Freaks Of Sideshow And Film Mary Brett Stevan Gould by Mary Brett, Stevan Gould 9780764348457, 0764348450 instant download after payment.

"This book is written to applaud the people whose lives are portrayed within these pages. Many endured harsh existences but most managed to overcome the limitations of birth and become comfortable in their own skins. Some became both rich and famous. A few even managed to find true happiness, a rarity in anyone's life. Before the advent of "politically correct" social behavior, people born "different" were often openly stared at, made fun of, shunned, cruelly ridiculed, or hidden from view by being locked away in attics, sheds, basements, or inadequate and vile institutions. In severe cases, they were killed. Many families believed that the birth of a "monster," a title bestowed upon the innocent babe by both the medical profession and polite society of the day, gave proof of God's wrath brought down upon that family for past sins. Traveling carnivals with the sideshow gave many of these social outcasts a chance to escape into a different world, a world that held the possibility of employment, excitement, travel, fame, and the chance to both be with and be accepted by people just like themselves. Presented within these pages are the true biographies of the most amazing people that have ever lived. Their lives should be an inspiration to all of us, but please, no pity. An anonymous reporter summed it up well in a 1914 newspaper article when he wrote: Freaks do not desire our pity, only our interest and the partial contents of our purses. The facts presented in this book are, to the best of our knowledge, true. However, the times and quintessential showmen, such as PT Barnum, did not always let truth stand in the way of a good story, especially if the story sold tickets to shows or offered free advertisement captured in sensationalized newspaper stories. Whenever possible, we have talked to family members or obtained official birth, death, and marriage records. We have visited numerous graveyards to examine and record the engraved headstones, and we have pored over th