Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature Elizabeth Bush Sullivan, George. Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature. Clarion, 2011. [208p.] illus. with photographs ISBN 978-0-547-18203-2 $20.00 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8. Baby Charles (Charley) S. Stratton did not appear destined to make a career of the "freak show" circuit in nineteenth century America. Though he weighed a normal nine pounds at birth, his growth stalled by age five; while the outgoing child coped quite well with his diminutive size, his stature was a cause of embarrassment for his older sisters and his future a cause of worry for his father. An introduction to P. T. Barnum, the notorious showman who had just riled his public with two wildly bogus attractions (the world's "oldest" woman and the Fejee Mermaid), set them both on the path to a successful, lifelong partnership. Barnum employed and mentored Stratton and, after naming him Tom Thumb, launched him to a height of stardom that wouldn't be seen again until the age of the Silver Screen. Sullivan follows the careers of both Stratton and Barnum, setting the display of human "oddities" into historical context, exploring the genuine respect between employer and entertainer, and emphasizing the cordial relationship that Tom Thumb developed with his audience through lectures and conversations. Insets on dwarfism appear early in the text, elucidating Tom Thumb's condition for readers without seriously interrupting the genial flow of the narration. Generous leading and a large stock of photographs and period reproductions will entice readers who shy away from longer works of nonfiction. Booktalk this with Candace Fleming's The Great and Only Barnum (BCCB 10/09) for a riff on celebrity—old school. [End Page 253] Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois