After reading Beth Macy's Truevine, I decided to follow-up with a book about the general history of sideshows. Freak Show is a well-researched look at the sideshow in context of its time (roughly 1840-1940) and through the lens of sociology. (Dr. Bogdan is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Syracuse University whose specialty is/was the sociology of disability.)

Covered are a general history of sideshows and human oddities, styles of presenting (exotic, aggrandized, etc.), how backstories were developed and marketed for exhibits, and public reaction to such exhibits over time. There are some photographs, although they are not seen to best advantage in the ebook format. (Even with the ability to zoom in for details on e-readers, I find old photographs seem to show better in print.) Bogdan uses specific acts more as examples of presentation styles and explanation of how freak show acts were developed, so specifics are limited to some of the most well-known acts and those are not given in much detail. He is more interested in presenting the cultural and sociological aspects of freak shows than in producing biographies of the performers. While I understood his point, it was a little frustrating when he presented particularly interesting case studies only to then toss out a variation of "but plenty has been written about this person, so I'm not going to rehash it." For example, he drops the information that the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker retired from show business to live on their plantation and had 21 children between them. I knew they had died in western North Carolina and were buried there, but I had no idea they were slave owners or had such a large progeny. This sent me to Wiki, where I learned that one of Chang Bunker's great-granddaughters is violinist and composer -- and Pulitzer winner -- Caroline Shaw. (Considering they didn't get along that well and their wives, who were sisters, came to dislike each other so much they lived in separate households, I have to admit that is one biography I would love to read!)

But I digress....

In my opinion, Bogdan does have a bias and might not pay enough attention to the potential of abuse in the freak show culture. He does touch briefly on the Hilton twins' mistreatment (by their adoptive aunt/manager), but he doesn't really go into the psychological manipulations freak hunters sometimes used to persuade families to give up children and skims over the cases of less mentally-abled persons being cheated of wages. (This is where Beth Macy's book fills in some gaps, although her book is about one specific case and is more biographical.)

Although written in 1988, the information in Freak Show holds up well. The tone is more scholarly than the recent trend in non-fiction. It's possible that someone dependent on the Gladwellan formula of endless contrived anecdotes, author insertion about their "journey" of writing the material, and obvious insights repackaged as "science" will find it dry. I've missed real non-fiction, so I enjoyed it.

Shocking!

Yes, I’m shocked, but I shouldn’t be!

So much is covered in this book about human oddities, that I don’t know where to begin.

The people in this book are referred to as freak by the author because this is the term that was used during the period of their exploitation.

The book covers the importance of the term freak and what is the meaning for its use.

The people who are in this group would be considered disabled and extremely exploited today. They spent their lives being on display in amusement parks, circuses, carnivals, sideshows and certain museums.

Many of the people were in on their exploitation, but so were many taken advantage of. Many children as well as adults were sold to the showman or show woman who exploited them.

Lots of outright lies or exaggerations were told about many of the “oddities” in order to increase their popularity thus their value.

It was normal to display any black performers as wild, or savage African or ape and ape like. To this day many black people have an intense dislike for monkeys and apes and any references to them because of these bigoted comments.

People who were mentally disabled were treated like they were different species and were taken advantage of.

Fortunately, the sideshow “freaks” have lost their popularity and people are no longer interested in staring at someone with no arms or two heads.

This book gives a lot of background information and details about the life of many of the people who traveled through this career.

Thanks to the author for listing plenty of notes and references in the back of the book. And thanks for the wonderful pictures.

Four stars. ✨✨✨✨

This was a text book for a class i took on culture i took at csuf in the 90s. It was in American studies masters program. Such a good book and I learned so much.

As a huge fan of Todd Browning’s Freaks and Leslie Fiedler’s Freaks: Myths and Images of the Secret Self, I was excited to read Bogdan’s book about the history and controversy surrounding freak shows and side shows. Bogdan traces the history of human exhibitions from the early exploitation of indigenous and non-European people on display in the 17th and 18th century, as well as advancements in medicine that began to examine human differences in appearance as abnormalities. Bogdan explores the conflicts inherent in this medical model that seems to argue for a standard in appearance and development and using deviations from the norm to advance our understanding of human development. At the time of these developments in medicine, PT Barnum was gaining popularity and frequently exhibited humans as part of his shows. Bogdan explores how performers like General Tom Thumb were able to make a living and become rather well known as a result of their exploitation and exhibition. He not only explores the history of some of the initial performers, but also interviews and explores the lives of modern performers (this book was published in 1988, so the performers were living in the 70s and 80s), and how the movement away from human exhibition was both a blessing and a curse. While Bogdan acknowledges the morally dubious aspects of human exhibition, he also interviewed some performers who struggled to find work or make a living due to restrictions and a declining interest in human exhibition. I found this book fascinating and important in exploring the sociology of disability and difference, and the complications that arise from our attempts to understand differences and norms. I also appreciated Bogdan’s meticulous research and classifications, noting that some performers were exploited for their differences, while others sought to explore their exceptionality and share the talents they developed as a result of their differences and/or disabilities (often performers without arms or legs). This was a great book that explores a controversial, yet important aspect of American culture and entertainment.

This book was very well researched.

It’s worth considering that, although freak shows seemed to take advantage and supposedly exploited people with disabilities, medical conditions, and birth defects, those “freaks” were largely showmen and in charge of their careers. People who thought they were doing good by working to ban these types of shows as exploitive made it so the freaks couldn’t make a living.

Fast forward to now and we have freak shows that are socially acceptable because we call them “reality” TV shows. Who’s exploiting whom?

"As freaks sat on the platform, most looked down on the audience with contempt--not because they felt angry at being gawked at or being called freaks, but simply because the amusement world looked down on 'rubes' in general. Their contempt was that of insiders toward the uninitiated. For those in the amusement world it was the sucker who was on the outside, not the exhibit."

Thoroughly decent historical exploration of the sideshow's carny roots, this one operating from a cultural/sociological perspective. Although it covers a lot of the same ground found in similar works, its system of inquiry and scads of anecdotes make it a worthwhile read.

If anyone is interested in the history of Freak Show performers, you should read this book. It is extremely well researched and written.

This is very well researched, and written. I am skeptical, however, of the conclusions he draws in the end, but if you are looking for an educated historical account of the freakshow, I would recommend.

It reads like a doctorate dissertation (I think maybe it was?). Super interesting and surprisingly relevant but a bit repetitive. Glad I read it. Not a light read.

This was an excellent read, researched thoroughly and in depth. I like how the author was objective and allowed us to cast our own judgments. I'm sure for those who felt truly exploited by showing themselves there were just as many or more who felt it was a decent way to earn a living and maintain a lifestyle. I truly dislike it when people get outraged on the behalf of others. There is that saying about taking a walk in their shoes.

Does a good job fleshing out the facts for the reader without sensationalism.