The Most Wonderful Wonder: True and Tragic Tales From the Back Roads of American History

by Holly Samson Hall

Buy a ticket and take a dark joyride through American history. See bizarre spectacles of calamity and disaster. Behold true stories of lives cut short by grisly murders, dreadful diseases, and devastating storms. Witness babies saved by extraordinary means, and children lost through heartbreaking tragedy. From folk magic to quack medicine, human oddities to ill-fated outlaws, you’ll marvel at these frightful, forgotten pieces of our past.

Read true and tragic tales of sideshow mummies and shoes made from human skin. Learn the real-life origins of enduring murder ballads. Here you’ll find stories of extraordinary animals, the Ozark witch who could see the future, human wolves on the Oklahoma prairie, a man buried alive 50 feet below ground, medicine show miracles, and deadly baby bottles.

The Most Wonderful Wonder offers readers a heady mix of morbid curiosities, macabre fascinations, and Gothic Americana extracted from the murky waters of time. If you enjoy horrific history and sad endings, then you’ll love this collection of twenty-four weird and wonderful tales.

ebook

Published November 4, 2021

Reviews

[Corey Constable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Samson Hall’s passion for the obscure and her commitment to research bring new life to names lost to history in The Most Wonderful Wonder. With empathy and a mindset grounded in understanding each individual’s history, she has woven together a work of nonfiction that chronicles a series of stories too good to be true.
Throughout the book, her dedication to research is more than evident, with anecdotes and details providing significance to her subjects in a way only a true historian would take note. All of these little details, things most people would brush off, add to the experience of connecting to the individual, even in just a few short pages.
With tales of train robbers, macabre circus sideshows, cave exploration, Victorian child rearing, and more, this book offers something for every type of curious mind.
Holly has taken tomes from their shelves, blown off the dust, and let the names on their pages see the light of day once again. I am so very glad to now know those names.

[Kelly Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Most Wonderful Wonder is an absolutely fascinating read! So many of the stories had me saying "No way!" out loud to myself. Holly Samson Hall leads readers from one story to the next in a way that shows how she too is fascinated by the events that she shares. This book definitely proves the old saying that “truth is stranger than fiction.” I read the entire book in a single day because the stories drew me in so much. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of lesser known historical happenings, especially of the darker variety. I can’t wait to see what her next book is! The collection of stories that she shared here make me excited to see what others she has in store.

[Joel Mosman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Hall is nothing short of a MASTER of the Americana Gothic genre. This book is non-fiction but will rouse the enjoyment of fiction lovers as well. It's crazy that these stories are true. In addition to being a great writer it's obvious she did a great deal of research as well. These are fascinating true tales that most people have never heard before. I highly recommend to all history, Americana, and fiction lovers alike.

[Kailyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hall has a gift for portraying detailed scenes, harrowing experiences, and human character into just a few words. Each short story leaves you feeling that perfect combination of 1) satisfied relief that you now know the ending, 2) a wistfulness for more, and 3) a nostalgia for places you’ve never been that you get with entire novels. One of those books you can’t put down!

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Oklahoma author loves storytelling and history. She has combined both in a book of short stories full of Americana. The stories are true and tragic and told as a group in three sections: Human Marvels, Evil Deeds and Tragic Ends. Many of the selections have Oklahoma connections. Nice little book that details some of the legends you've heard over the years.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read of lost Americana stories