About The Lost Tribe of Coney Island
- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: New Harvest (October 14, 2014)
Readers of Erik Larson will love this tale of sex, greed, and the American dream: A huckster imports a tribe of Filipinos to Coney Island’s Luna Park, and two cultures collide.
The Lost Tribe of Coney Island unearths the forgotten story of the Igorrotes, a group of “headhunting, dog-eating savages” from the Philippines, who were transported to New York in 1905 to appear as “human exhibits” alongside the freaks and curiosities at Coney Island’s Luna Park. Millions of fair-goers delighted in their tribal dances and rituals, near-nudity, tattoos, and stories of headhunting.
Journalist Claire Prentice, who has spent years researching the topic, brings the story to life with her fluid prose and vivid descriptions. The book boasts a colorful cast of characters, including the disgraced lieutenant turned huckster Truman K. Hunt; his Filipino interpreter, Julio Balinag; the theme park impresarios behind Luna Park, Fred Thompson and Elmer “Skip” Dundy; and Dogmena, a beautiful girl who became a favorite with New York’s social elite. The Lost Tribe of Coney Island is a fascinating social history and a tale of adventure, culture-clash, and the American dream.
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Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
About Claire Prentice
Claire Prentice is an award-winning journalist whose work has been published in The Washington Post, The Times of London, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC Online, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire. Connect with Claire on her blog, claireprentice.wordpress.com.
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Claire Prentice’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, October 13th: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Monday, October 13th: Booksie’s Blog
Tuesday, October 14th: Kahakai Kitchen
Tuesday, October 14th: Time 2 Read
Wednesday, October 15th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, October 21st: Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Wednesday, October 22nd: She Treads Softly
Thursday, October 23rd: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Friday, October 24th: Dwell in Possibility
Monday, October 27th: BookNAround
Monday, October 27th: Mental Foodie
Monday October 27th: Padre Steve
Tuesday, October 28th: girlichef
Tuesday, October 28th: Lisa’s Yarns
Wednesday, October 29th: A Bookish Affair
Thursday, October 30th: Wordsmithonia
Thursday, November 20th: 50 Book Project