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Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath

door John C. Esposito

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On Saturday night, November 28, 1942, Boston suffered its worst disaster ever. At the city's premier nightspot, the Cocoanut Grove, the largest nightclub fire in U.S. history took the lives of 492 people--nearly one of every two people on the premises. A flash of fire that started in an imitation palm tree rolled through the overcrowded club with breathtaking speed and in a mere eight minutes anyone left in the club was dead or doomed. The Grove was a classic firetrap, the product of greed and indifference on the part of the owners and the politicians who had knowingly allowed such conditions to exist. Against the backdrop of Boston politics, cronyism, and corruption, author John C. Esposito re-creates the drama of the fire and explores the public outcry that followed. In retelling the horrific events of one of America's most cataclysmic tragedies, Esposito has fashioned both an incomparably gripping narrative and a vibrant portrait of the era. But it is the intense, detailed narrative of the fire--harrowing yet compulsively readable--and the trials that followed that will stay with the reader well after they finish this remarkable book. "[Esposito] reminds us that the cautionary tale of the Cocoanut Grove is still relevant today." (New York Law Journal)… (meer)

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On November 28th, 1942, a popular nightclub and restaurant in Boston was packed with around a thousand people. By law, there should have been half that. The many exits should have been unlocked and usable, but the majority were locked or blocked to keep guests from skipping out on their checks. The owner had even built a coat check room across one exit. The decor was supposed to be flame-retardant, but the fire started in one of the paper-mache palm trees and withing seconds spread to the thousands of feet of fabric draped across the ceilings. Within ninety seconds the fire had engulfed the basement lounge and spread to the main floor dining room, killing more than 50 servicemen and cowboy star Buck Jones.
The Cocoanut Grove Disaster is still the largest nightclub fire in American history, killing just under 500 people. It tested new theories in medicine and led to innovative treatment of surviving burn victims, including pinprick skin grafts.
This book includes the many trials of the owner and his employees, in which the extensive level of corruption among the Boston licensing boards, the fire department and even the mayor were exposed, yet really only the owner was punished. (

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mstrust | Sep 23, 2021 |

5711. Fire in the Grove The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath, by John C. Esposito (read 14 Oct 2020) This book, published in 2005, is about the Cocoanut Grove fire which took place on Nov. 28, 1942. It tells of the fire and of some of the persons' experiences therein and of the litigation which resulted--only one person was convicted of a serious crime. I did not think the book did a very good job in telling of the fire. Since the book was researched so long after the occurrence I think that may have affected the quality of the account. I have read better books on fires. Probably the one that stands out in my memory is To Sleep With the Angels, by David Cowan and John Kuenster which I read on 22 Feb 2003 . (

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Schmerguls | Oct 14, 2020 |

Very absorbing analysis of one of American history's worst fire disasters, the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, which killed approximately 490 people in November, 1942. The book is very well-organized, especially in describing how the fire spread, and precisely what the problems were in crowd control that led to the disaster. The author explains some of the innovations that came out of the disaster, such as the treatment for burns and the study of PTSD. The illustrations are well-chosen, with the map of the nightclub being the most interesting, and the most helpful. There's even a discussion of how Boston politics affected the disaster and the people involved. Definitely recommended. (

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EricCostello | Mar 30, 2018 |

An interesting tale of the fire at the Cocoanut Grove in Boston on November 28, 1942. It cover the before and after which makes for a good story. It shows what changes were made after the fire to make these types of places safer. An interesting note though, the last chapter of the book covered the fire in the Rhode Island night club in 2003. It is interesting that all these years later people are still not willing to follow the rules and these horrible fires still happen. The book also gives some good tips on how we as patrons of these establishments can protect ourselves. A good look at another historical event that could have been prevented. (

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bnbookgirl | Mar 20, 2012 |

This is a very readable book about a disastrous fire at a nightclub in Boston in 1942. The book describes the fire in some detail, but the heart of the book is about the failures in codes and inspections that allowed it to consume so many lives. The book walks the tightrope between giving detail about the background and telling the gripping story of the actual fire very well, so that it kept my interest from beginning to end. Just when the reader gets feeling smug about how this fire changed the culture and we're all safer now, the closing chapter describes the Station fire, and it becomes clear we have not come nearly so far as we would like to think. (

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williwhy | Oct 7, 2010 |

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