Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit
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Book Overview
From 1840 until 1940, freak shows by the hundreds crisscrossed the United States, from the smallest towns to the largest cities, exhibiting their casts of dwarfs, giants, Siamese twins, bearded ladies, savages, snake charmers, fire eaters, and other oddities. By today's standards such displays would be considered cruel and exploitative-the pornography of disability. Yet for one hundred years the freak show was widely accepted as one of America's most popular forms of entertainment. Robert Bogdan's fascinating social history brings to life the world of the freak show and explores the culture that nurtured and, later, abandoned it. In uncovering this neglected chapter of show business, he describes in detail the flimflam artistry behind the shows, the promoters and the audiences, and the gradual evolution of public opinion from awe to embarrassment. Freaks were not born, Bogdan reveals; they were manufactured by the amusement world, usually with the active participation of the freaks themselves. Many of the "human curiosities" found fame and fortune, becoming the celebrities of their time, until the ascent of professional medicine transformed them from marvels into pathological specimans.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0226063127
ISBN13:9780226063126
Release Date:May 1990
Publisher:University of Chicago Press
Length:336 Pages
Weight:1.11 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.8" x 8.8"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
For Young and Old Alike!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
I was afraid that this was going to be one of those hand-wringing tsk-tsk-tsk books with pretenses to sociology. Not a bit of it! It's a well-researched and pleasant history of just what we all want to read about and see at the sideshow. It is particularly uplifting to know that many of these "freaks" are equananimous about their condition, and don't consider themselves particularly ill-treated. The belief that they are sad creatures whom fate has done poorly by, is simply our own condescension.
Excellent book!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
I bought this book as a gift for my husband after we viewed a documentary on circus side shows. It is a very well-written book, and the people are sensitively portrayed.
for Freak Geeks Only
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I loved every page of this book. It gave me the most in depth information on the development of the side show and the expoitation of human beings. Also was included little known personal information on some of my favorite oddities. A very intelligent read.
A great introduction to the sociology of deviance
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I have been using Freak Show in my Introduction to Sociology class since it has been published. I find the book to be a great way to introduce students to a qualitative approach to the sociology of deviance. Bogdan's fresh approach to the material makes the experiences of the so-called "freaks" come alive. Discussion that ensues covers the range from the construction of disabilites, how non-white "races" were constructed as "inferior," and the way modern-day "Freak shows" live on in TV-talk shows. I have frequently cast about for a newer supplemental reading to offer my students, but have always come back to Freak Show. And for all you non-professors out there, I recommend the book as a great read!
freak shows in their historical context
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
The author did an excellent job of writing about freak shows in their historical context. Even though written as sociological qualitative research, the lay person can read and enjoy this book. I am buying it for my mother who is not involved in the world of academia. It is well written and provides the reader with an appreciation of the history. I would recommend it.
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