Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath [Hardcover]

John L. Esposito (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2005

Saturday night, November 28, 1942, Boston suffered its worst disaster ever. At the city's premier nightspot, the Cocoanut Grove, the largest nightclub fire in United States history took the lives of 492 people-nearly one of every two people on the premises. A flash of fire that started in an imitation palm tree rolled through the overcrowded club with breathtaking speed and in a mere eight minutes anyone left in the club was dead or doomed. The Grove was a classic firetrap, the product of greed and indifference on the part of the owners and the politicians who had knowingly allowed such conditions to exist. Against the backdrop of Boston politics, cronyism, and corruption, author John C. Esposito re-creates the drama of the fire and explores the public outcry that followed. In chronicling the horrific events of one of America's most cataclysmic tragedies, Esposito has fashioned both an incomparably gripping narrative and a vibrant portrait of the era. But it is the intense, detailed narrative of the fire-harrowing yet compulsively readable-and the trials that followed that will stay with readers well after they finish this remarkable book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–In Boston, 1942, the Cocoanut Grove was an elite nightclub decorated in a fantasy of tropical glamour. It was also a firetrap, a block-long labyrinth of bars and entertainment areas cobbled together with substandard materials in disregard of building codes or common sense. On the night of the fire, it was, as always, dimly lighted and overcrowded. The management had blocked all exits except the revolving front door to squeeze more people in and to prevent anyone from leaving without paying a bill. The small fire that broke out in the basement exploded throughout the building within minutes, killing nearly 500 revelers. In a narrative reminiscent of the finest Titanic accounts, the author leads readers through the horrific events as they were experienced by individuals and, using court transcripts and recent scientific research, explains how the disaster developed. He portrays the culture of political corruption and gangland economy that allowed such a public gathering place to exist and provides a riveting chronicle of the attempts to prosecute those responsible. Esposito also reveals how doctors learned from the disaster to improve procedures for burn treatment. Finally, he reminds readers (through brief discussion of more recent club fires) that it can happen again and offers advice. Black-and-white photos augment the narrative. Few who read this book will enter a public arena in the future without looking for the exits.–Christine C. Menefee, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A smart, well-paced, eminently readable account of an American disaster." -- Legal Intelligencer, 02/24/06

"Esposito carefully crafts his narrative of the actual fire...[and] contributes an interesting perspective to this tragedy." -- New York Law Journal, 12/09/05

"Esposito is at his best... [his] message does not miss its mark." -- PopMatters.com, 05/09/06

"Riveting and horrifying...Esposito has captured this almost Dickensian locale with precision...A harsh lesson in urban civics." -- Providence Journal, 05/13/06

"The highly readable text brings to life all the major players and delineates what led to the fire." -- Brooklyn Heights Press & Cobble Hill News, 12/15/05

"[A] well-researched volume." -- Associated Press, 6/4/06

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1st Edition in this form edition (November 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306814234
• ISBN-13: 978-0306814235
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of the fire at the Cocoanut Grove is all too familiar., March 17, 2006

By 

Paul Tognetti "The real world is so much more... (Cranston, RI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath (Hardcover)

It seems to me that I have read it too may times before. Back in 1903 a total of 602 people, mostly women and children, perished in a fire at a matinee at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago. Six years later 259 miners were killed in a fire at a coal mine in Cherry Il. And in 1911 another 146 young immigrant workers lost their lives at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City. It just breaks your heart to read about the deaths of so many due to the greed, incompetence and irresponsibility of others. Now in 2006 author John C. Esposito, an original member of "Nader's Raiders" offers up "Fire In The Grove". This is the stirring account of that tragic evening in November 1942 when 490 people lost their lives at the fabled Cocoanut Grove night club in downtown Boston. It remains to this day the deadliest nightclub fire in American history. And it did not have to happen!

Let me begin by saying that I could not put this book down. I consumed this book in its entirety in less than two days. John Esposito paints a very vivid picture of just what was going on inside the walls of the Cocoanut Grove on that fateful night. Esposito spends a good deal of time describing the floor plan of the nightclub. His verbal description is supplemented by a very useful illustration that the reader can refer to when needed. It quickly becomes apparent the many obstacles that patrons would face when attempting to evacuate this complex. Due to the gross negligence of management and others most of those that died never had a chance.

So just who was responsible for the holocaust at the Cocoanut Grove? As you will learn in "Fire In The Grove" there is no shortage of potential candidates. Barney Welansky had owned the Cocoanut Grove for nearly a decade. This was a well- connected individual and city officials like Mayor Tobin and Fire Commisioner Reilly tended to look the other way with regards to safety issues at the club. Many would place the blame on lower level bureaucrats from various city departments whose job it was to enforce a myriad of safety regulations. Enforcement of these rules codes and requirements at the Cocoanut Grove were lax to say the least. Later on in "Fire In The Grove" you will learn about the subsequent investigations and of the trial that would take place just a few months after the fire. Finally, John Esposito offers a comparison of the Cocoanut Grove fire and the blaze at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, RI that killed 100 people in 2003. It seems that in a great many ways the circumstances were eerily similar.

All in all I found "Fire In The Grove" to be a terrific read. Being a native New Englander I had heard about this tragedy since I was a child but I had never really read all that much about it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can enthusiastically recommend it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written, January 4, 2006

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath (Hardcover)

On November 28, 1942, Boston's Cocoanut Grove nightclub caught on fire. Trapped by flames and deadly fumes, 492 people died in what was ultimately the worst nightclub fire in United States history. "Fire In The Grove" details the events of not only the fire, but the events leading up to it: shoddy construction; the use of flammable materials; overcrowding; blocked exits; the employment of minors; and the willingness of public officials to overlook the violations. The book also covers the stories of the victims and survivors; some survivors were forced to leave loved ones behind as they fled the fire. Treatment of burn victims is also described; doctors tried new treatments on the burns, which eventually revolutionized how burn victims are treated. The book also covers the trial of the owner of the Cocoanut Grove; readers will no doubt be outraged at how all involved basically got away with little penalty. Finally, the book covers the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island where 100 people died in eerily similar circumstances.

"Fire In The Grove" is an extremely well written and touching book. Having grown up in the Boston area, I had heard about the fire which happened before I was born, but not until I read the book did I realize the full extent of the tragedy. The survivor's stories, especially those that had to leave behind loved ones are especially moving. The book also gives a clear picture of what politics in Boston were like at that time and what the nightclub life was like. There are plenty of pictures, including a diagram of the Cocoanut Grove, showing what a firetrap it really was. The picture of the truckload of caskets shows the enormity of the death toll and is hard to take.

"Fire In The Grove' is well worth reading.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHOA what a story!!!, January 9, 2006

By 

Jim Todd (West New York, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath (Hardcover)

I was blown away after reading this book. It has me thanking God that I've never been burned or had to experience what these people endured.

The book does a wonderful job of intermingling personal survivor accounts with the more dry politics so that I was very engrossed throughout. The cast of political characters is lengthy; sometimes I couldn't keep up with the way they all played in the story. But I did get the gist of it.

Some of the chapters had me gasping out loud. I've always been a fan of disaster movies. So, I felt guilty "enjoying" reading this book. It reads like the Titanic movie or The Towering Inferno. I felt so much for these people because I related to the number of banquets I've worked. (I'm an actor who has waited tables.) I know what a nightclub is like. I can't help but see everything about that night, the kitchen, the dining hall, everything was unsettlingly real to me.

This book will have you outraged over the GREED and stupidity which caused this horror. A makeshift coatrack blocked the one exit by the main entrance so that the greedy owner could pocket 3 dollars and 20 cents per night???

Flammable materials adorned the place, the exits were locked. They were practically begging for a disaster.

I can't shake this book. It's been a long time since I read something that affected me like this. Let's all do our parts to honor these people. Let's insist in fire code compliance everywhere! NOBODY deserved the death these people endured.

NOBODY! And it sickens me that it happens again and again and again.