We Are All His Creatures: Tales of P. T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman
Candlewick Press · Print & ebook · March 10, 2020
A Historical Fiction pick for readers exploring We Are All His Creatures: Tales of P.
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- Who it’s for
- Barnum’s orbit comes into view through the people who lived and worked in his shadow.
- Themes
- Exploitation and marginalization, Complexity of life in Barnum’s orbit, Joy and pain
- Genres
- 19th-Century US YA, YA Short Stories, Theater & Musicals for Teens
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For younger readers: Who Was P. T. Barnum?, Professor Renoir's Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights
For older readers: Behind the Burly Q
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In a series of interwoven fictionalized stories, Deborah Noyes gives voice to the marginalized women in P. T. Barnum’s family — and the talented entertainers he built his entertainment empire on. Much has been written about P. T. Barnum — legendary showman, entrepreneur, marketing genius, and one of the most famous nineteenth-century personalities. For those who lived in Barnum’s shadow, however, life was complex.
Continue reading
P. T. Barnum’s two families — his family at home, including his two wives and his daughters, and his family at work, including Little People, a giantess, an opera singer, and many sideshow entertainers — suffered greatly from his cruelty and exploitation. Yet, at the same time, some of his performers, such as General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), became wealthy celebrities who were admired and feted by presidents and royalty. In this collection of interlinked stories illustrated with archival photographs, Deborah Noyes digs deep into what is known about the people in Barnum’s orbit and imagines their personal lives, putting front and center the complicated joy and pain of what it meant to be one of Barnum’s “creatures.”
Beyond the Spotlight
Barnum’s orbit comes into view through the people who lived and worked in his shadow.
Come here for
- Family and performers usually left at the edges of Barnum’s story
Expect
- Interwoven fictionalized stories of exploitation, celebrity, and complicated joy
- Archival photographs alongside imagined personal lives
Where it sits
| YA Short Stories | 97% |
|---|---|
| 19th-Century US YA | 69% |
| Theater & Musicals for Teens | 57% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- 19th-Century US YA
- Theater & Musicals for Teens
- YA Short Stories
- Authors
- Deborah Noyes
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- March 10, 2020
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Exploitation and marginalization · Complexity of life in Barnum’s orbit · Joy and pain
- Reading lane
- 19th-Century US YA