By the 1740s; colonists living in North America began to encounter scores of itinerant performers from England and Europe. These show people―acrobats; wire dancers; tumblers; trick riders; painters; dancing-masters; waxworks proprietors; healers; and singing and language teachers―brought novelty and culture to remote areas. Advertising in newspapers; they attracted audiences with the hook of appearing "for a short time only."In this richly illustrated and deeply researched book; Peter Benes examines the rise of early American popular culture through the lives and work of itinerants who circulated in British North America and the United States from the late seventeenth through the early nineteenth century. Although they were frequently reviled as quacks and absconders by many provincials; these transients enjoyed a unique camaraderie and found audiences among high- and lowbrow alike. Drawing on contemporary diaries; letters; reminiscences; and hitherto inaccessible newspaper ads; broadsides; and images; Benes suggests why some elements of Europe's carnival and folklore traditions failed to gain acceptance in American society while others flourished brilliantly.
#783710 in Books 2015-04-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.30 x 1.10 x 5.60l; .0 #File Name: 1620970732352 pages
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. An important bookBy Fil Y.We all grow up with monsters in the closet. If we’re lucky; sometime in our childhood we discover the monsters aren’t real. If we’re wise; sometime in our adulthood we learn that they’re sometimes real after all. Rita Goldberg’s book is about the monsters that came within a hair of erasing her existence before it began. It’s also an incredible adventure story of escape and survival. And a lesson in what history means for people (in this case; her parents Hilde and Max) experiencing it on the ground; with their souls and their flesh.If this book was a Spielberg movie; it would be a blockbuster. That it could be a Spielberg movie speaks volumes about the drama of the true story Rita Goldberg tells with passion; understanding; skill; and love. I read the first half with Wikipedia open to articles on the Battle of the Netherlands; Holland in WWII; The Holocaust in the Netherlands; and; of course; the Diary of Anne Frank - whose life and family; incredibly; were intertwined with the author’s parents and with herself.My impression was that this first half of the book; covering the five years from the Nazi invasion of Holland in 1940 to the end of the war in May 1945; could easily have been a book of its own. Rita tells the story of Hilde’s survival; and eventual triumph; against incredible odds; during this maelstrom of history.The second half of the book is both a horror story and a love story. The former is the tale of Hilde’s work in the human salvage operation at Bergen-Belsen beginning a few days after the camp was liberated by the British. In one scene; she’s turning over bodies; draped in piles; looking for her parents - and terrified she’ll find them. The love story sneaks up on you; in the middle of the horror; like a flower pushing through a crack in asphalt. It starts with Hilde meeting her future husband in; of all places; Bergen-Belsen where he’d made his way from Switzerland to help. Like all good love stories; there’s a boy-gets-girl; boy-loses-girl; boy-gets-girl back-again episode. There’s even a girl-loses-boy; girl-gets-boy-back-again episode that takes place in the middle of a famous battle in the Israeli war of independence. That alone could be a separate book.The penultimate chapter in Rita’s book begins with the arrival of her parents in New York in May 1950; where she writes they “lived happily after ever.†And they did; in the the wonderful American immigrant fashion; prospering and producing children and grandchildren. But the story is hardly done. The author; after all; is part of that “happily ever after.†That’s not nearly as easy as it sounds; as most survivor’s children attest. The book (but not the story) finishes with her brief description of coming of age and coming to terms with her luck; and her burden.As it happens; I had the good fortune to have one my children marry into a branch of the Goldberg family a few years ago. So; along with the honor of being connected by marriage to this clan; I got an early copy of the book - which otherwise might have taken me longer to discover. All my children will read it as I trust will their children some day and; as I hope; will many many people around the world. That we all may be a bit wiser.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The holocaust described as I remembered growing up in the same circumstances.By Marthe A. Lablansthis book gave me a lot of answers to the growing up after the war in the Netherlands; with a mother that survived like Hilde and I found a lot of answers in this well documented book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An EpicBy Nathaniel L. SilverRita Goldberg tells a story of second chances and happy endings; and in the process confronts her own ghosts. Her analyses of people and events ring true. This is a monumental work; bravely rendered.
