American OZ

By Michael Sean Comerford,

Book cover of American OZ: An Astonishing Year Inside Traveling Carnivals at State Fairs & Festivals: Hitchhiking From California to New York, Alaska to Mexico

Book description

"Reminiscent of ... the gritty writings of Studs Terkel and John Steinbeck, with a dash of Jack Kerouac, Tony Horwitz, and even Hunter S. Thompson." Review!

"Majestic ... Deep Observations About Life!" -- Chicago Tribune.
American OZ is a rollicking, gritty, adventurous story of life in the secretive subculture of…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked American OZ as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I didn’t know I was curious about the secret lives of those that work for the carnival and circuses. There is much fiction written about it, but I never knew what it was really like, boots on the ground working in the “secretive subculture of traveling carnivals.” Who are the people who are drawn or forced into this work? What are their lives like before and after carnival work? What's life like on the road?

I was drawn to this book because I felt a kinship to the story of what life is like living between two worlds as I…

If you love American OZ...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like American OZ?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like American OZ.

Browse books like American OZ

Book cover of A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City
Book cover of Memoirs of a Geisha
Book cover of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,592

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like American OZ, you might also like...

Book cover of Adventures in the Radio Trade: A Memoir

Adventures in the Radio Trade By Joe Mahoney,

Adventures in the Radio Trade documents a life in radio, largely at Canada's public broadcaster. It's for people who love CBC Radio, those interested in the history of Canadian Broadcasting, and those who want to hear about close encounters with numerous luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, J. Michael Straczynski, Stuart…

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? By Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Mexico, Alaska, and presidential biography?

Mexico 234 books
Alaska 112 books