that included the melting of wax cut with gasoline and brushed on the canvas. Fireproofing was not done. Another factor was the decreased amount of circus workers. A lot of the workers were gone because World War II was still going on, which made the few that remained responsible for double the work. The tents were erected over dry, freshly mowed grass, with wood shavings put down for flooring. A lot of the exits were blocked by equipment and the chutes for the big cat performances that were done at the beginning of the show. (At the time of the fire, the big cat show had just ended, and the cats were still inside the tent.)
The descriptions of injuries in this book were quite grim, so if that isn't something you can deal with, probably do not read it. Many of those that died were not killed by smoke inhalation, as is common in a lot of fires. They actually burned to death. I have always personally been terrified of a drowning death, but death via fire is so ghastly that it has moved to the top of my fear list. Many of them were actually burned by the waterproofing substance that melted and ran down on them. Those that survived still had serious burns to contend with, not to mention the absolute trauma of the event, seeing the things they must have saw... horrible. Some bodies were never identified.
I would like to mention that at the beginning of the book, a few other circus fires were mentioned. One of those was a train that was smashed into by another train, whose driver was asleep and missed all the signals to stop. Many of those are buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. They are marked as unknowns, as they could not be identified, and are buried under an elephant tombstone. It's called Showman's Rest, and is a popular destination for obscura tourists and others.
This was a really good book. I had never heard of this fire before I read this book. I also really liked that it included a lot of pictures of what the circus looked like before and after the fire, and included a diagram of the seating. I've only been to one circus and it was held in an arena, not a tent. I was about eight, so I was very unfamiliar with circus tent performances. I always get amazed at the lack of fire safety when I read books like this, and I am unsure if it is because fire safety has changed so much in the years after these types of events, or if it is because I grew up in a firefighter household. Either way, it is nice to see that there have been steps taken to try to prevent similar experiences from happening. I thought this book was very well researched, and the story was written in a way that was gripping and factual.
The descriptions of injuries in this book were quite grim, so if that isn't something you can deal with, probably do not read it. Many of those that died were not killed by smoke inhalation, as is common in a lot of fires. They actually burned to death. I have always personally been terrified of a drowning death, but death via fire is so ghastly that it has moved to the top of my fear list. Many of them were actually burned by the waterproofing substance that melted and ran down on them. Those that survived still had serious burns to contend with, not to mention the absolute trauma of the event, seeing the things they must have saw... horrible. Some bodies were never identified.
I would like to mention that at the beginning of the book, a few other circus fires were mentioned. One of those was a train that was smashed into by another train, whose driver was asleep and missed all the signals to stop. Many of those are buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. They are marked as unknowns, as they could not be identified, and are buried under an elephant tombstone. It's called Showman's Rest, and is a popular destination for obscura tourists and others.
This was a really good book. I had never heard of this fire before I read this book. I also really liked that it included a lot of pictures of what the circus looked like before and after the fire, and included a diagram of the seating. I've only been to one circus and it was held in an arena, not a tent. I was about eight, so I was very unfamiliar with circus tent performances. I always get amazed at the lack of fire safety when I read books like this, and I am unsure if it is because fire safety has changed so much in the years after these types of events, or if it is because I grew up in a firefighter household. Either way, it is nice to see that there have been steps taken to try to prevent similar experiences from happening. I thought this book was very well researched, and the story was written in a way that was gripping and factual.
__karen__'s review
5.0
Review posted December 13, 2013:
This is the true story of how hundreds were injured or killed during the July 6, 1944, performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, CT. The author provides an immense amount of detail, painting a vivid picture of events before, during, and after the fire. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read. Certainly, the fire was an important historic event in New England (not unlike The Station fire in Rhode Island in 2003), and perhaps even more tragic because so many of the victims were children.
-----------------------------------------------------
From the Hartford Courant, April 5, 2019:
"Medical examiner seeks to exhume two victims of the Hartford Circus Fire in hopes of identifying them after 75 years
...Chief State Medical Examiner James Gill is seeking to have at least two of the bodies exhumed in hopes of answering a question that has haunted a family for years — whatever happened to Grace Fifield, a 47-year-old woman from Newport, Vt. who went to the July 6, 1944, afternoon performance of the Ringling Brothers Circus and was never seen again."
The Medical Examiner will attempt to match two of the Circus Fire victims to a descendant's DNA. If that's not successful, they will use online genealogy databases to attempt a match (not unlike the research process used to identify the Golden State Killer).
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-circus-fire-exhumation-20190405-aozz27askrc6rfrsmisb5pd5di-story.html
-------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, 6/27/2019:
(75 years later) "The living survivors of the Hartford circus fire still carry the scars from the tragic day. Hear their stories in this interactive oral history."
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-living-survivors-of-the-hartford-circus-fire-20190627-vrr7uu2qibdljky5da3qo66yr4-story.html
-------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, Sept. 11, 2019:
With hopes of unraveling a 75-year-old mystery, medical examiner’s bid to exhume two unidentified victims of the Hartford Circus Fire gets OK from judge
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-circus-fire-exhume-granted-20190911-3u2no7oiwbe2hpdrjd3hswptei-story.html
--------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, October 7, 2019:
State medical examiner says (10/7) exhumation of two circus fire victims was successful, DNA testing is next step.
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-hartford-circus-fire-exhumation-20191007-om45f6haznfizp3ktgnmnpr7nu-story.html#nws=true
---------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, July 7, 2020:
(Connecticut) Chief State Medical Examiner James Gill said Tuesday that experts were unable to extract viable DNA from the exhumed bones of Hartford Circus Fire victims, leaving the identities of five souls buried in a Hartford cemetery a mystery.
They had been buried under one memorial that said “Their Identity Known but to God.”
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-circus-fire-no-identity-20200707-dsmdwnrzjvcrzeiixzjd3t3ooi-story.html
This is the true story of how hundreds were injured or killed during the July 6, 1944, performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, CT. The author provides an immense amount of detail, painting a vivid picture of events before, during, and after the fire. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read. Certainly, the fire was an important historic event in New England (not unlike The Station fire in Rhode Island in 2003), and perhaps even more tragic because so many of the victims were children.
-----------------------------------------------------
From the Hartford Courant, April 5, 2019:
"Medical examiner seeks to exhume two victims of the Hartford Circus Fire in hopes of identifying them after 75 years
...Chief State Medical Examiner James Gill is seeking to have at least two of the bodies exhumed in hopes of answering a question that has haunted a family for years — whatever happened to Grace Fifield, a 47-year-old woman from Newport, Vt. who went to the July 6, 1944, afternoon performance of the Ringling Brothers Circus and was never seen again."
The Medical Examiner will attempt to match two of the Circus Fire victims to a descendant's DNA. If that's not successful, they will use online genealogy databases to attempt a match (not unlike the research process used to identify the Golden State Killer).
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-circus-fire-exhumation-20190405-aozz27askrc6rfrsmisb5pd5di-story.html
-------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, 6/27/2019:
(75 years later) "The living survivors of the Hartford circus fire still carry the scars from the tragic day. Hear their stories in this interactive oral history."
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-living-survivors-of-the-hartford-circus-fire-20190627-vrr7uu2qibdljky5da3qo66yr4-story.html
-------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, Sept. 11, 2019:
With hopes of unraveling a 75-year-old mystery, medical examiner’s bid to exhume two unidentified victims of the Hartford Circus Fire gets OK from judge
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-circus-fire-exhume-granted-20190911-3u2no7oiwbe2hpdrjd3hswptei-story.html
--------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, October 7, 2019:
State medical examiner says (10/7) exhumation of two circus fire victims was successful, DNA testing is next step.
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-hartford-circus-fire-exhumation-20191007-om45f6haznfizp3ktgnmnpr7nu-story.html#nws=true
---------------------------------------
From The Hartford Courant, July 7, 2020:
(Connecticut) Chief State Medical Examiner James Gill said Tuesday that experts were unable to extract viable DNA from the exhumed bones of Hartford Circus Fire victims, leaving the identities of five souls buried in a Hartford cemetery a mystery.
They had been buried under one memorial that said “Their Identity Known but to God.”
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-circus-fire-no-identity-20200707-dsmdwnrzjvcrzeiixzjd3t3ooi-story.html
laurab2125's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed learning about something that I knew nothing about ... the details was overwhelming, though. And almost too many people to follow to keep them all straight. Still - the pictures really brought to life the text, and were almost disturbing at times.
aliciagw's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
I listened to the audiobook version.
Interesting and informative historical account of a tragic circus tent fire in Connecticut.
Interesting and informative historical account of a tragic circus tent fire in Connecticut.
traceyyoung's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This book was really interesting. I knew nothing about this disaster before picking up this book. It was informative and written compassionately. I will be haunted by this story for a long time.