Michael Downs: 3 books

Fire sweeps along the wall of a circus tent while inside thousands of people enjoy a Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey matinee. Within minutes, flames consume the canvas and vast sections collapse, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more. Inspired by the 1944 Hartford Circus Fire, the...

In 1844, Horace Wells, a Connecticut dentist, encountered nitrous oxide, or laughing gas—then an entertainment for performers in carnival-like theatrical acts—and began administering the gas as the first true anesthetic. His discovery would change the world, reshaping medicine and humanity’s...

Linda’s husband and two young sons were killed by a drunk driver in 2003. Shelly’s toddler was injured in a drunk driving crash in 1996. Michael’s brother Patrick was killed by an impaired driver in 2007. They all have two things in common: juggling an aftermath of overwhelming emotions while...