from beetlebub2000

Yep. It's a hard book to read as any true story of tragic loss of life. Especially one that involves the loss of so many kids and families. As with any large-scale tragedy, both the best and worst of human behavior is on display. That said, I thought it was fascinating. It's a bit of American his...

from drebbles

On the afternoon of July 6, 1944, a fire broke out during a performance of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut. The circus tent had been waterproofed with gasoline and paraffin and the fire spread quickly with 167 people (mostly women and children) ultimately d...

from drebbles

On the afternoon of July 6, 1944, a fire broke out during a performance of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut. The circus tent had been waterproofed with gasoline and paraffin and the fire spread quickly with 167 people (mostly women and children) ultimately d...

from hardlyhardy

Stewart O'Nan thought of himself as a novelist. Living in Hartford, Conn., he took an interest in the Hartford circus fire of 1944, which took 167 lives. Why had nobody ever written a book about it? He began gathering information about it, intending to try to tempt some other writer into tackling...

from BookConcierge

A compelling read. In 1944 the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus set up its tents in Hartford CT. The big top was waterproofed with a combination of paraffin and gasoline (a common practice at the time). However the fire started the result was sudden and devastating. I had a visceral respo...