UNDER THE BIG TOP: A Season with the Circus

Both a great American adventure and a rare entry into a sheltered world, UNDER THE BIG TOP describes one man's pursuit of every child's fantasy: running away to join the circus. Bruce Feiler's unforgettable year as a clown will forever change your view of one of the world's oldest art forms and remind you of how dreams can go horribly wrong -- and then miraculously come true.

Critical Praise

"A stunning collective portrait of an ingrown community with its own history, hierarchy, and traditions." --The New Yorker

"Inspirational." --New York Times

"Bruce Feiler is a keen and thoughtful observer . . . he forces circus goers to see the familiar spectacles anew." --New York Times Book Review

"A colorful, sometimes unsettling, pageant of circus life." --Entertainment Weekly

"As irresistible as cotton candy, as attention-grabbing as the death-defying trapeze act." --Indianapolis Star

"A gritty, haunting story." --People

"Sure-handed . . . dark-hued . . . extraordinary." --Christian Science Monitor

"Startling . . . romantic . . . seductive." --Denver Post

"Spellbinding . . . captivating . . . truly touching." --Princeton Times

"A mud and sweat-filled, but ultimately loving portrait of the circus." --New York Post

"Incredible . . . exciting . . . unbelievable . . . " --Chattanooga Free Press

"Writing beautifully. . . Bruce Feiler penetrates the heart and soul of circus life with such stark clarity." --Douglas Brinkley, author of The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey

"A three ring triumph . . . the best book ever written about the circus." --Jim Foster, editor of The White Tops