We Are All His Creatures: Tales of P. T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman

Gr 7 Up–This collection of connected short stories is a look into the behind-the-scenes life of P.T. Barnum, focusing on his family and the “living curiosities” who performed for him. The chronologically organized vignettes paint a picture of a profit-driven opportunist who capitalized on the imagination of his inner child and the public’s fascination with the eccentric until Barnum’s death at age 80. The stories are rich in detail and place the reader in the mid-1800s, when industry regulations were few (Barnum’s American Museum burned down more than once) and high society was often unabashedly captivated by other people’s misfortunes. The most affecting tales are those that involve Barnum’s daughters and how they each adjusted to being the progeny of a famous and unconventional figure. Noyes follows them from childhood through adulthood and deftly ties their narratives together in the final chapter. While Barnum has been criticized for exploiting his performers, that issue is not explored significantly in the stories. As these accounts are fictionalized, readers are left to decide for themselves how much truth each piece holds.