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Great And Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life Of Showman P. T. Barnum (2011)

by Candace Fleming(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1437976972 (ISBN13: 9781437976977)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

DIANE Publishing Company

review 1: Candace Fleming did an incredible job of organizing the "Stupendous Life" of The Great and Only Barnum into an engaging and fun biography. I learned a lot about the ambitions and personal challenges that motivated Barnum to reach for the top in this book. I always like reading about how famous people acted as children and it amused me that Barnum was a penny pincher even then. I also found it interesting that Barnum could never sit still for very long. He always had a new project going and when he was faced with overwhelming challenges he started over again, and not only did he do it again, but he did it better. Barnum did have a few attributes that were not always admirable, but he did try to help others and I believe that this book showed both very well. I am glad ... morethat I was able to get a glimpse into the outrageous life of this ambitious man.
review 2: Jamie PoormanAPA Citation: Fleming, C. (2009) The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum. New York: Schwartz & Wade.Genre: BiographyFormat: Print (Hardcover, 151 pages)Awards: Yalsa Nonfiction Award Finalist (2010)Selection Process: Booklist starred review, Junior Literary Guild selection The fast-paced, visually appealling format of this book feels like a visit to Barnum’s greatest show on earth itself! Filled with photographs and sidebar notes that pull at the reader like a carnival hawker calling the circus-goer from one side of the midway to the other, Fleming sets the pace for a peek at the life of PT Barnum, a man who often seemed larger than life. From humble childhood beginnings in a small Connecticut town to international tours which include visits with European royalty, the reader travels through the many stages - both figurative and literal - of Barnum’s life. Well known in the modern age as a circus man, the book explores in-depth Barnum’s start in show business - running the American Museum (comparable to a modern day Ripley’s Believe It or Not attraction) in New York City. Images of 19th century advertising, photographs of the building and it’s “Representatives of the Wonderful” - Siamese twins, living skeletons,the giantess Anna Swan - are abundant and transport the reader to a different time and place.Barnum’s life, however, was not without moments of tragedy - the death of a young daughter, the loss of his home and fortune due to a faulty business deal, his battle with alcoholism. Despite these hardships, Barnum always exhibits a sense of wonder, of fascination with the world. Readers are sure to walk away with some of that sense of wonder - wanting to know more about the people and places, the wonderful things in Barnum’s life and in Fleming’s book. **Highly Recommended** less

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