Description
Description
Gold Winner, Nonfiction, 2024 Literary Titan Book Award
Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Books of 2024
First Prize, Creative Nonfiction, 2024 North Street Book Prize
Circle of Sawdust is a uniquely personal story of the wild characters, fascinating personalities, remarkable histories, and behind-the-scenes world of traditional traveling circuses.
Here is a true-life tale about a boy's impulse to run off and join the circus and then-through doubt, failure, loss, and tragedy-pursue the implausible vision of starting his own circus! With humor and passion, founder of Circus Smirkus Rob Mermin writes about the precarious life of a creative artist, the ups and downs of taking risks, and the idealistic struggle to hold onto a dream.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"A fascinating tour de force that displays the enduring, unique appeal of the circus."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"There is a magical quality in this book. Yes, it is a circus story, but it is really about the struggles of pursuing a dream, reaching it, and having the courage to push beyond it. It is highly entertaining, masterful storytelling! It reads like a Chaplin silent film, from laugh-out-loud comedy, to moving us to tears, completely capturing the essence of a life in circus."
-Alla Youdina, former creative director of new acts for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Publishing Information
Publishing Information

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