America's Original GI Town: Park Forest, Illinois Book

Six hundred people died when Chicago's Iroquois Theater caught fire. The theater was advertised to be fireproof and state of the art, and its owners were working feverishly to make money.

During a holiday matinee, a faulty spotlight set a curtain ablaze, and the terrible truths about the Iroquois were revealed: unfinished fire escapes, locked exit doors, missing exit signs, no fire alarm or firefighting equipment. By the time help arrived, it was too late.

In the wake of the tragedy, public condemnation was swift, especially when it became painfully clear that preventable failures has been detected but ignored by the theater owners, employees, the fire department, and numerous city officials. Yet despite the clear dereliction and neglect, no one was ever punished. No one went to jail, paid a fine, or paid damages.

The book uses contemporary newspaper accounts and eyewitness testimony to bring a forgotten tragedy to life. As the author points out, many of today's theaters have similar issues and risks. Anyone who remembers the Rhode Island nightclub fire knows this is sadly true. The victims of this tragedy deserve to be remembered, and this book tells that story.