Release Date: May 28, 2024
Size: 6 x 9”
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-57869-156-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023915479
Booksellers and Libraries: Order Info Here or at Ingram.

SYNOPSIS

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, the 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.

PRAISE

“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 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

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“What does happen when you run off to a foreign country and join the circus? Unlikely adventures! Rob Mermin’s story is delightfully told, and filled with colorful characters and unexpected events that make for truly enjoyable reading. He opens the curtain on true circus life, with its mix of triumphs and sorrows, and we get to sit back and enjoy all these wonderful, wild, and sometimes whacky experiences!”

—Dominique Jando, circus historian and founder of Circopedia.org

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“Mermin, a dedicated mentor, has inspired generations of young people. As an author, and entertainer, he is charming, authentic, and passionate....”

—Ernst Albrecht, founder and editor of Spectacle, A Quarterly Journal of the Circus Arts 

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“Absolutely recommended reading for anyone who has ever dreamed of running of to join a circus…an inherently fascinating autobiography from start to finish.”

—Midwest Book Review

Reviews & In the News

Brattleboro Reformer, October 14, 2024: Brooks Memorial Library to host Big Top Author Event

StoryComic, October 3, 2024: Behind Every Laugh & Trick: The Real Circus Life with Rob Mermin!

The Hazen Road Dispatch, Volume 48, Summer 2024: Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem and Magic reviewed by Kyle Gray

Burlington Free Press, June 21, 2024: Stay cool by the pool this summer by reading these books with Vermont connections

VTDigger, Vermont Conversation, June 12, 2024: How Rob Mermin ran away with the circus and spent a life under the big top

Caledonian Record, June 6, 2024: Circus Smirkus Program Set June 11 In Hardwick

Boston Globe, May 24, 2024: New wisdom from 826 Boston, a memoir of circus life, and a bookstore springs up in Springfield

Seven Days, May 29, 2024: In a New Memoir, Circus Smirkus Founder Rob Mermin Shares the Mirth, Magic and Mayhem of Life Under the Big Top

CCTV, Town Meeting TV, May 22, 2204: Rob Mermin - Running Home to the Circus

The Montpelier Bridge, May 21, 2024: Rob Mermin’s Life in Circus: From a madcap traveling circus in Wales to founding Circus Smirkus in Vermont

WCAX-TV, May 20, 2024: Circus Smirkus founder to release memoir

The Times Argus, May 18, 2024: In memoir, Mermin unites circus myths, tributes

The North Star, April 30, 2024: Founder of Circus Smirkus Publishes Memoir

Kirkus Reviews (starred review), April 30, 2024: A fascinating tour de force that displays the enduring, unique appeal of the circus.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Rob Mermin ran off to join the circus in 1969 and studied the art of mime with Marcel Marceau. An accomplished performer, entrepreneur, author, lecturer, playwright, and director, Rob founded the award-winning international touring company Circus Smirkus in Greensboro, Vermont.