Customer Reviews

Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath

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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.

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.

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.

Maybe it's because I'm turning 50 and my parents were WWII veterans living in an urban setting, but I loved the way Mr. Esposito made this tragic event become real to me. The personal stories of individuals of the time, wrapped in the politics of a major city (Boston) added to my own appreciation of those living (and I mean living) in that era. I liked the legal aspect of the book the most, as it really brought home the catalyst for protecting people above profits. This will certainly be a gift for Mom and Dad this Christmas.

FITG works effectively on two levels: as a gruesome and fascinating account of what it's like to perish in a fire or to narrowly escape doing so; and as a tragically detailed chapter of Boston's corrupt political history. Everything is captured in amazing detail, retold by survivors, reconstructed, and put into context: the club's significance within the city; the staff's slow realization of the fire's magnitude; the crowd's eventual frenzied panic; the forensic aftermath; and the eventual sham justice.

As important (although slightly less interesting) as reading about the blaze are the accounts of those responsible for the tragedy scurrying like rats to avoid accountability. Only one man was ultimately held responsible for the 500 deaths, and not before bureaucrats and well-connected owners jumped ship and even tried scapegoating the poor 16 year old busboy who accidentally lit the fateful match.

A silver lining of the tragedy was an overhaul of how establishments are constructed nowadays, more mindful of public congress and egress. Places like the Cocoanut Grove were deathtraps, overcrowded and laden with flammable materials, built with inwardly-swinging or key-locked exits, and laid out like mazes; it's a wonder blazes weren't so common as to render the Grove un-newsworthy. Another Cocoanut Grove legacy was the advancement of medical treatment of burns. The life-saving measures taken with 20 year-old survivor Clifford Johnson, recipient of literally thousands of "pinprick" skin grafts in one year, alone helped to revolutionize burn therapies.

Sadly, the elimination of corruption wasn't a legacy of the FITG, as evidenced by the wrist slap meted out recently to Jeff and Michael Derderian, owners of Rhode Island's The Station, home of a 2003 blaze that killed 100. Powerful and connected business owners flouting the law is evidently timeless, and that the owners got off virtually scot-free for ignoring many fire laws engendered by FITG is itself a tragedy.

WOW! What a book! Being a retired aerospace engineer, I originally was concerned that I would find this book too damn technical and consequently somewhat difficult to read. Instead, I found it to be very easy reading, detailing information about the lack of fire protection and the involvement of local politics to the detriment of the lives of the Coconut Grove patrons. Also discussed by Mr. Esposito are the so called court cases that ensued. All this information came thru to me in an excellant format so that the informataion that is imparted to me was easily readable and digestible. When I was a young man, I remember my parents discussing this fire and telling me about the pain and suffering that resulted, and hopefully the likely changes to the future fire codes. After finishing the book I now can fully understand what led up to the fire and the consequences of the owners and the local politicians actions which resulted in such a catastrophe. I can recommend this book to all, and especially to anyone that is concerned about the harm that corrupt politicians and greedy owners can create.

Orville M. Bercaw P. E.

As owner of a well established and often frequented nightclub in Milwaukee, I found the interplay between business and politics in this book to be oddly contemporary. Esposito writes comfortably about a complex and disturbing relationship of people and events that culminates in tragedy. Diagrams and photos complement very well the unraveling of this unnerving episode in urban American history. Every nightclub and restaurant owner should read this book!

I started it a couple of days ago and finished it last night.
First, I was horrified at the actual tragedies, and then got caught up in the political innuendoes. They were a sly and crafty group, but somehow the author managed to keep them fairly likable.

A story well told. I think it will fit in the file of Disasters in the United States, along with the Johnstown Flood, and The Galveston Horror,etc.

This book captures another perspective on the history of a popular World War II nightclub, that was "The Station" in its heyday. The author sought out different avenues and witnesses to give an insight to what actually happened that evening. History does repeat itself as he went on to share how people behaved like wild animals and actually contributed to their own demise because of their disorder during the emergency. This book is a must for fire service professionals and other related professionals who must understand and deal with people, from all walks of life, in extreme situations.

Mr. John Esposito has written a wonderful, compelling story combining the glamour of the 1940's night club era, the anxiety of WWII and the tragedy of the fire. The issues raised are still applicable in today's world.