The Cocoanut Grove Fire (New England Remembers) [Paperback]

Stephanie Schorow (Author), Robert J. Allison (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2005

A gripping narrative of the worst nightclub fire in American history, which killed 492 people in World War II Boston.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert J. Allison is chairman of the history department of Suffolk University in Boston and teaches courses in American Constitutional history and the history of Boston at Harvard Extension School. He lives in South Boston and summers in Provincetown on Cape Cod.

Stephanie Schorow is a former reporter for the Boston Herald and a freelance writer focusing on topics of regional and national interest. She is the author of Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston and The Cocoanut Grove Fire. She lives in Medford, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Commonwealth Editions (March 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889833886
• ISBN-13: 978-1889833880
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary, Hard To Believe It Could Happen, But History Repeats Itself., January 5, 2007

By 

James R. Holland "Author of Boston's Notable ... (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cocoanut Grove Fire (New England Remembers) (Paperback)

Like the author's other book "Boston On Fire," this story is almost impossible to put down once you start reading it. When you read the details of that tragic nightclub fire, it's difficult to believe it could even happen, much less happen so fast that hundreds were killed. But the recent fire at the Station Night Club in Rhode Island is so similar it's scary. Everyone likes to think they would figure out a way to escape such a fire, but some blazes, like the ones at the Cocoanut Grove and The Station Night Club move so fast that they are more like explosions. The author makes the reader feel as though they were actually in the fire. She also goes into the shady history of the nightclub's mobster owner and why so many exit doors were locked. The reader will never again look at revolving doors in the same way and they will always check out the locations of the nearest exit to where they are seated. This is a great read, but maybe not for just before going to bed. The struggles of some of the survivors bring tears to the eyes of the reader. The fire did prove many new techniques for treating burn victims worked. This book makes one believe in fate, luck and just plain good fortune.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An update on a tragic story, October 30, 2005

By 

Lisa Wangsgard "bibliophile" (Sunset,UT,USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cocoanut Grove Fire (New England Remembers) (Paperback)

I recently read Schorow's entry in the New England Remembers series, and it is a haunting book. Schorow has great details; a reporter, she used her skills to update a story that happened in 1942. This book is especially interesting to those who wondered what happened to the main characters after 1959, when Paul Benzaquin's book Holocaust! on the same subject was published.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable tragedy, May 22, 2008

By 

Ruthanne Davis "The Bookworm" (Abilene, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cocoanut Grove Fire (New England Remembers) (Paperback)

I grew up hearing my parents talk about the Cocoanut Grove fire but never knew the whole story until I discovered this book.
The real facts of how the fire started will never be known but the causes have been narrowed down and, as with so many tragedies, medical breakthroughs in burn treatment and building safety have resulted from the disaster.
This book draws all the known facts together without speculation. It's an intense, terrifying and sorrowful story.