Memoirs of a Sword Swallower

I picked this up at the Salvation Army in Buffalo. It's certainly dated, but does have some laugh-out-loud lines. If you've any interest in the old-fashioned carny life and are willing to overlook the politically incorrect tone of a book written in the late forties, this is worth a read. Some of the sword and neon-tube swallowing stories are positively harrowing, as are the fire-eating. That's a stiff learning curve.

The style of this book might seem odd to some young readers, but I highly recommend it for people of all ages. The true story of what happened when Dan Mannix joined the carnival as a side show performer is amazing, normal, g-rated, sexy and surprisingly introspective. The book has been reissued under an unnecessarily flashier title - "Confessions of a Sword Swallower" but the book remains a straightforward and fascinating read.