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Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison
In 1903 at the soon-to-open Luna Park on Coney Island, an elephant named Topsy was electrocuted, likely with advice from Thomas Edison, whose film crew recorded the horrible event. Over the past century, this bizarre, ghoulish execution has reverberated through popular culture with the ring of an urban legend. But it really happened, and today, Edison’s footage can be found on YouTube, where it has been viewed nearly two million times.
Many historical forces conspired to bring Topsy, Edison, and those 6,600 volts of alternating current together at Coney Island that day. Journalist Michael Daly’s Topsy is a fascinating popular history that traces them, from the rise of the circus in America and the lives of circus elephants, through Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the war of the currents, to the birth of Coney Island.
Many historical forces conspired to bring Topsy, Edison, and those 6,600 volts of alternating current together at Coney Island that day. Journalist Michael Daly’s Topsy is a fascinating popular history that traces them, from the rise of the circus in America and the lives of circus elephants, through Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the war of the currents, to the birth of Coney Island.
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First published July 2, 2013
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August 29, 2013
Here's a review I wrote for the paper, hoping to get other people to read it. But it's so sad, I'm not sure it worked.
A grainy YouTube video shows men leading a circus elephant onto the electrodes and backing away. Within seconds, smoke rises from the animal’s feet. It wobbles, then pitches forward, dead. After seeing Thomas Edison’s 1903 film “Electrocuting an Elephant,” author Michael Daly had to know more.
The result is “Topsy” (Atlantic Monthly Press, 369 pages, $27), a sad and fascinating story of a circus elephant at the turn of the last century, when America was flexing the new power of electricity.
Daly’s richly researched account unfolds as kind of a three-ring circus. In the center is Topsy, an Asian elephant that joined the circus in the late 1800s, when elephants were beloved by audiences but brutalized by their handlers. Coached by one of the few humane trainers of the time, she learns to perform the dances and pachyderm pyramids that draw crowds in towns like Duluth. Later she will sport a crooked tail, thanks to a beating by her owner.
Performing at her side are the cutthroat operators of American circuses, among them P.T. Barnum himself. These hucksters presented the original Siamese twins, Zip the Pinhead and a real “white” elephant, but still dreamed up outlandish hoaxes. “Real merit does not always succeed as well as humbug,” opined Barnum, who would fittingly get to read his own premature obituary thanks to a sly publicist.
On the other side is Thomas Edison, the famed father of electricity, involved in a cutthroat competition of his own against Westinghouse’s alternating current. His ego wouldn’t let him see what the public wanted, and that blindness set him up for disgrace and bitter disappointment.
These three forces collide in the early 1900s in a way that seems unreal to 21st-century eyes. Electrocution has just been deemed a “humane” alternative to hanging for death-row inmates. Edison himself advises the executioners on the most effective way to do it. Somehow, experimenters get the idea to use the technique on large animals.
Topsy’s timing could not have been worse.
Labeled “troublesome” for killing one of her tormentors, Topsy’s fate is assured. The public debate concerns not whether she should be executed, but how. Poison? Hanging? Electrocution? All of the above?
With Edison’s film crew on hand and a saloon keeper selling rooftop seats to spectators, à la Wrigley Field, Topsy meets her maker at the Coney Island “amusement” park.
While the tragic conclusion is known from the outset, the journey in “Topsy” offers continuous surprise. Along the way the reader has a chance to contemplate the contrasts between man and beast.
A grainy YouTube video shows men leading a circus elephant onto the electrodes and backing away. Within seconds, smoke rises from the animal’s feet. It wobbles, then pitches forward, dead. After seeing Thomas Edison’s 1903 film “Electrocuting an Elephant,” author Michael Daly had to know more.
The result is “Topsy” (Atlantic Monthly Press, 369 pages, $27), a sad and fascinating story of a circus elephant at the turn of the last century, when America was flexing the new power of electricity.
Daly’s richly researched account unfolds as kind of a three-ring circus. In the center is Topsy, an Asian elephant that joined the circus in the late 1800s, when elephants were beloved by audiences but brutalized by their handlers. Coached by one of the few humane trainers of the time, she learns to perform the dances and pachyderm pyramids that draw crowds in towns like Duluth. Later she will sport a crooked tail, thanks to a beating by her owner.
Performing at her side are the cutthroat operators of American circuses, among them P.T. Barnum himself. These hucksters presented the original Siamese twins, Zip the Pinhead and a real “white” elephant, but still dreamed up outlandish hoaxes. “Real merit does not always succeed as well as humbug,” opined Barnum, who would fittingly get to read his own premature obituary thanks to a sly publicist.
On the other side is Thomas Edison, the famed father of electricity, involved in a cutthroat competition of his own against Westinghouse’s alternating current. His ego wouldn’t let him see what the public wanted, and that blindness set him up for disgrace and bitter disappointment.
These three forces collide in the early 1900s in a way that seems unreal to 21st-century eyes. Electrocution has just been deemed a “humane” alternative to hanging for death-row inmates. Edison himself advises the executioners on the most effective way to do it. Somehow, experimenters get the idea to use the technique on large animals.
Topsy’s timing could not have been worse.
Labeled “troublesome” for killing one of her tormentors, Topsy’s fate is assured. The public debate concerns not whether she should be executed, but how. Poison? Hanging? Electrocution? All of the above?
With Edison’s film crew on hand and a saloon keeper selling rooftop seats to spectators, à la Wrigley Field, Topsy meets her maker at the Coney Island “amusement” park.
While the tragic conclusion is known from the outset, the journey in “Topsy” offers continuous surprise. Along the way the reader has a chance to contemplate the contrasts between man and beast.
September 8, 2013
This is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Michael Daly ties together a complex set of facts into an engaging history of an event that, in retrospect, is both bizarre and cruel - the electrocution of a circus elephant as entertainment. This story includes but is not limited to: Barnum, Bailey, Edison, Westinghouse, Coney Island, Tesla, The Guilded Age, the ASPCA, The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (The White City), Chicago, the invention of the electric chair, Niagara Falls, drunken elephants, Luna Park, train crashes, moving pictures, Madison Square Garden, J.P. Morgan, the King of Siam, Presidents McKinley, Lincoln and others, Geronimo, Donald Trump's dad, the Civil War, the original Siamese Twins, Mathew Brady - and of course, Topsy.
Topsy was a baby elephant who was stolen from her mother shortly after birth somewhere in an Asian forest in 1875. She was smuggled into America, where she traveled "tens of thousands of miles in perpetual servitude, endured innumerable beatings, and survived more than a dozen train wrecks" and yet remained a benevloent and kind animal. At the end of her short life, she was triple killed - poisoning, electrocution and hanging. She died without making a sound.
This book is the extraordinary tale of Topsy.
Topsy was a baby elephant who was stolen from her mother shortly after birth somewhere in an Asian forest in 1875. She was smuggled into America, where she traveled "tens of thousands of miles in perpetual servitude, endured innumerable beatings, and survived more than a dozen train wrecks" and yet remained a benevloent and kind animal. At the end of her short life, she was triple killed - poisoning, electrocution and hanging. She died without making a sound.
This book is the extraordinary tale of Topsy.
January 9, 2015
I was very surprised by this book, by the parts I ended up liking a lot, and the parts I didn't like. I enjoyed learning more than I had ever known about elephants. (Despite having traveled extensively in India, I knew very little about the habits of elephants.) I liked reading about the slow evolution of circus entertainment in America. I did not like the other historical references, (I felt they bogged the rest of the story down) and I did not like hearing about Edison, Westinghouse, Tesla, etc. (I felt their stories weren't very well presented.) Also, for a story that proclaimed to be about the electrocution of Topsy the elephant there was very little about it at all, except at the very, very end of the book. Still I learned so much more along the way that I would recommend this book anyway.
October 26, 2021
Two stories that converge--circus elephants and the electrification of America. This convergence occurs with the electrocution of Topsy, an Asian elephant. This was done to demonstrate the power of electricity and, also, it was filmed....
March 23, 2014
Humans are monsters. I think this could have been said in a briefer fashion than it was in this book. It started to really ramble toward the end. Although the Afterword was a good read.
January 1, 2018
I first read Topsy by Michael Daly when it was published in 2013 but failed to write a review for reasons I now don’t recall. A second reading just completed gives me the opportunity to now do so. The reason for the rereading is because Topsy’s tragic life fascinates me.
Of course, there are many—far too many—horrifying stories of individual animals whose lives we have devalued and then deprived violently from them. But I know I’m not alone in that for often inexplicable reasons one animal stands out unasked as a totem for all the other lives we miserably waste. Topsy is mine. I’m committed to making sure she’s not forgotten by speaking out about her. I have a chapter about Topsy coming in an academic anthology on animal biographies to be published later this year. I’m working on a book about her life and death. It’s proving to be a challenge to write but one that’s inspiring me to persevere. I cannot let her life be forgotten.
More is known about how she died than how she lived. She was captured in the Indian subcontinent in about 1875 and ended up in the US via Germany to perform silly tricks in circuses. But like many like her, she was still a wild animal who defended herself when she was provoked by stupid, cruel people. She attacked them and even killed some. For this she became an elephant “gone bad” or a “rogue” elephant, as kind circus folk would say.
The price she paid was her life. In the 1800s and 1900s circus people regularly killed elephants who they believed they could no longer control. Of course, they were naive in believing they had any control over them at any time. But there comes a time when elephants like Topsy are found guilty of being a “man killer” and it was their turn to be killed.
But how to kill an elephant? Behind the glamour of the big top, circus people were principally interested in money. They feared “man killing” elephants would scare punters away. So they killed them. Topsy was poisoned, electrocuted and hung. Her murder was filmed and the subsequent film, “Electrocuting an Elephant,” is considered to be a key moment in the history of film making. It’s available to watch on YouTube.
Michael Daly’s book is an invaluable account of Topsy’s life. He draws from key contemporary sources to fill out her story and situate her life and death into a larger context of America’s history. It’s a must-read for those who care for elephants and want to understand a key moment in the history of human-animal relations. I have a few quibbles with the book, including the lack of references, but this should not deter anyone from reading it. As I continue to write my own account of Topsy, Daly’s book will be an invaluable resource.
Of course, there are many—far too many—horrifying stories of individual animals whose lives we have devalued and then deprived violently from them. But I know I’m not alone in that for often inexplicable reasons one animal stands out unasked as a totem for all the other lives we miserably waste. Topsy is mine. I’m committed to making sure she’s not forgotten by speaking out about her. I have a chapter about Topsy coming in an academic anthology on animal biographies to be published later this year. I’m working on a book about her life and death. It’s proving to be a challenge to write but one that’s inspiring me to persevere. I cannot let her life be forgotten.
More is known about how she died than how she lived. She was captured in the Indian subcontinent in about 1875 and ended up in the US via Germany to perform silly tricks in circuses. But like many like her, she was still a wild animal who defended herself when she was provoked by stupid, cruel people. She attacked them and even killed some. For this she became an elephant “gone bad” or a “rogue” elephant, as kind circus folk would say.
The price she paid was her life. In the 1800s and 1900s circus people regularly killed elephants who they believed they could no longer control. Of course, they were naive in believing they had any control over them at any time. But there comes a time when elephants like Topsy are found guilty of being a “man killer” and it was their turn to be killed.
But how to kill an elephant? Behind the glamour of the big top, circus people were principally interested in money. They feared “man killing” elephants would scare punters away. So they killed them. Topsy was poisoned, electrocuted and hung. Her murder was filmed and the subsequent film, “Electrocuting an Elephant,” is considered to be a key moment in the history of film making. It’s available to watch on YouTube.
Michael Daly’s book is an invaluable account of Topsy’s life. He draws from key contemporary sources to fill out her story and situate her life and death into a larger context of America’s history. It’s a must-read for those who care for elephants and want to understand a key moment in the history of human-animal relations. I have a few quibbles with the book, including the lack of references, but this should not deter anyone from reading it. As I continue to write my own account of Topsy, Daly’s book will be an invaluable resource.
June 20, 2025
This is definitely the kind of crazy pop cultural history I like to read (especially about Gilded Age con men and flim flam artists). However, the story is told in an -- at times -- overly melodromatic way. The author constantly notes how decisions made by men like Barnum, Tesla, Westinghouse and Edison were just another link in the chain that sealed the fate of Topsy the Elephant who was sentenced to death in the "Electric Chair" at Coney Island circa 1904.
The book describes how Topsy was captured and brought to the United States. In the process of narrating how she ended up at Coney Island, the book covers a lot of very divergent topics such as: the history of circuses, the King of Siam, Coney Island, electricity, the invention of the electric chair, the ASPCA, the Columbian and Pan American Expositions (where President McKinley was assasinated) and elephant behavior in general (to name a few).
It was pretty obvious from reading this, that the Emerald City in Oz was based on the 1893 World's Fair and the Wizard was based on Thomas Edison (except the great man does not really come off well in this book). If you like this sort of thing, I recommend it. If you "weep in butchershops," perhaps not.
The book describes how Topsy was captured and brought to the United States. In the process of narrating how she ended up at Coney Island, the book covers a lot of very divergent topics such as: the history of circuses, the King of Siam, Coney Island, electricity, the invention of the electric chair, the ASPCA, the Columbian and Pan American Expositions (where President McKinley was assasinated) and elephant behavior in general (to name a few).
It was pretty obvious from reading this, that the Emerald City in Oz was based on the 1893 World's Fair and the Wizard was based on Thomas Edison (except the great man does not really come off well in this book). If you like this sort of thing, I recommend it. If you "weep in butchershops," perhaps not.
March 24, 2014
I think this book should have had a different title. It wasn't until the end that Topsy was part of the story. The book is really about the history of elephants in the U.S. and electricity. It was many stories coming together that resulted in Topsy's sad ending.
The book seemed to go off on tangents and made me tune out as I was listening, I'm sure it all tied together in the end. Maybe it would have made more sense reading it. I kept getting distracted by wondering how the animals are being treated today. That's the reason why I only gave it 3 stars.
This book has made me rethink circuses and the cruelty that still goes on. It's incredibly sad and I don't think I'll ever go to another one.
The book seemed to go off on tangents and made me tune out as I was listening, I'm sure it all tied together in the end. Maybe it would have made more sense reading it. I kept getting distracted by wondering how the animals are being treated today. That's the reason why I only gave it 3 stars.
This book has made me rethink circuses and the cruelty that still goes on. It's incredibly sad and I don't think I'll ever go to another one.
August 3, 2013
"They'll say, 'Aww Topsy' at my autopsy."
February 15, 2014
The story is fascinating. I was very disturbed by it.
April 14, 2018
There's some interesting info in here, but it also felt like the book was mostly not about Topsy at all. It's just as much a general history of elephants in America, with a bit about the War of the Currents. And Daly just doesn't make any kind of case that Edison had anything to do with poor Topsy's death, just asserts that he did despite admitting he has no evidence to that fact. That said, the history of elephant training in America is horribly fascinating, though sometimes tough to stomach.
August 28, 2015
This book could be a five, but for a little more graphic imagery surrounding the punishment of animals than I prefer to read (note: I prefer to not read about it at all).
There is a surprisingly long history of elephants in the United States, given how short of a time they've been here.
The circus comes from some interesting origins of traveling entertainment going back almost to the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Edison had a lot of things going on, but one of them was a battle over electricity with Westinghouse (and Tesla, for whom you can be sure I actually clapped when his name appeared).
Who would have thought the three topics would intersect quite so thoroughly? I'm glad I picked up this book, as recommended in Parade Magazine a while back, because, like Henrietta Lacks, it showed me that nonfiction ("nonfiction") could be fun. Daly isn't a top tier writer; you can sort of tell he wrote the book in chunks, like a high school term paper, because he re-introduces characters quite frequently. However, I found that useful, as a lot of names were thrown around, and I'll give him a pass. All in all, worth the read if you can handle the cruelty to elephants.
There is a surprisingly long history of elephants in the United States, given how short of a time they've been here.
The circus comes from some interesting origins of traveling entertainment going back almost to the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Edison had a lot of things going on, but one of them was a battle over electricity with Westinghouse (and Tesla, for whom you can be sure I actually clapped when his name appeared).
Who would have thought the three topics would intersect quite so thoroughly? I'm glad I picked up this book, as recommended in Parade Magazine a while back, because, like Henrietta Lacks, it showed me that nonfiction ("nonfiction") could be fun. Daly isn't a top tier writer; you can sort of tell he wrote the book in chunks, like a high school term paper, because he re-introduces characters quite frequently. However, I found that useful, as a lot of names were thrown around, and I'll give him a pass. All in all, worth the read if you can handle the cruelty to elephants.
July 27, 2013
An engrossing book that brings vividly to life a fascinating era of American history, science, and entertainment populated with absorbing portraits of intriguing figures like Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and P.T. Barnum, and how their lives intersected. The book is also revealing of typical attitudes toward animal welfare, particularly the treatment of them in circuses and "scientific" experiments at the time. Those revelations caused a great deal of cringing and gasps of disgust on my part. Not for the faint-hearted.
August 11, 2014
The book is alright - not as much about Topsy as the history of elephants in circuses (and even then not so much about Barnum) and the "electricity wars." I listened on audiobook, and the reader has a distracting accent. It isn't that his accent is unintelligible, but he adds "r"s to the ends of many words (area-r, for example). I had to Google the scenarios mentioned in some instances to understand the names he was saying.
July 27, 2016
Full of interesting social history of the the pre civil war life. Chicanery and swindleing. Horrilble treatment of the elepants.
May 5, 2018
I couldn't finish this because of the cruelty to the elephants. Disgusting and a good reason that elephants have at long last been removed from circuses.
February 22, 2023
I checked this book out from the local library.
I first came across the story of Topsy the elephant and her unlikely demise a couple of years ago while visiting an exhibit about Coney Island at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Surely this couldn't have actually happened. An elephant killed by electrocution? And the execution involved Thomas Edison? And it was done at Coney Island, in front of an eager crowd? This disturbing and informative book tells the entire wretched tale, including the complete backstory, beginning with the earliest arrival of an elephant on American shores in 1796, through the development of travelling circuses in the 19th century with elephants as the star attraction. In parallel, the book covers the early development of electrical lighting and power grids and the fierce competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse representing direct current (Edison) and alternating current (Westinghouse). As Westinghouse's AC system gained popularity, Edison supported research into the use of AC for executing criminals, in the hopes that this would convince the public of the "dangers" of AC electricity. In the burgeoning circus world, the elephants were trained and controlled almost exclusively through the cruelty and abuse of their "trainers", and it is no wonder that some of these mistreated creatures attacked and injured or killed their tormenters. I was surprised to learn that by the late 19th century, it was commonplace for circuses to "execute" elephants they could no longer control, often in front of a paying crowd, by means that included poisoning and strangulation. Which leads us to Coney Island in 1903, where the "troublesome" ex-circus elephant Topsy was killed using 6600 volts of electricity supplied by the Edison electric company, with the sorry event recorded by an Edison film crew. Only in America, folks. Four out of five stars.
I first came across the story of Topsy the elephant and her unlikely demise a couple of years ago while visiting an exhibit about Coney Island at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Surely this couldn't have actually happened. An elephant killed by electrocution? And the execution involved Thomas Edison? And it was done at Coney Island, in front of an eager crowd? This disturbing and informative book tells the entire wretched tale, including the complete backstory, beginning with the earliest arrival of an elephant on American shores in 1796, through the development of travelling circuses in the 19th century with elephants as the star attraction. In parallel, the book covers the early development of electrical lighting and power grids and the fierce competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse representing direct current (Edison) and alternating current (Westinghouse). As Westinghouse's AC system gained popularity, Edison supported research into the use of AC for executing criminals, in the hopes that this would convince the public of the "dangers" of AC electricity. In the burgeoning circus world, the elephants were trained and controlled almost exclusively through the cruelty and abuse of their "trainers", and it is no wonder that some of these mistreated creatures attacked and injured or killed their tormenters. I was surprised to learn that by the late 19th century, it was commonplace for circuses to "execute" elephants they could no longer control, often in front of a paying crowd, by means that included poisoning and strangulation. Which leads us to Coney Island in 1903, where the "troublesome" ex-circus elephant Topsy was killed using 6600 volts of electricity supplied by the Edison electric company, with the sorry event recorded by an Edison film crew. Only in America, folks. Four out of five stars.
June 8, 2018
It is probably the most viewed silent film ever.
The grainy, grim spectacle of Topsy the elephant being electrocuted has been seen more than a million times on a couple of YouTube channels. This is what it looks like: https://youtu.be/NoKi4coyFw0
While Thomas Edison if often blamed for the grisly spectacle from 1903 (most recently in an episode of Bob's Burgers, one of the weirdest plot points in the history of TV), Edison was nowhere near the execution. His company filmed the death, but did not kill Topsy.
Edison is just one larger than life character in Topsy, which deals only briefly with the actual execution of the animal. Michael Daly offers an often heads haking look at a unique time in American history, when giant circuses battled for supremacy, often importing unfortunate elephants like Topsy for the amusement of the masses. The title is a bit of 'humbug' as they said in the day; Barnum and Edison really had nothing to do with each other. A better title would have been Circus Wars, because the battle between P.T. Barnum and rival circus owner Adam Forepaugh really takes up the bulk of the book. But whatever the title, students of late 19th and early 20th century Americana will find much to chew on here.
The grainy, grim spectacle of Topsy the elephant being electrocuted has been seen more than a million times on a couple of YouTube channels. This is what it looks like: https://youtu.be/NoKi4coyFw0
While Thomas Edison if often blamed for the grisly spectacle from 1903 (most recently in an episode of Bob's Burgers, one of the weirdest plot points in the history of TV), Edison was nowhere near the execution. His company filmed the death, but did not kill Topsy.
Edison is just one larger than life character in Topsy, which deals only briefly with the actual execution of the animal. Michael Daly offers an often heads haking look at a unique time in American history, when giant circuses battled for supremacy, often importing unfortunate elephants like Topsy for the amusement of the masses. The title is a bit of 'humbug' as they said in the day; Barnum and Edison really had nothing to do with each other. A better title would have been Circus Wars, because the battle between P.T. Barnum and rival circus owner Adam Forepaugh really takes up the bulk of the book. But whatever the title, students of late 19th and early 20th century Americana will find much to chew on here.
December 23, 2017
As someone interested in anthrozoology (the relationship of humans with non-human animals), morality, and history, a book following the story of early treatment of elephants in the US was powerfully touching.
I actually came upon this book searching the library for a book on P. T. Barnum in preparation for going to see the upcoming movie release of The Greatest Showman; the book did not disappoint. Though it did not go into too much depth of Barnum's personal life it did an excellent job of depicting the era and attitude.
As a book taking place in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras, it also included the early histories of foundations that were new at the time, but that we now take for granted: the A.S.P.C.A., positive reinforcement training vs breaking/punishment, and our all too human love of spectacle. It even touched on ethnic and women's rights.
Ultimately, though, it was about elephants and our complex relationship with a creature that is so like us both in life and death.
I actually came upon this book searching the library for a book on P. T. Barnum in preparation for going to see the upcoming movie release of The Greatest Showman; the book did not disappoint. Though it did not go into too much depth of Barnum's personal life it did an excellent job of depicting the era and attitude.
As a book taking place in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras, it also included the early histories of foundations that were new at the time, but that we now take for granted: the A.S.P.C.A., positive reinforcement training vs breaking/punishment, and our all too human love of spectacle. It even touched on ethnic and women's rights.
Ultimately, though, it was about elephants and our complex relationship with a creature that is so like us both in life and death.
March 11, 2019
Topsy was an elephant captured in Africa as a baby and brought to America to entertain cheering circus crowds. A lot of people have heard of Topsy, though maybe don't know her name. She is probably best known for her sad and untimely death by execution on Coney Island by Thomas Edison. She was put to death at about the age of 28 for being mean, though there is little to no evidence of this. This book is her story, and the story of other elephants who came to America before her, and after.
I'm not going to lie, this is a sad story and it's fairly full of animal abuse (mostly elephants, but occasionally other animals). The author weaves together her story with that of Thomas Edison and the great circus leaders in America at the time, PT Barnum, Bailey, and Adam Forepaugh. There is some occasional alcohol use and some adult language. Topsy didn't have to die the way she did, but her story remains alive with the gentle giant all these years later.
I'm not going to lie, this is a sad story and it's fairly full of animal abuse (mostly elephants, but occasionally other animals). The author weaves together her story with that of Thomas Edison and the great circus leaders in America at the time, PT Barnum, Bailey, and Adam Forepaugh. There is some occasional alcohol use and some adult language. Topsy didn't have to die the way she did, but her story remains alive with the gentle giant all these years later.
July 8, 2019
This was a very well written (and fascinating) glimpse into 19th Century circus history, the War of Currents, and the history of animal abuse in America. Like many of the other reviews have pointed out, this book focuses very little on the elephant for which it takes its title. Topsy is used as more of the vehicle or narrative framework deployed in order to connect two tether two very different histories into one all-encompassing glimpse into the past.
In that vein, this book totally works! We are able to connect innovation and the corporate war of technological advancement for the Barnumesque "humbug" it sometimes was.
I should note that this book is often sad and disgusting. The writer spares no details when it comes to how animals were treated. Particularly when it comes to the War of Currents, the abuse described can be nauseating.
In that vein, this book totally works! We are able to connect innovation and the corporate war of technological advancement for the Barnumesque "humbug" it sometimes was.
I should note that this book is often sad and disgusting. The writer spares no details when it comes to how animals were treated. Particularly when it comes to the War of Currents, the abuse described can be nauseating.
November 22, 2021
I knew from the start of this book that Topsy was going to die. What I didn't know was how she got from the jungle as a 6 month old elephant baby to her death by electrocution. It's a story worth reading (even though the end is sad).
After reading this book, my question is, why haven't we as humans changed the way we treat animals (and children)? We still allow them to be abused, abandoned, and even used for experimentation. I can't understand this mentality at all. It's a very sad commentary on the human race that we continue to treat children and animals as if they are a disposable commodity.
No, this book has nothing to do with child abuse of any form - however, if we can't learn to treat children as valuable how will we ever learn to treat animals as valuable?
After reading this book, my question is, why haven't we as humans changed the way we treat animals (and children)? We still allow them to be abused, abandoned, and even used for experimentation. I can't understand this mentality at all. It's a very sad commentary on the human race that we continue to treat children and animals as if they are a disposable commodity.
No, this book has nothing to do with child abuse of any form - however, if we can't learn to treat children as valuable how will we ever learn to treat animals as valuable?
July 25, 2024
I love elephants and I love circuses so you’d think this book would be a no brainer for me, but despite being well-researched, it was just so terribly boring. Pure determination is the only reason I finished. Half of the chapters just make absolutely no sense. I really did not expect to get a history of the invention of electricity and its subsequent drama. I’d read most of the information about P.T. Barnum in other books. This was just… so long, so boring, and so overly-detailed and tangential. Very very little content actually about the elephant named Topsy. Lots of information on various cruelties enacted on many other elephants to pad the pages.
April 21, 2020
The first elephant was imported into the US in 1796. The circus bought Americans face-to-face with wild animals and they loved it! The animals did not fare as well. Most trainers were inexperienced and cruel. The rivalry between PT Barnum and Adam Forpaugh, for the best circus on earth, led to the War of the Elephants. When the trainers found their elephants acting "ugly" and needed a way to euthanize them, they turned to Thomas Edison's new invention, the electric chair. I sure learned a lot about the circus, and don't intend to ever go to another one.
July 30, 2020
I decided to read this book because I think my son's family my be related to Barnum so I wanted to check his history. This was the worst book to read. I was not a fan of the circus before I read this book but now I am so much more not down for the circus! The book was written really well and does give an incredible history the circus and Edison. This also does a very realistic job telling the detailed history of the unbearable abuse the elephants went thru. There were a few recollections that I just could not get thru, I had to take a break and come back to the book.
May 25, 2018
Lots of very interesting information that was presented in a very disjointed way. Not much story telling or even a direct line from point A to point B. The title is extremely misleading: there's very little story, 90% of the book is about elephants other then Topsy, and there's little to no connection between P.T. Barnum, Topsy or Thomas Edison. This would've been better as three separate books. Disappointing read about some fascinating topics. I'm vacillating between giving this 1 or 2 stars.
October 9, 2018
This book is not so much about Topsy or her story, but about the somewhat parallel rise and fall of the circus and of direct current electricity, and how these timelines eventually came together in sad applications of electricity for handling so-called "ugly elephants." Both trajectories (circuses and circus elephants, and the development of electrical power) are interesting in and of themselves, so the mashup provides much food for thought.
March 20, 2018
I really wanted to Electric Love this book, but despite its fascinating subject matter, the writing is a little taxing. Does it follow a chronology or thematic approach that makes sense as a reader? No. But does it avoid falling victim to emotion too often? Also no. I feel like every time I got invested in a topic, the book changed course.
August 20, 2018
Well-written and interesting, but includes graphic descriptions of animal cruelty and experimentation. The violence is disturbing but not gratuitous. Much more than just the story of Topsy, the author makes an omnibus tour of the history of elephants in America, the circus in America, PT Barnum, Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla -- all fascinating.
January 22, 2018
I found it difficult to read some of the details on the mistreatment and abuse of the elephants and experiments on the dogs. Very disturbing. Made me mad, upset and sick.
Elephants are amazing animals and this book proves how much they feel and show emotion.
Elephants are amazing animals and this book proves how much they feel and show emotion.
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