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Side Show: My Life with Geeks, Freaks & Vagabonds in the Carny Trade
Cultural Writing. Memoir. Howard Bone was a sideshow magician virtually his whole working life. During a long, eventful, and adventurous career he lived every aspect of outdoor show business in its golden era. SIDE SHOW captures the flavor of those boisterous times -- the characters, the scenes, the scams, the dodges, the joys and sorrows of carny ways as only an insider c...more
Paperback, 137 pages
Published
January 1st 2001
by Sun Dog Press
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The story of Howard Bone, a man that spent 40 years in the Carny trade, in his own words. It's written in a very conversational tone, very informal and easy to read, with a peppering of carny slang for a flavor that makes you feel like you're sitting on the porch with him, sharing a drink as he talks about how he used to live. Howard covers all the things he did in the business, from bally talker to ticket taker to working in the At' (wrestling or boxing) shows. The girly shows and the menagerie...more
I barely remember this book at all, but this was my (poorly written) review in 2001:
"I read this book out of love for carnival and freakish attractions. I did enjoy the various true stories told by the ex carnie, but the way he wrote was complicated to follow. He didn’t tell the stories in order that they happened, but more of how he remembered them while talking. It was difficult for me to follow sometimes, but I seemed to have gotten the gist of what he was saying. After reading it, I did end...more
"I read this book out of love for carnival and freakish attractions. I did enjoy the various true stories told by the ex carnie, but the way he wrote was complicated to follow. He didn’t tell the stories in order that they happened, but more of how he remembered them while talking. It was difficult for me to follow sometimes, but I seemed to have gotten the gist of what he was saying. After reading it, I did end...more
I love memoirs by carnies! There's something really enjoyable about the seediness and unrepentant sleaze that fills these books. I guess they fall into the same camp as Jim Thompson novels and 70's Grindhouse features, an escape from the respectable world most of us are forced into 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year until we die.....
If you like multifaceted non-fiction authored by well-respected scholars, then Side Show: My Life with Geeks, Freaks, and Vagabonds in the Carny Trade is not for you. However, if you want a quick, fun read about the carnival life as led by one Howard Bone, then...knock yourself out!
A great, quick read about Howard Bone's life in the carnival and all the related shenanigans. A fun insight into the carnival life.
I am eternally envious of Penn and Teller for having forged a friendship with Howard Bone before his death. They got to hear some of the stories from this book from Bone himself. Reading the book was like visiting with an interesting and eccentric relative who had a story for everything - but wasn't boastful or inappropriate. It was a quick read with some fascinating insight into American carnival and circus history.
Howard Bone lived a fascinating life... authentic stories that provide a good look at old-school carny lives.
Feb 05, 2013
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