Really minimal effort was put into this book about deformed humans, or humans with some kind of difference that makes them a curiosity. One used to be able to pay money and stare at them. Now that happens in zoos. ( )

unique book about human oddities and cary folk ( )

Here's another of several books in my library on the subject of real-life persons with unusual anatomical variations: conjoined twins, dwarfs, pituitary giants, hypertrichosics, Proteus syndrome sufferers, microcephalics, &c. Drimmer's writing style didn't much appeal to me, and most of the material (on both the lives and conditions of various people) was familiar to me. However, Very Special People offers more in-depth detail on certain historical individuals than I've read elsewhere, as well as a generous black-and-white photo section at the beginning of the book. ( )

This very usual book documents the lives of famous human oddities, seeking to transform their image from that of "freaks" in a sideshow to that of individual human beings who are making the best of their handicaps (or occasionally- as in the case of the three-legged man, gifts). With chapter titled things such as "Little People" for famous dwarfs and "Hairy People" for bearded women the book conveys a light-heated look at an interesting chapter in human history. The book does have some problems. It is a little candy coated, rather happily blazing through exploitation of various types, slavery, and depression with a sort of slightly-saddened smile. Somehow Barnum comes off as a simultaneously being a saint and a shyster and all of the VSP are shown as being sort of jolly, even if evidence says that they weren't.
Still, the book was a landmark and is the only I've encountered that humanely covers such a wide variety of VSP. With a plea for kindness on the first page, the book does take a muddle of myth, fact, exaggeration, and truth that is hard to believe and craft a novel out of it. The medical aspects and some of the vocabulary is dated; but the book is still a very interesting and worthwhile read. ( )