On smalltown ballfields and county fairgrounds the sideshow performers set uptheir tents and trailers in the shadow of the Ferris wheel. There they amazedus wit... » 

On smalltown ballfields and county fairgrounds the sideshow performers set uptheir tents and trailers in the shadow of the Ferris wheel. There they amazedus with daring feats such as fire eating and sword swallowing intrigued uswith exhibitions of human oddities and various anatomical wonders and yesdeceived us with illusions such as Atasha the Gorilla Girl and even outrightfakes. These bizarre spectacles engaged the mind as well as the eye. Was thehuman blockhead act in which the performer pounded a large nail or ice pickinto his nostril real or fake? Was the socalled alligator boy genuine or agaffed oddity painted with glue to produce a scaly simulation of reptilianskin? While the sideshows have now all but vanished from the Americanlandscape they leave a fascinating legacy of romance and mystery. Many oftheir secrets remain only grudgingly given up if at all by aging showmen andbally talkers. Joe Nickellonce a carnival pitchman then a magician aprivate detective and an investigative writerhas pursued sideshow secretsfor years. He has interviewed the showmen and performers collected carnivalmemorabilia researched the published literature and even performed someclassic sideshow feats such as eating fire and lying on a bed of nails while acinderblock was broken on his chest. Secrets of the Sideshows reveals thespecific methods and tricks behind the performances the showmens tactics forrecruiting performers and attracting crowds and more. Nickell also examinesthe behindthescenes secrets of sideshow life including details of theremarkable personal lives of those men and women billed as freaks. «