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The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek: Snake eaters, Human Ostriches, & Other Extreme Entertainments
Prepare to be shocked and intrigued as we present the first comprehensive history of the sideshow geek. From its gruesome beginnings to its eventual decline, this book sheds light on a dark chapter in the carnival/circus history that is all but forgotten.
- GenresHistory
385 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 27, 2023
I've got a real affection for books about magic, the circus and the carnival -- and my favourite reading material in that arena is the carnival sideshow. So Nathan Wakefield's book, The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek was always going to be an easy sell to me. It's an area that there's so very little material written about it, that anything that he produced was going to be a serious contribution to the literature. But if I imagine the book I would have wanted to read on the subject, that's the book that Wakefield delivers.
In his introduction to the book, Wakefield describes how his obsession with the subject developed, and given how closely it parallels my own experience, I can only assume that it's going to be true for most of his audience. For me, it began with a re-run of the original Nightmare Alley back in the late 60's or early 70's, and an interest in the history of magic led me down this obscure little pathway. I'm old enough to have seen some of the dying embers of the trade -- a Hoochie Coochie show named 'Midnight Madness' with a travelling fair in the UK. A papier-mache 'Two Headed Giant' at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The occasional deformed animal show. But really, the business was coming to a close by the time I was old enough to look out for it. And so the only access I had was through the history books and the occasional resurrectionist associated with the magic scene.
The one aspect of the scene that is fairly well documented is the freak show. But Wakefield is interested in a much narrower segment of the sideshow scene -- specifically, the geek show. In Nightmare Alley, the geek is portrayed as the bottom rung on the Circus/Carny ladder -- the alcoholic who is paid to act as a wild man, scaring the pants off the paying customer by biting the heads off live animals.
Wakefield does a fantastic job of surveying pretty well everything that is known about the individuals who played this role in the past, and the illustrations make the book somewhat reminiscent of the best work of Ricky Jay, whose Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women ploughed similar territory, albeit in a much less focused way.
While the main focus of the book is on the geek -- both glomming and non-glomming varieties, Wakefield also surveys related professions, such as the Wildman show and Human Ostriches. Wildmen are people who profess to come from strange different lands who have not yet been civilized. Some early pinheads were labelled as falling into this category. Human ostriches are the people who swallow strange things like glass, nails, chains, live animals, etc. Though these are sometimes gaffed, the vast majority of such performers did their act for real.
After surveying what we know about historical geekdom, Wakefield provides us with an edifying discussion of the decline and fall of the geek show and then it's place in popular culture after it had died out as a carnival phenomena, followed by a brief discussion of how some of the effects were achieved. I was surprised not to see any coverage of Mirin Dajo -- the man who was repeatedly stabbed with a sword that went right through his abdomen. Nevertheless, I learned so much about so many characters from the past that I can hardly complain that one of my own favourites have been left out.
I really can't rate this book highly enough. If you have any interest at all in the subject matter, you should run to your nearest book shop and buy yourself a copy. It really is the definitive work on the geek show. The information that Wakefield shares here just can't be found anywhere else. And his personal passion for the subject and the people that he writes about shines through on every page.
I loved this book. Five stars.
In his introduction to the book, Wakefield describes how his obsession with the subject developed, and given how closely it parallels my own experience, I can only assume that it's going to be true for most of his audience. For me, it began with a re-run of the original Nightmare Alley back in the late 60's or early 70's, and an interest in the history of magic led me down this obscure little pathway. I'm old enough to have seen some of the dying embers of the trade -- a Hoochie Coochie show named 'Midnight Madness' with a travelling fair in the UK. A papier-mache 'Two Headed Giant' at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The occasional deformed animal show. But really, the business was coming to a close by the time I was old enough to look out for it. And so the only access I had was through the history books and the occasional resurrectionist associated with the magic scene.
The one aspect of the scene that is fairly well documented is the freak show. But Wakefield is interested in a much narrower segment of the sideshow scene -- specifically, the geek show. In Nightmare Alley, the geek is portrayed as the bottom rung on the Circus/Carny ladder -- the alcoholic who is paid to act as a wild man, scaring the pants off the paying customer by biting the heads off live animals.
Wakefield does a fantastic job of surveying pretty well everything that is known about the individuals who played this role in the past, and the illustrations make the book somewhat reminiscent of the best work of Ricky Jay, whose Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women ploughed similar territory, albeit in a much less focused way.
While the main focus of the book is on the geek -- both glomming and non-glomming varieties, Wakefield also surveys related professions, such as the Wildman show and Human Ostriches. Wildmen are people who profess to come from strange different lands who have not yet been civilized. Some early pinheads were labelled as falling into this category. Human ostriches are the people who swallow strange things like glass, nails, chains, live animals, etc. Though these are sometimes gaffed, the vast majority of such performers did their act for real.
After surveying what we know about historical geekdom, Wakefield provides us with an edifying discussion of the decline and fall of the geek show and then it's place in popular culture after it had died out as a carnival phenomena, followed by a brief discussion of how some of the effects were achieved. I was surprised not to see any coverage of Mirin Dajo -- the man who was repeatedly stabbed with a sword that went right through his abdomen. Nevertheless, I learned so much about so many characters from the past that I can hardly complain that one of my own favourites have been left out.
I really can't rate this book highly enough. If you have any interest at all in the subject matter, you should run to your nearest book shop and buy yourself a copy. It really is the definitive work on the geek show. The information that Wakefield shares here just can't be found anywhere else. And his personal passion for the subject and the people that he writes about shines through on every page.
I loved this book. Five stars.
September 2, 2023
I never saw a geek show but early exposure to the first film adaptation of NIGHTMARE ALLEY made a big impression. I understood that a geek was a human being who had been turned into a monster, though the nuances of Gresham's story escaped me. Questions to my parents didn't provide much information but I was "geek aware" ever after.
Wakefield's history is impressive work, unearthing and making sense of fragmentary accounts of transgressive entertainment, the lowest end of the sideshow biz, which is pretty dark territory even at its high end. To round out the largely oral lore, he supplements the story with related entertainments, legendary magicians who performed remarkable feats of apparent digestion, human ostriches, "wild men" from Borneo, and modern practitioners of the sideshow arts who devour (and sometimes regurgitate) unlikely objects. It's a strange world and the chapters here are like postcards from unspeakable tourist destinations.
I was especially taken with the history of "Bosco" and "Esau," savage carny performers successful enough for their names to become imitated, almost generic, as in "I saw a better Bosco over in Hooverville last night." Magic being a tapestry of unlikely histories, I was even more fascinated to learn that the first Bosco took his name from an earlier stage magician who had become notorious for cruelty to birds in his act.
Dealing with a subject as sensitive as this -- slaughtering small animals for entertainment -- obviously requires a careful touch and the author manages to handle his subject with taste, a wry sense of humor, and a respect for modern sensibilities. It does put the geek act into perspective though to realize that most of the audience for a rural geek show had significant personal experience with separating chickens from their heads and was probably not nearly as horrified as a modern, urban audience would be.
Altogether a very good history of lost entertainment. Step right up! But you might want to wait awhile before you get your cotton candy.
Wakefield's history is impressive work, unearthing and making sense of fragmentary accounts of transgressive entertainment, the lowest end of the sideshow biz, which is pretty dark territory even at its high end. To round out the largely oral lore, he supplements the story with related entertainments, legendary magicians who performed remarkable feats of apparent digestion, human ostriches, "wild men" from Borneo, and modern practitioners of the sideshow arts who devour (and sometimes regurgitate) unlikely objects. It's a strange world and the chapters here are like postcards from unspeakable tourist destinations.
I was especially taken with the history of "Bosco" and "Esau," savage carny performers successful enough for their names to become imitated, almost generic, as in "I saw a better Bosco over in Hooverville last night." Magic being a tapestry of unlikely histories, I was even more fascinated to learn that the first Bosco took his name from an earlier stage magician who had become notorious for cruelty to birds in his act.
Dealing with a subject as sensitive as this -- slaughtering small animals for entertainment -- obviously requires a careful touch and the author manages to handle his subject with taste, a wry sense of humor, and a respect for modern sensibilities. It does put the geek act into perspective though to realize that most of the audience for a rural geek show had significant personal experience with separating chickens from their heads and was probably not nearly as horrified as a modern, urban audience would be.
Altogether a very good history of lost entertainment. Step right up! But you might want to wait awhile before you get your cotton candy.
May 29, 2023
The Rise And Fall Of The Side Show Geek by Nathan Wakefield I knew would be a book right on my alley I didn’t know it was ultimately be mostly about people eating things like the heads off of chickens, snakes and other objects one wouldn’t think would be good as a delicatessen. I did love all of it though the history where the word key came from in the first century until the end of the solid shell era in the mid-20th century. I know a lot of people say these people were exploited but if it wouldn’t have been for sideshows Chang and yang would’ve never had a farm in South Carolina and they wouldn’t have their own little town in Florida with sideshow geeks who are homeowners and I’m sure there’s many more success stories when it comes to the side show community I love that this author wanted to validate the sideshow and give it the best history he could and I think he did with this book it is in a long book but it is totally enjoyable and one I highly recommend. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
April 9, 2024
Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC!
I enjoy books about ❝familiar❞ unknown things. The kind of things we all have an awareness of their existence, and yet we ignore them. I had an instant connection with the theme of this book because I thought I knew what it'd talk about. And I didn't. Which was one of the most wonderful experiences ever in my (few) years as a non-fiction reader.
It is still difficult to write a review for non-fiction books without feeling like I am ruining something beautiful. Here, the topic isn't beautiful. It's full of nuances; a few Boscos and Esaus doing the most horrific and unthinkable things for entertainment and also doing it for survival.
For this book, the writing feels full of energy. I could feel the enthusiasm about this topic and how the author tried to make it sound like a story; the history of the side shows, those little renegades. Because of this great enthusiasm, I encountered a problem for mood readers: At times, the pace would become slower than usual, and it felt like some details were even “boring” for him. This is only obvious if you compare chapters, so I don't think it is a big problem.
My favourite chapter was the professional wrestling one!
I enjoy books about ❝familiar❞ unknown things. The kind of things we all have an awareness of their existence, and yet we ignore them. I had an instant connection with the theme of this book because I thought I knew what it'd talk about. And I didn't. Which was one of the most wonderful experiences ever in my (few) years as a non-fiction reader.
It is still difficult to write a review for non-fiction books without feeling like I am ruining something beautiful. Here, the topic isn't beautiful. It's full of nuances; a few Boscos and Esaus doing the most horrific and unthinkable things for entertainment and also doing it for survival.
For this book, the writing feels full of energy. I could feel the enthusiasm about this topic and how the author tried to make it sound like a story; the history of the side shows, those little renegades. Because of this great enthusiasm, I encountered a problem for mood readers: At times, the pace would become slower than usual, and it felt like some details were even “boring” for him. This is only obvious if you compare chapters, so I don't think it is a big problem.
My favourite chapter was the professional wrestling one!
June 1, 2023
I had no idea what a sideshow geek act was before I picked up this book, and Nathan Wakefield certainly taught me. Although the subject matter is revolting, the book itself is fascinating and impossible to look away from, like the geek act itself. Wakefield’s research is thorough, covering everything from the origins of the geek act to its lingering traces in modern day entertainment, even including a chapter on the entire history of collegiate goldfish swallowing. Wakefield is also candid about the exploitative nature of the geek act itself, and describes how unhoused individuals and people struggling with addiction were sucked into doing such brutal work.
I recieved an arc from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I recieved an arc from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Interesting book. It was a bit difficult to read with all the formatting errors but still somewhat readable.
Book itself was very interesting and well researched.
Interesting book. It was a bit difficult to read with all the formatting errors but still somewhat readable.
Book itself was very interesting and well researched.
May 29, 2023
It was a fascinating and intriguing book, the history of sideshows and how it passed.
There's a lot of example and it was a very entertaining read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
There's a lot of example and it was a very entertaining read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
February 23, 2024
Nathan Wakefield's The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek offers an insightful exploration into the historical phenomenon of the sideshow geek, a term that has significantly evolved over time. Unlike today's association with technology enthusiasts or experts in niche topics, the original 'geek' was a carnival sideshow performer known for engaging in shocking acts, such as biting off chicken heads or eating snakes. Wakefield delves into the lives of these performers, many of whom portrayed themselves as 'wild men' adorned with mud and fur, captivating Victorian audiences with their bizarre and often grotesque performances.
Wakefield's research is thorough, bolstered by a wealth of references, sources, and visual aids, including vintage photographs and drawings. He enriches the narrative with interviews from former geeks, providing a personal touch to the historical recount. The writing is approachable and engaging, taking readers into a world rarely visited. The vivid descriptions of the acts, some involving animal cruelty, can be unsettling, reflecting a bygone era's entertainment values vastly different from today's standards. The book also touches on the poignant life stories of the geeks, many of whom were simply striving to make a living under challenging circumstances.
This book will likely attract readers interested in unique historical narratives, particularly those pertaining to entertainment and societal changes. Readers intrigued by historical narratives and unique entertainment forms will find this book enriching. However, it's worth noting that its vivid portrayals of past practices are best appreciated by those with an interest in the more graphic aspects of history. Wakefield's work serves as a reminder of the evolving nature of entertainment and the human inclination towards the unconventional while also acknowledging the darker aspects of these historical practices.
Nathan Wakefield's The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek is a meticulously researched and engagingly written work, offering a unique window into a lesser-known chapter of entertainment history. It skillfully balances historical detail with human stories, making it a compelling read for those fascinated by the evolution of performance art and societal change.
Wakefield's research is thorough, bolstered by a wealth of references, sources, and visual aids, including vintage photographs and drawings. He enriches the narrative with interviews from former geeks, providing a personal touch to the historical recount. The writing is approachable and engaging, taking readers into a world rarely visited. The vivid descriptions of the acts, some involving animal cruelty, can be unsettling, reflecting a bygone era's entertainment values vastly different from today's standards. The book also touches on the poignant life stories of the geeks, many of whom were simply striving to make a living under challenging circumstances.
This book will likely attract readers interested in unique historical narratives, particularly those pertaining to entertainment and societal changes. Readers intrigued by historical narratives and unique entertainment forms will find this book enriching. However, it's worth noting that its vivid portrayals of past practices are best appreciated by those with an interest in the more graphic aspects of history. Wakefield's work serves as a reminder of the evolving nature of entertainment and the human inclination towards the unconventional while also acknowledging the darker aspects of these historical practices.
Nathan Wakefield's The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek is a meticulously researched and engagingly written work, offering a unique window into a lesser-known chapter of entertainment history. It skillfully balances historical detail with human stories, making it a compelling read for those fascinated by the evolution of performance art and societal change.
June 1, 2023
This was a very interesting read on the people who maker up there circus.
I was very impressed with how in depth the author went and the research that went into making this book so insightful.
It was heartbreaking to read about how the "freaks" were treated and some basically forces to live their lives.
This is a must read for anyone interested in reading about the history of performance in the circus.
I was very impressed with how in depth the author went and the research that went into making this book so insightful.
It was heartbreaking to read about how the "freaks" were treated and some basically forces to live their lives.
This is a must read for anyone interested in reading about the history of performance in the circus.
March 8, 2024
This took my interest purely as it’s not a common subject to read. A wonderful in-depth research over the decades of the geek or sideshow many spent those hard earned pennies on to entertain themselves. Researched in depth the many persons behind them and also the demise of what is not just acrobatic circus acts. Step back into the past to see what really was behind the scenes.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 2, 2023
An enthralling journey into the forgotten realms of carnival history. With meticulous research and an unflinching dedication to detail, the author unveils the captivating stories of the sideshow geek and its adjacent genres of live entertainment. This book provides a comprehensive and unbiased account, separating fact from fiction with ease.
June 3, 2023
Prepare to be transported into a world like no other in The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek. This book is not merely a historical account; it is a captivating journey that will mesmerize you from the very first page. With its well-researched narrative and vivid storytelling, it resurrects the forgotten world of sideshow entertainment, revealing the secrets and controversies that surround it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews