Circle of Sawdust Reviews

Circle of Sawdust is a personal story of the wild characters, remarkable histories, and behind-the-scenes world of traditional traveling circuses. It’s the true-life tale of 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.

Rob Mermin, the founder of Circus Smirkus, writes about his life as a creative artist and the idealistic struggle to hold onto a dream. “Circus Smirkus has existed for 35 years and, even though it was my dream for decades, it  almost didn’t happen,” says Mermin.

“I was confronted with naysayers who resisted taking creative risks. I hope readers are inspired by my story to hang on to idealism and pursue their own improbable dreams with determination, passion, and above all, a sense of humor.”

* * * * *

BOSTON GLOBE REVIEW
by Nina MacLaughlin May 24, 2024
In 1987, Rob Mermin founded Circus Smirkus, a tented touring youth circus, on 38 acres in Vermont. He’d run away nearly twenty years before, leaving the tumult of late ’60s America for a quieter radicalism learning circus abroad. He studied and toured with troupes in Europe with a goal of founding his own circus as an embodiment of his ideals: “humor without malice, laughter without scorn, common sense in public discourse, decency in human relations, delight in sharing skills without aggressive competition.”
In “Circle of Sawdust: A Circus Memoir of Mud, Myth, Mirth, Mayhem, and Magic” (Rootstock), Mermin details his wanderings, adventures, the wild and wooly characters he encounters, and the joy he’s brought to audiences and performers. The book shows circus as lifestyle, as a way of interaction, as a way of living and seeing the world that’s defined by moments of joy and magic.
With Circus Smirkus, Mermin sought to build a bridge between traditional circus practices and more modern approaches. And he serves as a beaming example of someone who chose to step “out on the path of adventure to overcome self-doubts and timidity, explore the world, and strive to be true to my own instincts and dreams.”
There’s a clowning exuberance here, an abiding faith in the power of laughter and dazzle, the wisdom to recognize “the perplexity and naivete — and stubborn determination — of the human experience.” He shows us, too, that “sometimes calamity is the prelude to an experience of profound grace.”

More Reviews and 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

Montpelier The Bridge, May 21, 2024 Circle of Sawdust review

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

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

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