The circus fire : [a true story of an American tragedy

The acclaimed author of Emily, Alone and Henry, Himself brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of tragedy and heroism—the great Hartford circus fire of 1944.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. Steward 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. 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.

Cleveland, 1942 -- July 4, 1944 -- Principals -- July 5, 1944 -- July 6, 1944 -- Circus Day -- Showtime -- The Point of Origin -- Our Boys in Uniform -- Blue Sky -- Animal Acts -- The Bravest Girl I've Ever Seen -- This Ain't No Time to Faint, Lady -- Don't Look Back -- The Stars and Stripes Forever -- Ten More Bars! -- Death by Fire -- Alive, Alive, Alive -- Have You Seen Him? -- Bringing Out the Dead -- Triage -- Unexpected Guests -- Extra, Extra -- We Can't Reach You, Hartford -- A G.I. Party -- The Names of the Dead -- Bad Face -- Evidence -- In the Evening, Sun Is Going Down -- Go to Sleep -- Bad News -- Were You in Cleveland? -- All Through the Night -- And on Till Morning -- July 7, 1944 -- July 8, 1944 -- July 9, 1944 -- July 10, 1944 -- July 11-July 15, 1944 -- July 15-July 31, 1944 -- August-December, 1944 -- 1945 -- 1946-1950 -- 1950 -- 1950-1990 -- 1990-1991 -- 1991-1999. The acclaimed author of A Prayer for the Dying brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of tragedy and heroism-the great Hartford circus fire of 1944. 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. The acclaimed novelist turns to nonfiction, vividly chronicling the disastrous Hartford circus fire of 1944, a tragedy that claimed 167 lives and changed the history of the city. 35,000 first printing. Chronicles the disastrous Hartford circus fire of 1944, a tragedy that claimed 167 lives and changed the history of the city. They played by the lake, their tops guyed out on the lot by Municipal Stadium.