Exploring the Magic of American Carnivals: A Yearlong Journey Through State Fairs, Festivals, and Carnivals Across the U.S.

Kindle Customer: I wanted to love this book so much. I was told it was a mixture of On the Road, Travels with Charley, and the Magical Mystery Tour.

What I discover upon reading the first half of this book was, Every opportunity the author had to enlighten us about the lives of the people he met and the travels were glossed over.

For example, He hitchhikes from California to New York in a few paragraphs. You get to know more about the piece of cardboard he slept on than the entire trip. He meets interesting characters in his travels, I wish he would have included a little something about them them in the book.

The author should have called this book "You Had To Be There"

United States on Sep 20, 2023

Bob L.: I really had no idea what to expect going into this book. Not usually what i would choose to read but it sounded interesting. It was! I really enjoyed it. I found much of it was nearly difficult to believe.
For something completely different, read this book.

United States on Jun 29, 2023

Robert B. Walker: If you do not have much close experience or connection to American carnival life, this book fills you in on a great deal about it as personally experienced by the author. It is written based on his experiences working as a carny for an array of American carnival companies from California to New York to Alaska, Texas, Minnesota, Florida and others. The author brings to light, many of the labor inequities of the carnival worker and the conditions in which they work. He makes an effort to balance out these with right to work realities, but there is not much perspective given from the carnival owners' viewpoint. Poetic and cleverly insightful at times, this is a worthwhile read for those with some spare time.

United States on Oct 05, 2022

Amazon Customer: A++++++++++ seller! Fast shipping and great book!

Canada on Sep 12, 2021

Bookshillstation: The deeper you read the more you'll see. If you're into adventure then it's for you. It's also a true story with the story arc of a novel and deals with the American Caste system, the working poor, Mexican immigration and the Joy we are all missing due to Covid. This is the greatest American road book

India on Jan 03, 2021

Max I: I actually lived this story and traveled with the hero all around. A story of life’s meaning, questions and answers. It is by working behind the scenes you get to learn the other side of the coin in any industry. I was always fascinated by circuses and festivals. A lifestyle of constant movement, living out of suitcase, meeting people you might never meet again, becoming friends the same day, and leaving the next.

It is definitely a new and refreshing look at the other side of the bright lights and decorations.

The adventures, people, stories - everything in this book is compelling and intriguing. A great piece of journalism and an outstanding book. And I can guarantee you will remember this book the next time you attend a fair or a festival.

Canada on Nov 26, 2020

Genesis Fix: The next book on my reading docket this summer was the recently published American Oz, a book by journalist Michael Sean Comerford. The tale is described on the book cover as “An astonishing year inside traveling carnivals at state fairs and festivals.” And it is.

Comerford was not so naive or ultimately as frail in purpose as the peripatetic McCandless (featured in the book Into the Wild, John Krakauer). He tore into his journey to work at carnivals with patent determination. He chronicles the doubts this decision created at times yet stands as solidly as one could imagine almost every situation he encountered. Such are the challenges and joys of immersive journalism.

Those were not days filled with comforts. Working at traveling carnivals is a nomadic existence on its own. Traveling between caravans was even tougher. Comerford learned how to live lean. Beyond that, he learned to make do in often depressing circumstances.

He was robbed and had precious bikes stolen. His life was even threatened at times by co-workers. But at 6'5" and possessed of a cutting sense of humor, he avoided potentially fatal confrontations. He was his own form of...

United States on Sep 21, 2020

Colin M. Shea: Is your social bubble feeling small, and do you want to get out and meet new people? Are you feeling cooped up after months of quarantine, and want to set out on the open road? Then read "American OZ: An Astonishing Year Inside Travelling Carnivals as State Fairs and Festivals" by award-winning journalist Mike Comerford. Go back in time to the halcyon, pre-pandemic year of 2013, and travel with Mike as he hitchhikes (and occasionally takes buses and trains) over 21,000 miles from San Francisco to the Big Apple, from Fairbanks Alaska to Tlapacoyan, Mexico, working travelling carnivals in some 13 states. Living the life of a "carnie," Mike offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at an ubiquitous American institution. It is a hard life of long hours, rough living conditions, occasional dangers, and low pay. Mike meets extraordinary characters along the way, some noble and generous, and others selfish and predatory. But Mike does not presume to judge. Instead, he seems to have a real affection for his new co-workers. For a self-avowed atheist, he makes a remarkably Christian confession when he writes, "Traveling carnivals employ precious people with immortal souls whose work is vital...

United States on Aug 05, 2020