Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of A Man in Miniature By George Sullivan

 Did you ever felt that you were born to be “star”? How would you feel that your dreams might have faded of because of your physical features? Will you work harder to live this dream? George Sullivan details the life and adventures of General Charles Sherwood Stratton, better known as “Tom Thumb”

This detail biographic novel details from when Tom Thumb, 1938, was born to the start of his me with P.T. Barnum to the stroke that cause his early death. When Tom Thumb was born he was as normal as any baby could be, in fact, he was consider one the largest newborns at that time. At six months old, he stop growing, both height and weight. At this time, science was not as advanced as today; there were no x ray to really explain the cause of Dwarfism in Tom Thumb.  At age four, Tom Thumb height was 2 inches and   weight fifteen pounds.  

At this time, P.T. Barnum had just recently opened his new museum, which he called “Barnum American Museum”. The museum consisted of live action shows and curiosities. In his museum, he exhibit all types of people (mostly people who had a physical deformation) . P.T. Barnum heard of Tom Thumb’s miniaturize and quickly wanted to add him to the museum. To Barnum fortune, Both Tom Thumb and his parent agree to let him be a part of Barnum’s museum/circus. At the age of Five, Tom Thumb had his first appearance and performance at the museum. By the age of six, he was obtaining more fame than the other performers that were part of the exhibition/ circus performance. Even though P.T Barnum exploited him, he refused to leave the museum because he was obtaining what he has always dreamed of.

George Sullivan really did an amazing work with this biography. Not only did he detail the life of one the greatest circus performers, but he also included a historical context of P.T. Barnum.  This Historical context helps the reader understand how people with physical deformations were treated and respected in the 19^th century.
 I think the book would be more beneficial for a younger audience because its an easy read and it also provides a great historical of one the famous miniature performers of the 19th century.