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  • Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem and Magic by Rob Mermin book cover
  • Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem and Magic by Rob Mermin book cover
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Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem and Magic

by Rob Mermin

A life shaped by the circus

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    First Prize, Creative Nonfiction, 2024 North Street Book Prize

    First Prize, Creative Nonfiction, 2024

  • Editorial selection

    Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Books of 2024

    Included in Best Indie Books of 2024

AlbakiReads Editorial

A life shaped by the circus

Rob Mermin’s memoir traces a path from a boy’s urge to run away with the circus to founding Circus Smirkus. Along the way, it opens a window onto the backstage world of traditional traveling circuses and the people who inhabit it. The account also considers the precariousness of creative work: pursuing an ambitious undertaking brings doubt, setbacks, loss, and tragedy, alongside humor and passion. Circus life and the effort to build an independent artistic venture give the memoir its central subjects.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in circus history and the behind-the-scenes world of traveling circuses.
  • Those curious about the experiences of a performing-arts founder and creative artist.
  • Readers who enjoy memoirs about risk, setbacks, and pursuing an ambitious dream.

Themes

Traditional traveling circusesCreative work and riskPersistence and idealismHumor amid hardship

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Winner, 2025 London Book Festival

Gold, 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.

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