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Worlds Afire
In his first full-length poetic work, celebrated poetry anthologist Paul B. Janeczko creates a stirring fictional account of the 1944 Hartford circus fire.
One summer afternoon in 1944, hundreds of circus lovers crowded under the big top in Hartford, Connecticut, breathlessly waiting for the show to begin. Minutes later, the event took a horrifying turn when a fire broke out and spread rapidly through the tent, claiming the lives of 167 souls and injuring some 500 more. Sixty years later, Paul B. Janeczko recalls that tragic event by bringing to life some unforgettable voices — from circus performers to seasoned fans, from firefighters and nurses to the little girl known as Little Miss 1565, a child whose body was never claimed. This spare, startling book uses the lyrical power of language to render historical tragedy with a human face, leaving an emotional impact young readers will not soon forget.
One summer afternoon in 1944, hundreds of circus lovers crowded under the big top in Hartford, Connecticut, breathlessly waiting for the show to begin. Minutes later, the event took a horrifying turn when a fire broke out and spread rapidly through the tent, claiming the lives of 167 souls and injuring some 500 more. Sixty years later, Paul B. Janeczko recalls that tragic event by bringing to life some unforgettable voices — from circus performers to seasoned fans, from firefighters and nurses to the little girl known as Little Miss 1565, a child whose body was never claimed. This spare, startling book uses the lyrical power of language to render historical tragedy with a human face, leaving an emotional impact young readers will not soon forget.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published February 2, 2004
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About the author
Paul B. Janeczko
62 books48 followersPaul B. Janeczko is a poet and teacher and has edited more than twenty award-winning poetry anthologies for young people, including STONE BENCH IN AN EMPTY PARK, LOOKING FOR YOUR NAME, SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN, and A POKE IN THE I, which was an American Library Association Notable Book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
May 24, 2017
I loved how the story was told through a series of short, first-person narrative style poems. In July, 1944, Ringling Brothers circus set up in Hartford Connecticut. Many of the men in town were still fighting the war, leaving women and children to find diversion where they could back home. The circus of course was trying to protect its profits, so the tent flaps forming the side walls were securely tied down to prevent children from sneaking in. At the time, it was a common practice to waterproof circus tents with layers upon layers of paraffin wax mixed with gasoline. Once the fire began, it grew quickly. It only lasted a few minutes, no more than 10 at the most, but it managed to take 167 souls and injure 500 more from the fire and ensuing panic. Reading the poetry, its short lines that lend gravity with their careful word choice, brevity, and the amount of open space on the page, all make this a haunting little read. It was beautiful. It was tragic. It was heartrending.
But of course I have to end with a horrible, crass joke: Did you hear about the circus fire? It was in tents.
But of course I have to end with a horrible, crass joke: Did you hear about the circus fire? It was in tents.
July 19, 2016
Name: Jessica McClelland
APA citation: Janeczko, P(2004). Worlds afire. Candlewick: NY.
Genre: Poetry
Award (if applicable):
Format: Book
Selection process: This book is favored in Booklist. Rochman, Hazel. 2004. Worlds Afire. Booklist 100, no. 9/10: 857.
Review: Worlds Afire does its best to tell the true tale of the 1944 Connecticut circus fire that claimed many lives in a poetic and tragically beautiful way. The book is divided into three parts, the excitement before, the terror of the fire and then the bloody aftermath. The tension builds quickly and the pace of the fire seems to happen quickly, just as it did in real life. Readers are taken along for a horrific ride with no thrills, yet an abundance of captivating allusions. Many voices lend their accounts in curt free verse, from children, circus staff, workers at the hospital and even the presumed arsonist. Although Janeczko's characters are different in their positions, some of their voices seem to resemble each others, yet this novel has a place with other historical poetry novels such as Out of the Dust by Hesse.
Recommended.
APA citation: Janeczko, P(2004). Worlds afire. Candlewick: NY.
Genre: Poetry
Award (if applicable):
Format: Book
Selection process: This book is favored in Booklist. Rochman, Hazel. 2004. Worlds Afire. Booklist 100, no. 9/10: 857.
Review: Worlds Afire does its best to tell the true tale of the 1944 Connecticut circus fire that claimed many lives in a poetic and tragically beautiful way. The book is divided into three parts, the excitement before, the terror of the fire and then the bloody aftermath. The tension builds quickly and the pace of the fire seems to happen quickly, just as it did in real life. Readers are taken along for a horrific ride with no thrills, yet an abundance of captivating allusions. Many voices lend their accounts in curt free verse, from children, circus staff, workers at the hospital and even the presumed arsonist. Although Janeczko's characters are different in their positions, some of their voices seem to resemble each others, yet this novel has a place with other historical poetry novels such as Out of the Dust by Hesse.
Recommended.
September 4, 2023
This collection of free-style poems ignited my curiosity about this tragic and heartbreaking accident. I especially enjoyed the different perspectives that show what this event might have been like for various victims.
December 9, 2010
Genre/Category: Poetry
This is a hauntingly, disturbingly, beautiful book! Wow, I can't believe this really happened; it made me turn to my computer and do research, and I would hope that it would do the same for a young adult so they could get a glimpse of history. It is a novel of poems about a circus fire that killed and injured hundreds of people. The author got first hand accounts of the experience from different points of view and tells the story with strong words that are gruesome at times, and completely heartbreaking. I don't know if I would give it to a young adult to read just because it really is so heavy. But it was a great book. So creative, the author had poems from circus workers, cleaners, a young child who wasn't able to go, a parent, and many other voices that bring it all together and give the reader a clear image of how devastating the fire was.
This is a hauntingly, disturbingly, beautiful book! Wow, I can't believe this really happened; it made me turn to my computer and do research, and I would hope that it would do the same for a young adult so they could get a glimpse of history. It is a novel of poems about a circus fire that killed and injured hundreds of people. The author got first hand accounts of the experience from different points of view and tells the story with strong words that are gruesome at times, and completely heartbreaking. I don't know if I would give it to a young adult to read just because it really is so heavy. But it was a great book. So creative, the author had poems from circus workers, cleaners, a young child who wasn't able to go, a parent, and many other voices that bring it all together and give the reader a clear image of how devastating the fire was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 23, 2018A very quick read, though it contains descriptions of terror and death that I wouldn't give to a third grader. Each poem-chapter is a different voice, most fictional, of people who were near the great and terrible circus fire in Hartford, CT in 1944. Emotional.
April 12, 2017
Read this book of poems in about a half hour. Very tragic stories but beautifully written about the Hartford Circus Fire.
December 23, 2021
It was an amazing book. It was an awesome historical fiction book. It is a verse novel, so it is a quick read. I like that it was from different points of views and seeing what the point of views think and feel before, during, and after the fire.
March 5, 2013
Book Talk – Worlds Afire
Most of the spectators came of free will. Willard Owens came on July 6th, 1944 because he had not missed a circus in forty-two years, and living just across Barbour Street, he had no excuse to miss this one. Donald Hutchinson, still a boy, came as a treasure-hunter hoping to find some great wealth under the bleachers collecting what fell from people's pockets sitting up above. What he found was fear, and not only his own. Harry King came to take his mind off things, but even an inanimate object like me can see the wounds that haunt his night and that of the other veterans' too. Mothers like Mrs. Estelle Sutton came for their children; they saw the show as a way to cheer up the children who were missing their fathers away fighting at war. Eleven year old Polly McDonald came to see the animals. She watched in awe as the cage boys did exactly the job she wants – that of feeding the animals. It wasn't Polly's will, but Aunt Betty's, who wouldn't miss the Greatest Show on Earth and who forced Polly to enter through my flaps. Anne Bibby, thirteen years old, yearned to go but her mother had to work and Anne was left watching her friends get swallowed by me who were lucky to get to go the show. Eddie Carlyle came to see the freaks but found himself disappointed. Disappointed that is perhaps until I caught fire; then he may have caught a glimpse of people who turned to freaks in the chaos and desperation as they tried to escape me.
They call me “Big Top.” I heard some of the spectators talk about how the newspaper called me the largest in the world, reaching the length equivalent of three blocks. I came carried by a couple of roughnecks who laced all my sections together with rope, hoisted me to the top of the poles, and secured me to the stakes hammered into the ground. Canvasmen came to do their job – spiking the sidewalls into the ground except for a few panels from the top which they left alone in order to let a breeze in. As if a breeze would help. I was made out of a hot and heavy canvas and then thickly coated with paraffin and gasoline to waterproof me. As Dennis Mortimer described me, I am “one huge candle just waiting for a light.”
I am the tent they called Big Top, set up at the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut in 1944. I am also the tent that the firefighter called a candle. I got my light and caught fire. Before becoming ash, I caught 167 people in a state that ensured they would never make it to see another circus. I caught an additional 500 people who although may have the chance in the future, will never want to step foot inside a circus tent again.
Most of the spectators came of free will. Willard Owens came on July 6th, 1944 because he had not missed a circus in forty-two years, and living just across Barbour Street, he had no excuse to miss this one. Donald Hutchinson, still a boy, came as a treasure-hunter hoping to find some great wealth under the bleachers collecting what fell from people's pockets sitting up above. What he found was fear, and not only his own. Harry King came to take his mind off things, but even an inanimate object like me can see the wounds that haunt his night and that of the other veterans' too. Mothers like Mrs. Estelle Sutton came for their children; they saw the show as a way to cheer up the children who were missing their fathers away fighting at war. Eleven year old Polly McDonald came to see the animals. She watched in awe as the cage boys did exactly the job she wants – that of feeding the animals. It wasn't Polly's will, but Aunt Betty's, who wouldn't miss the Greatest Show on Earth and who forced Polly to enter through my flaps. Anne Bibby, thirteen years old, yearned to go but her mother had to work and Anne was left watching her friends get swallowed by me who were lucky to get to go the show. Eddie Carlyle came to see the freaks but found himself disappointed. Disappointed that is perhaps until I caught fire; then he may have caught a glimpse of people who turned to freaks in the chaos and desperation as they tried to escape me.
They call me “Big Top.” I heard some of the spectators talk about how the newspaper called me the largest in the world, reaching the length equivalent of three blocks. I came carried by a couple of roughnecks who laced all my sections together with rope, hoisted me to the top of the poles, and secured me to the stakes hammered into the ground. Canvasmen came to do their job – spiking the sidewalls into the ground except for a few panels from the top which they left alone in order to let a breeze in. As if a breeze would help. I was made out of a hot and heavy canvas and then thickly coated with paraffin and gasoline to waterproof me. As Dennis Mortimer described me, I am “one huge candle just waiting for a light.”
I am the tent they called Big Top, set up at the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut in 1944. I am also the tent that the firefighter called a candle. I got my light and caught fire. Before becoming ash, I caught 167 people in a state that ensured they would never make it to see another circus. I caught an additional 500 people who although may have the chance in the future, will never want to step foot inside a circus tent again.
February 18, 2010
A book of historical fiction retelling the horror of a circus fire in Harford Connecticut, July 6, 1944, where according to Jeneczko "167 people were killed and more than 500 injured." The poems were in short, powerful free verse. This book took probably half and hour to read, so length and content make it doable for middle school age and above. It is separated into three parts depicting the time beforehand, throughout, and after the fire, and the characters come from assorted backgrounds which gives each account its own distinction.
Key issues: heroism, fate, and tragedy
Characters:
It is a collection of poems with no true main character. Instead, it’s a story that reflects on the different perspectives of the disaster victims.
Attention-getting Quotation:
“I just nod sadly, afraid/ I’d laugh at my own tales. But nobody comes to the circus for the truth. Am I right?” (9). –Dixie Levine, gorilla attendant
“He wailed but went. I couldn’t. Not then/ not with all the other kids/ looking like small frantic dolls…I lost my balance went down. The crowd dragged me under/ even though I raised my hand for help” (36-38). –Bill Conti, parent
“To keep the rain out/ they coat the canvas/ with paraffin mixed with gasoline, laid on good and thick with stiff brooms. Oh, that waterproofs it all right—been doing it that way for years—but what does it give you? One huge candle/ just waiting to light” (53). –Dennis Mortimer, firefighter
Other interesting information:
My favorite poems of the bunch were Polly McDonald (Eleven Years Old), Mabel Conrad (Animal Trainer), and Simon Goldman (Barbour Street Resident).
In the acknowledgements, the author shares his inspiration for this book of poems and recommends books of the Hartford circus fire: The Chances We Take by Richard Goldhurst, The Circus Fire by Stewart O’Nan, and Masters of Illusion: A Novel of the Connecticut Circus Fire by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith.
Key issues: heroism, fate, and tragedy
Characters:
It is a collection of poems with no true main character. Instead, it’s a story that reflects on the different perspectives of the disaster victims.
Attention-getting Quotation:
“I just nod sadly, afraid/ I’d laugh at my own tales. But nobody comes to the circus for the truth. Am I right?” (9). –Dixie Levine, gorilla attendant
“He wailed but went. I couldn’t. Not then/ not with all the other kids/ looking like small frantic dolls…I lost my balance went down. The crowd dragged me under/ even though I raised my hand for help” (36-38). –Bill Conti, parent
“To keep the rain out/ they coat the canvas/ with paraffin mixed with gasoline, laid on good and thick with stiff brooms. Oh, that waterproofs it all right—been doing it that way for years—but what does it give you? One huge candle/ just waiting to light” (53). –Dennis Mortimer, firefighter
Other interesting information:
My favorite poems of the bunch were Polly McDonald (Eleven Years Old), Mabel Conrad (Animal Trainer), and Simon Goldman (Barbour Street Resident).
In the acknowledgements, the author shares his inspiration for this book of poems and recommends books of the Hartford circus fire: The Chances We Take by Richard Goldhurst, The Circus Fire by Stewart O’Nan, and Masters of Illusion: A Novel of the Connecticut Circus Fire by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith.
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February 10, 2022I rated Worlds Afire by Paul B Janeczko a four star review because it lived up to expectations, I really enjoyed reading it. I felt this way because it was a fascinating story that sucked you in and made you want to read more and more. In this book the circus goes up in flames and causes a terrible outcome. When the fire happened it made me imagine the heat and the light of the fire and because of that experience it exceeded my expectations, and I couldn’t put it down. I give it four stars because it was a great story but it wasn't the most amazing book i've ever read.
February 16, 2009
This collection of haunting poems focuses on the story behind the Hartford, Connecticut circus fire of 1944, and each poem represents the perspective of a different bystander's account of that night. These accounts come from a wide variety of sources, from the man who prepared the lot for the circus to arrive, to a nurse at the hospital who treated many of the burn victims afterward. The voices aren't as individualized as one might like them to be, but Janeczko's clipped delivery creates a powerful impact when combined with his bold and effective imagery.
And, like any ringmaster worth his salt, has a flair for finishing off his poems to a grand finale that really resonates, or in some cases, chills to the bone:
"But for most it lasted
only long enough
to have the breath burned out of them.
Most of them were dead
long before black chunks of tent
fell on their bodies
like pieces of night."
The terror and tragedy really feels palpable here, so I would recommend it for middle school age and above. A good choice for reluctant readers and poetry skeptics due to Janeczko's no-frills to-the-point style which evokes emotion without frippery or sentimentality.
And, like any ringmaster worth his salt, has a flair for finishing off his poems to a grand finale that really resonates, or in some cases, chills to the bone:
"But for most it lasted
only long enough
to have the breath burned out of them.
Most of them were dead
long before black chunks of tent
fell on their bodies
like pieces of night."
The terror and tragedy really feels palpable here, so I would recommend it for middle school age and above. A good choice for reluctant readers and poetry skeptics due to Janeczko's no-frills to-the-point style which evokes emotion without frippery or sentimentality.
February 10, 2017
Worlds Afire
Paul B. Janeczko
Worlds Afire, a novel written by Paul B. Janeczko, tells the story of the 1944 Hartford circus fire. The book is a collection of poems told from multiple perspectives. The perspectives vary from circus workers to spectators, to fans,and even to firefighters. By having this variety of perspectives, I was able to gain a better understanding of the little details that maybe would not have been included had the story been told from just one point of view. This is because everyone had a different experience with this fire, everyone had a different story to tell. I think this book was very engaging because as soon as you would get hooked on one perspective because it interested you…. boom! Here comes another, whether you’re ready to move on or not! Therefore, somebody who gets bored with the average novel would enjoy reading this book because it’s an attention catcher, and will most certainly inform you of the 1944 Hartford circus fire in an engaging way!
Paul B. Janeczko
Worlds Afire, a novel written by Paul B. Janeczko, tells the story of the 1944 Hartford circus fire. The book is a collection of poems told from multiple perspectives. The perspectives vary from circus workers to spectators, to fans,and even to firefighters. By having this variety of perspectives, I was able to gain a better understanding of the little details that maybe would not have been included had the story been told from just one point of view. This is because everyone had a different experience with this fire, everyone had a different story to tell. I think this book was very engaging because as soon as you would get hooked on one perspective because it interested you…. boom! Here comes another, whether you’re ready to move on or not! Therefore, somebody who gets bored with the average novel would enjoy reading this book because it’s an attention catcher, and will most certainly inform you of the 1944 Hartford circus fire in an engaging way!
October 3, 2015
Very quick read! This book was good and had a good story but was sometimes hard to understand. It kind of went back and fourth between different people talking. I got a little confused on what was going on. Towards the end of the book (Part 3) is when I finally understood it really well and that was my favorite part. The circus had started on fire and spread very rapidly. They talked about how the people had some very bad injuries and the nurses said they have not had any injuries prepare them for these ones. There was so many people that were hurt or died. If you are looking for a very quick and easy read this would be a great choice. The story behind it was a little different than what you would normally read about but was very interesting.
May 25, 2016
On July 6, 1944, a fire at a circus in Hartford, Connecticut killed 167 people. Here Janeczko, in a series of poems told from the point of view of different people involved in that fire (children, parents, detectives, etc.) shows the anticipation of the circus, the horror of the fire, and the aftermath of it.
Although this book is short, it is powerful. I'd never heard anything about this tragedy, but I appreciated the way Janeczko could provide so much information in so few words. A bibliography as well as additional information about the fire would improve this book (the brief note is not enough to fill the reader's need for information), but still, I highly recommend this one.
Although this book is short, it is powerful. I'd never heard anything about this tragedy, but I appreciated the way Janeczko could provide so much information in so few words. A bibliography as well as additional information about the fire would improve this book (the brief note is not enough to fill the reader's need for information), but still, I highly recommend this one.
May 31, 2013
While the book was well written and interesting, the subject matter is really disturbing. I'm always on the side of giving kids edgy material, and not sugar-coating anything, and yet... well, it's just hard for me to imagine exactly which kid I'd recommend this to. I can't hear myself saying, "Here's a great book ... everyone gets trapped under the big top in a circus fire and burns to death." Certainly, there are kids who are fascinated by disasters, and how people react to them, and Janeczko tells this story in a respectful way. I have no problem having this book at my middle school library; it just isn't going to make it on to any of my "recommended" lists.
June 3, 2015
There was an image on page 16 that I loved: "cotton candy the size of a hornet's nest."
I also liked "until they were swallowed / by the tent's black mouth." (Page 26)
And the end of page 35: We played / until our uniforms were black with soot / and our gold buttons / were too hot to touch.
Page 67: "Most of them were dead / long before black chunks of tent / fell on their bodies / like pieces of night.
I guess it would be difficult to not vote "Little Miss 1565" the most moving.
And what a terrific poem to end with, running camera backwards: "and the boys skipped with joy / jabbered in excitement / girls skipped and twirled / in their summer dresses"
I also liked "until they were swallowed / by the tent's black mouth." (Page 26)
And the end of page 35: We played / until our uniforms were black with soot / and our gold buttons / were too hot to touch.
Page 67: "Most of them were dead / long before black chunks of tent / fell on their bodies / like pieces of night.
I guess it would be difficult to not vote "Little Miss 1565" the most moving.
And what a terrific poem to end with, running camera backwards: "and the boys skipped with joy / jabbered in excitement / girls skipped and twirled / in their summer dresses"
July 14, 2011
This book of poetry includes poems of different people’s responses of a trip to the circus. The poems tell a story and as it continues it covers a tragedy that occurred in Hartford, Connecticut in 1944. The poems start out positive and exciting, focused only on the magic of the circus. Then the poems develop to explain how the different attendees react as a fire breaks out that sets the circus tent ablaze. From this fire 167 people die and over 500 are injured. The ending poems include accounts from the police and nurses that responded to the disaster, and the horrors they saw.
October 26, 2014
I had never heard of the 1944 Ringling Bros. and Barnum disaster. This book is written in blank verse and from different people's points of view. Each poem gives the perspective of someone who was at the disaster. It starts with their point of view before, during, and after the fire. It was interesting to see the various point of views and how they may have seen the situation and how the event may have been seen from their point of view. This was a very well done book and one of my favorite books written in verse.
December 17, 2015
I really liked this book. I loved the different viewpoints, and how each person was affected in a different way. It's not a type of tragedy/event that you hear about often. It was interesting/sad to read the stories from the young kids. They can't find their parents, they're afraid, and don't know what to do. Some of the poems did a really good job at explaining the complete chaos of the whole thing. I can't imagine going through something like that. I liked this book and would recommend it to someone who is looking for a fascinating quick read.
June 8, 2011
In speech and debate in high school I did this as a poetry piece. One judge was offended I didn't focus more on the fire. But I was so deeply touched by the little blonde girl without a small burn on her ankle I felt it was the survivors story which needed to be told. Those who we're left and did survive. I wish I could have known some of the fathers stories. How it was for them to return from the war to find family dead.
April 14, 2012
Written in poems, each as a first person account from a variety of those who went to the circus, worked at the circus, or helped those injured or killed by the great fire under the 'big top' on a hot July day in 1944 in Hartford, CT. As men were off at war in France, most of the victims were moms and young children, with 167 killed and over 500 injured. This little book will have a reader holding his or her breath until the final page.
August 22, 2016
Telling the story of a tragic circus fire in CT in the 1940s, this is a little book with a big impact. When I requested it, I didn't realize the entire story would be told through poetry and I must admit I was a bit skeptical (even tho I do like some poetry).
I was impressed by how well the story was told, flowing through the book from character to character. I laughed. I cried. I loved it waaay more than I ever expected to.
I was impressed by how well the story was told, flowing through the book from character to character. I laughed. I cried. I loved it waaay more than I ever expected to.
May 8, 2017
The book Worlds Afire written by Paul B. Janeczko is very good in my opinion. Once you get into the book there are parts when the characters talk about how they never missed going to a circus. After that it gets exciting when someone accidentally burned the circus killing more than 100 people. Also injuring about 500. I would give this book a 5 star. The message for this story is to of how easy one person can turn things around.
December 1, 2017
I read this historical fiction novel in verse as part of the November chat for #yearoya focusing on books written between 2002 and 2007. I love Paul Janeczko and this spare novel was heartbreaking. A circus, lots of people, and a fire breaks out, killing 167 people in a few minutes! There are many voices each telling about the fire, the animals, the people, the circus, and how the 1944 fire affected all involved, compelling and great for reluctant readers!
May 15, 2018
I think that this was a ver good, but very sad book. The author wrote it in a really interesting way. The book is divided into a few different parts, following the event as it happens. every poem is from another character's perspective which brings the reader into the story more, letting them see the characters as regular people and wondering what will or what did happen to each of them. I would recommend this book, especially because it is based off of a true event.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2018
Poetry vignettes of the victims, heroes and witnesses of the 1944 Hartford, Connecticut Circus Fire that killed 167 people, mostly women and children. Chairs coated with layers of flammable paint, canvas tent walls soaked in gasoline and paraffin to make them waterproof, a metal tunnel for the wild animals' entrance blocking an exit and 5000 audience members desperately trying to escape contributed to the tragedy.
February 25, 2010
This is a really great poetry book foe all ages. It follows the events of a circus fire in the 1910's. The poetry begins before the fire, during the fire and ends after the fire. It tells the event from the different perspectives of various people. I think it is a fantastic "gateway" book for those who are not interested in poetry.
Currently reading
July 7, 2010Worlds Afire was about how a group called Harry King was at war. They started a circus call "Big Top". Some people that tryed to make and be in the performance didnt surivive. The Carnvas Tent that they performed in was covered with gasline and ready to be lit. On the day of july 1944 a terriable fire broke down. But the people that did it was nevered found.
March 13, 2014
167 people perished July 6, 1944 when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus tent became a fast, searing inferno wherein the people of Harford, Ct were forever changed.
Told in a series of poems, excellently written, the author writes from the perspective of young and old. Heartbreaking, insightful and well worth the time spent in reading.
Told in a series of poems, excellently written, the author writes from the perspective of young and old. Heartbreaking, insightful and well worth the time spent in reading.
November 15, 2016
Moving and better after reading nonfiction account such as Big Top Burning: The True Story on an Arsonist, a Missing Girl and the Greatest Show on Earth, by Laura Woollett. In fact, Woollett's book gives more depth & understanding. Janezcko's provides pieces of the emotion tactfully missing from Woollett's account.
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