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293 ratings | 53 reviews | avg rating:4.20

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Michael Downs

Goodreads Author

Born

Hartford, CT, The United States

Website

http://www.michael-downs.net

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction

Member Since

January 2012

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Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Michael Downs is the author of three books, including the novel, THE STRANGE AND TRUE TALE OF HORACE WELLS, SURGEON DENTIST (Acre Books, May 2018).

His first book, HOUSE OF GOOD HOPE: A PROMISE FOR A BROKEN CITY, won the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize. THE GREATEST SHOW (LSU Press, 2012), his second book, is a story collection inspired by the famous Hartford Circus Fire of 1944.

With Jim Hock, he wrote HOLLYWOOD'S TEAM: GRIT, GLAMOUR and the 1950s LOS ANGELES RAMS (Rare Bird Books, 2016).

He served as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Kraków, Poland in 2021-22. His other awards include literary fiction fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council, and he has published ...more

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Combine Editions
Michael Downs’s books

Average rating: 4.14 · 106 ratings · 25 reviews · 4 distinct works

	The Greatest Show: Stories 3.98 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Strange and True Tale of Horace Wells, Surgeon Dentist 4.54 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hollywood's Team: Grit, Glamour, and the 1950s Los Angeles Rams by Jim Hock, Michael Downs (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 25 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	House of Good Hope: A Promise for a Broken City (River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize) 4.13 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael is Currently Reading

Michael Downs is currently reading

Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

by Rainer Maria Rilke

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Dec 29, 2022 06:16AM

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The Turn of the Screw

by Henry James

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Nov 17, 2020 06:23PM

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The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South

by W. Ralph Eubanks (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 08, 2013 06:22AM

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Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Downs liked Debbie’s status update Debbie started reading Whistler
Aug 17, 2026 08:47AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Whistler by Ann Patchett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Whistler by Ann Patchett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael Downs and 50 other people liked J. Kent Messum's review of A Prayer for the Dying: "My God, Stewart O'Nan has to be the most underrated writer in the world. I cannot fathom how his talent is not more widely recognized. Sure, plenty of people know about him, but nowhere near the number he deserves. He's an absolute beast of a novelis" Read more of this review »
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Michael Downs and 29 other people liked Diane Yannick's review of Fourth of July Creek: "I spend considerable time choosing which books I'm going to read. This one really caught my attention--first novel by the author, 1980's in a hardscrabble part of Montana plus a tough social worker trying to give destitute kids a chance. Right up my " Read more of this review »
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Michael Downs rated a book it was ok Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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