ARA Review by mtnlvr71 of The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid

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mtnlvr71
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ARA Review by mtnlvr71 of The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid

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[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid.]
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4 out of 5 stars
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Review The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid

“Behind the Scenes at the Circus”

The book is in three parts. I enjoyed the first part, found the second difficult, skimmed the third, and read the ending. And so, this review will focus on the interesting scenes in Part One when Duke, the sword swallower, lived and worked with the circus.

It was great to read about the inner workings of a circus, especially the details about the folks who made up the sideshow. Author, Gary Robinson, did a wonderful job of describing the typical sideshow acts from start to finish. Also, his sideshow characters were interesting and well developed. Not only did we witness their acts, we learned about their lives with the circus and their interactions within the circus family. I enjoyed this part of the book all the more because, as a child, I was not allowed to see the sideshows.

As a kid, I loved the Barnum and Bailey circus. The big tent, the animals, the high wire act, the clowns, and the rest of the show were the highlight of my year. My upbringing was such that my father would not allow us to attend the "sideshows," dropping veiled hints at their inappropriateness for my tender eyes. Naturally that prohibition only made me more curious and so I strained to peek around his tall legs to see the colorful painted canvas tents, read the posters, and hear the barker's enticing patter.

Barnum and Bailey's show was what was known as a three-ring circus. A different act was going on, simultaneously, in each of three rings. It could be high up where trapeze artists gracefully flew through the air. Another ring might show a lion-tamer cracking his loud whip to make the lions obey his commands. They would perch on top of colorful barrels and roar loudly. It might be a pony act in which beautifully garbed acrobats did amazing tricks while balancing on the backs of horses which trotted around the ring. Best of all were the hilarious and sometimes famous clowns.

Since my father would not allow us to attend the sideshows, my curiosity was whetted for this book. I enjoyed the wonderfully descriptive stories that author Gary Robinson wrote about the sideshow family. Duke, the sword swallower put on a stunning performance twice for every show--once before the big tent show and once after. I had been taught that the sword-swallower could not actually swallow the sword--it had to be fake, as were the rest of the fake acts behind those hidden curtains. Now, I have learned from author Robinson that they were not fake at all. Duke actually swallowed those swords. Perhaps the truth was stretched or enhanced a bit, in that the "nine-foot giant" was probably only seven and a half feet tall. But the sword swallower's act was true and very dangerous.

A surprising element was the way the sideshow family thought of themselves, laughingly referring to each other as freaks, all the while becoming quite rich as they brought in lots of eager gawkers willing to pay one or two quarters to stare at so-called freaks of nature. Unfortunately, Duke and the others were badly addicted to methamphetamines and alcohol and that abuse became an important theme for the book.

The book featured many scenes of people doing drugs, along with cussing and bad behavior. It became much worse in Part Two, which introduced the Chico kid and followed his wild exploits through school and on. Perhaps Part Two is an accurate portrayal of the behavior of fraternity boys in those days. I could not say as I worked and studied hard in college, attended Sunday School, and led a much more wholesome, sheltered life. (My books are criticized as being unrealistically goody-goody.) And so, I am not the right person to judge. Part Two just became too much for me. Others may find it true-to-life and interesting.

Author Robinson neatly and nicely wraps it all up in Part Three and at the end.

I rate the book four out of a five.

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