Kinker: Circusing the Seventies (Tales of a Traveling Airbrush)

AMAZON BESTSELLER! Winner of the 2026 PenCraft Book Award. When a fiercely imaginative, relentlessly restless teenager bolts from the confines of home, he doesn’t just run away—he runs toward something wild. Under the traveling big top, Dave is swept into a world pulsing with color, danger, and possibility. Among acrobats, outcasts, and dreamers, he discovers a place where misfits aren’t just tolerated—they’re essential. He drums for the nightly shows, splashes art across the circus caravans, and finally feels the spark of belonging he’s been starving for. But life on the fringes only whets his appetite. Dave wants the center ring. Captivated by the animals whose grace and power mesmerize the crowds, he enters a rare apprenticeship that upends everything he thought he knew about control. Instead of dominance, he learns partnership. Instead of force, patience. Through trust, gentleness, and a near-spiritual bond between man and beast, he trains a six‑horse liberty act that becomes the heartbeat of the show—and his own long‑awaited moment in the spotlight. But the brighter the lights, the darker the shadows. Fame sweeps him up fast, and the excesses nearly destroy him. At his lowest, the circus family he once believed in abandons him in a foreign country—broke, humiliated, and utterly alone. With nowhere left to fall, he limps back to his parents’ new home expecting condemnation. Instead, he finds something astonishing: a back‑to‑the‑land commune of seekers, castaways, veterans, ex‑ministers, and wanderers rebuilding their lives from the soil up. Welcomed without judgment, Dave learns humility in the quiet rhythms of communal living. As he opens himself to others, he begins to rediscover faith—not the rigid doctrine of his childhood, but a lived, breathing connection to something larger. In stillness, service, and honest self‑reckoning, he realizes the gift he’s been chasing was never out there under the lights. It was inside him all along. With a new compass and a steadier heart, Dave returns to the circus—not to escape, but to belong. Grounded, clear‑eyed, and more alive than ever, he steps once more into the sawdust with a final challenge before him: To create an act worthy of the man he has finally become.
ASIN: B0DLGXH94P
VSKU: GBV.B0DLGXH94P.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Knoderer, Dave Letterfly
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: This book is in acceptable condition and may have highlighting and or writing throughout. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo, dust jacket may be damaged or missing. Book may show internal and or external wear on spine or cover and may be slightly skewed or have creased pages. This is a used book so codes may be invalid or accompanying media may be missing. May be an Ex library book with stickers and stamps.