{"product_id":"9781613731147","title":"Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show On Earth","description":"\u003cbr\u003eOn July 6, 1944, thousands of fans made their way to Barbour Street in Hartford, Connecticut, to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum \u0026amp; Bailey Circus performance. Not long after the show’s start, a fire broke out and spread rapidly as panicked circus-goers pushed and scrambled to escape. Within 10 minutes the entire big top had burned to the ground, and 167 people never went home.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eBig Top Burning \u003c\/i\u003erecounts the true story of one of the worst fire disasters in US history. It follows the tragic stories of the Cook family—including children Donald, Eleanor, and Edward, who were in the audience that day—and 15-year-old Robert Segee, a circus employee with an incendiary past. Drawing on primary sources and interviews with survivors, author Laura Woollett guides readers through several decades of investigations and asks, \u003ci\u003eWas\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ethe unidentified body of a little girl nicknamed\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e“Little Miss 1565” Eleanor Cook?\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eWas the fire itself an act of arson—and\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003edid Robert Segee set it? \u003c\/i\u003eYoung readers are invited to evaluate the evidence and draw their own conclusions.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Combining a gripping disaster story, an ongoing detective and forensics saga, and vivid details about life in World War II–era America, \u003ci\u003eBig Top Burning \u003c\/i\u003eis sure to intrigue any history or real-life mystery fan.","brand":"Chicago Review Press, Incorporated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055180071152,"sku":"9781613731147","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781613731147_p0.jpg?v=1763851490","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781613731147","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}