4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson is a book with three different parts. The first two parts introduce us to the main characters, Duke Reynolds, the sword swallower, and Gary Robinson, the Chico kid. Part three is the story of how their lives intersect.
This story has such a powerful theme of finding purpose in life and loving others. Duke was a runaway but the people at the circus opened their arms to him and gave him a sort of family. As Duke explained: "My home was unsettling, as my family suffered from alcoholism. As I'm sure you are aware, a child can never find peace in a house ruled by alcohol. The circus opened their arms to me and I never felt more at home."
One underlying trend in this book is alcoholism but uses this to illustrate how destructive choices have real impacts. The book is very realistic when showing how alcoholism affects people and their lives, rather, prevents someone from having one.
The characters are what really makes this book. Both Duke and Gary are developed characters. Duke is probably one of my favorite characters ever. He is, as the book describes him, a "beautiful soul." His main message is about living life to its fullest. He often says: "All you have is today" which leads into my favorite quote from this book. My favorite quote is: "Whatever happened yesterday, last year, at age five, whenever, it's gone, son. All you have is today. Actually, all you are guaranteed is this moment. Listen to your heart! Fulfill your dreams."
I wasn't a real fan of Gary's story, there was a lot of hard partying and drinking and swearing, which I have to admit, made it very realistic. I did like that throughout part two, which is Gary's story, you could see how it ties into the intro. In the introduction, we see an older Gary with his family, specifically his wife and grandson so it was interesting to read his story and see how he met his wife and the role she plays in his early life.
All in all, I really liked this story and give it a 4 out of 4. There was always something interesting happening, whether it was outlandish circus acts or a crazy break in, there was lots going on. Duke's life at the circus drew me in right away and, in the words of Gary Robinson: "At that moment, I realized that this interesting man had a story to tell and I wanted to know it."
******
The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like K32's review? Post a comment saying so!
