A Matter of Degree is a true story and the definitive account of a renowned fire investigator and the nine-year mission of the heart that led to the discovery of arson and political conspiracy in the 1944 Ringling circus fire, an American tragedy equal in scope to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. LT. RICK DAVEY's internationally publicized re-investigation of the celebrated case resolved all of the mysteries swirling around the suspicious blaze that destroyed the Ringling circus and killed 168 people--including a beautiful but unknown 8-year-old girl who was known for 50 years as "Little Miss 1565."
A MATTER OF DEGREE is now the subject of a major operatic theater piece entitled The History Lesson, which had its premiere at the CSUS Festival of New American Music in San Francisco. Composed by Howard Hersh, with a libretto by Francesca Hersh, the piece presents the facts surrounding the Hartford Circus Fire in a context intended to demonstrate the impact of human suffering and the redemptive power of forgiveness.
Howard Hersh is also the composer of Sketches from Life, Shrapnel in the Heart, and Earthly Prayers, a 52-minute piece that premiered on National Public Radio.
A MATTER OF DEGREE has been chosen as a finalist in ForeWord Magazine's BOOK OF THE YEAR Awards in the history category for 2001.
