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Book synopsis

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.

Book details

• Full title: The Circus Fire
• Subtitle: A True Story of an American Tragedy
• Author: Stewart O'Nan
• Language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 370
• EAN: 9780385496858
• ISBN: 0385496850
• ID: 10988592
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Weight: 362 g
• Dimensions: 203 × 127 × 13 mm
• Date of publishing: 01. June 2001

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