The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918: Tragedy on the Indiana Lakeshore (Disaster) Paperback – July 23, 2010

This is a powerful, well written book. The book is short, but the writing is first rate. The author obviously know the story well. The reprinted interviews with the circus performers and the railroad employees who survived the horrible train wreck are intense. The 100-year-old photographs are well produced, as is the book itself. I am puzzled by the harsh criticisms this book has received, and the negative comparison to an obscure book, out of print and unavailable for over thirty years, on the same subject. It almost sounds like someone has a personal grudge against the author. But if you have an interest in old circuses, or old trains, I think you will find this book a welcome read.

Sad and interesting history. This book is a good read for history buffs. This is a story I’m sure that a lot of people have never heard of. I found it very interesting.

This book was very interesting and well researched. It is about a part of Lake County Indiana history that many people do not have much knowledge about. The author's writing made it very easy to understand what the circus was like at the time of the crash and how, exactly, this crash happened. I learned a lot and enjoyed reading it which is all you can ask for.

This tragic tale of a circus train catastrophe seems to be relatively unknown outside the area in which it occurred. It's a very short book and the actual train accident only accounts for a few pages. The beginning of the book is heavy on detail about the rail system and the budding towns alongside the railway. There is of course some history about the forging of this particular circus and the reader learns a little about the circus members themselves. The last portion of the book describes improvements in rail cars since the accident. My rating of a 3 is really more generous than I'd typically give a book that only superficially discussed the event itself. However, it would seem callous to judge a book about the horrific loss of life and the devastation of countless families on quality of writing alone.

this is a great book for history buffs.I personally spoke to the author before this book was written(to get information on the exact location of the wreck .what a nice guy we talked on the phone for an hour,very helpful and knowledgable.well written book.

The book is well documented and easy to follow. It explains the causes and aftermath of the 1918 circus train wreck in Hammond, Indiana

Well written account of a tragedy most people aren’t aware even happened. A short book but effective in conveying the events and horror of a long ago circus train wreck.

Amazingly well written, I felt like I was sitting with the author and witnesses being told the stories first hand. Anyone with a love or interest in the golden days of the circus must read this one.