Circle of Sawdust by Rob Mermin
2024 North Street Book Prize: First Prize for Creative Nonfiction & Memoir
Rob Mermin's Circle of Sawdust is a personal story of the wild characters, remarkable histories, and behind-the-scenes world of traditional traveling circuses. It's the true-life tale of 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.
"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, Creative Director, Moscow Circus and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Kirkus Reviews, the nation's leading source of book reviews, gave the book a starred review, calling it "a fascinating tour de force that displays the enduring, unique appeal of the circus."
Mermin ran off to join the circus in 1969 and studied the art of mime with famed French mime Marcel Marceau. An accomplished performer, entrepreneur, author, lecturer, playwright, and director, Mermin founded the award-winning international touring company Circus Smirkus in Greensboro, Vermont.
Jendi Reiter, final judge of the North Street Book Prize, says, "Mermin's anecdotes from six decades in the circus are hilarious, poignant, and hair-raising. What makes this memoir resonate for me, however, is the model it provides for the artistic life, a deft balance of spontaneity and dedication that leaves no room for self-aggrandizement." Read the full North Street critique.
Read an excerpt from Circle of Sawdust (PDF)
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