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My Life Under the Big Top by Rev. David K. Fly Pdf
In his book, My Life Under the Big Top, the Rev. David Fly shares his lifes journey as a standup comedian, a professional television clown, and an Episcopal priest. The three roles became increasingly intertwined throughout his life. The big top of the circus came to represent for him the church with its sense of wonder and mysterya world from which no one is excluded. The role of the clown and the Christian is to play Stan Laurel to the worlds Oliver Hardy, exposing the folly of pretense and the vanity of pride. The book is both a memoir and a theological reflection.
Under the Big Top examines the immensely popular big tent revivals of turn-of-the-twentieth-century America and develops a new framework for understanding Protestantism in this transformative period of the nation's history. Contemporary critics of the revivalists often depicted them as anxious and outdated religious opponents of a modern, urban nation. Early historical accounts likewise portrayed tent revivalists as Victorian hold-outs, bent on re-establishing nineteenth-century values and religion in a new America. In this revisionist work, Josh McMullen argues that, contrary to these stereotypes, big tent revivalists actually participated in the shift away from Victorianism and helped in the construction of a new consumer culture in the United States. How did the United States became the most consumer-driven and yet one of the most religious societies in the western world? McMullen shows that revivalists and their audiences reconciled the Protestant ethic of salvation with the emerging consumer ethos by cautiously unlinking Christianity from Victorianism and joining it to the new, emerging consumer culture. Under the Big Top helps to explain the continued appeal of both the therapeutic and the salvific worldview to many Americans as well as the ambivalence that accompanies this combination.
“A valuable and illuminating read, shedding a lot of light on the political, economic and technological factors that have driven circus evolution” (The Circus Diaries). Beneath the Big Top is a social history of the circus, from its ancient roots to the rise of the “modern” tented travelling shows. A performer and founder of a circus group, Steve Ward draws on eyewitness accounts and contemporary interviews to explore the triumphs and disasters of the circus world. He reveals the stories beneath the big top during the golden age of the circus and the lives of circus folk, which were equally colorful outside the ring: • Pablo Fanque, Britain’s first black circus proprietor • The Chipperfield dynasty, who started out in 1684 on the frozen Thames • Katie Sandwina, world’s strongest woman and part-time crime-fighter • The Sylvain brothers, who fell in love with the same woman in the ring “As a former circus performer and now teacher and circus professional I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! The Circus has such a rich history and Steve does an amazing job at not only chronicling it but also telling entertaining and wonderful stories throughout. The photos are also amazing!! I recommend this book for both circus professionals and also for everyone else . . . it is a fabulous read for all!!” —Carrie Heller, Circus Arts Institute (Atlanta, GA)
The game was always played the same. She ran, and he chased to bring her back home. And somehow Cole managed to fall in love with his wealthy charge. He could never resist the touch of her skin or how her taste imprinted on his memory. Together the flames of passion burned like white heat consuming them both. All he knew is no matter how much he loved her, he couldn’t have her. They were from two different worlds, and no bridge could close the gap. Juliette wanted to finish the match of wits she started years ago with Cole. It was fun at first, but now her heart was on the line. Cole was all she wanted in a man and a lover. She could not close her eyes without seeing his brooding eyes beckoning her. For this game, love was the prize, and if she lost, Juliette knew she would never be the same. Like a chess match each move led them closer to each other or farther apart. But will the final victory bring them happiness or heartbreak?
Under a Big Top: Clean & Wholesome Second Chance Romcom Romance by Jordan Riley Swan,K.C. Norton Pdf
Dalton Young—ringmaster of the financially strapped Second Galaxy Circus—has a lot on his spinning plates. Broken equipment, injured performers, and investors breathing down his neck threaten to crater everything he’s built. Still, he continues to do it all on his own. Partnerships, after all, always end with someone broke or broken. And he should know—ten years ago, the love of his life never boarded the bus heading toward their mutual dream of performing in the circus. Penelope Baker—a tame, methodical accountant for a prestigious investment firm—made the mistake of admitting she almost ran off with the circus in her youth, and now her boss has assigned her the bothersome task of auditing their riskiest investment: The Second Galaxy Circus. Taking the job will only remind her of the chaotic road she almost traveled. She decides to do the work as quickly and efficiently as possible so she can get back to her stable and routine life. Things unravel the moment Dalton and Penelope come face to face with each other and their connected past. She was the girl who never showed, and he was the boy left waiting. Yet, just like the name of his circus, maybe they have a second chance at love under a big top. Book two in The Unwedding Vow: Having just attended a wedding with the queen of all bridezillas, the ten unmarried members of wedding reception table nine have taken an oath. They will never, ever get married. Can this collection of oddball personalities keep their promise to be single? Or will love pick off each member of The Unwedding Vow?
An inspiring guide to finding your life’s purpose—what spiritual teachers call dharma—through mindfulness and self-exploration. Stephen Cope says that in order to have a fulfilling life you must discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of your self. The secret to unlocking this mystery, he asserts, can be found in the pages of a two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called the Bhagavad Gita—an ancient allegory about the path to dharma, told through a timeless dialogue between the fabled archer, Arjuna, and his divine mentor, Krishna. Cope takes readers on a step-by-step tour of this revered tale and highlights well-known Western lives that embody its central principles—including such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman, along with stories of ordinary people as well. If you’re feeling lost in your own life’s journey, The Great Work of Your Life may help you to find and to embrace your true calling. Praise for The Great Work of Your Life “Keep a pen and paper handy as you read this remarkable book: It’s like an owner’s manual for the soul.”—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion “A masterwork . . . You’ll find inspiration in these pages. You’ll gain a better appreciation of divine guidance and perhaps even understand how you might better hear it in your own life.”—Yoga Journal “I am moved and inspired by this book, the clarity and beauty of the lives lived in it, and the timeless dharma it teaches.”—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart “A rich source of contemplation and inspiration [that] encourages readers . . . to discover and fully pursue their inner self’s calling.”—Publishers Weekly “Fabulous . . . If you have ever wondered what your purpose is, this book is a great guide to help you on your path.”—YogaHara
Fall of the Big Top by David Lewis Hammarstrom Pdf
Once an eagerly awaited spectacle, the traveling circus—that miracle of red wagons, trumpeting elephants and spangled trapeze artists that slipped into town at dawn and disappeared by midnight—has all but vanished from the American landscape. This work explores circus history from 1793 to the present and addresses the forces of modern culture (such as the popularity of Cirque du Soleil, and pressure from the animal rights movement) that are pushing big top shows toward what the author calls “circus ballet.” Numerous photographs and in-depth interviews conducted with show owners, performers and directors enrich the narrative. Overall, the book reveals a sobering contrast between circuses of yesterday and today, even as it honors the outstanding performers who created, and have sustained, the enduring appeal of the circus.
Otto the elephant continues his search for his childhood friend Georgie, a chimpanzee who was abducted from their forest home in Africa and shipped to the wilds of America by the Man with the Wooden Nose. When Otto sees a circus poster with a chimp that looks just like Georgie, he and his parrot friend, Crackers, follow the trail of the traveling circus. Along the way, they crash a football game, steal a peanut-shaped car and get thrown in jail. Will Otto and Crackers find Georgie? Or will trouble find them first? Big Top Otto is the second book in the Elephants Never Forget series chronicling the hilarious adventures of the tenacious pachyderm, Otto, and his wisecracking parrot pal, Crackers. Told with gentle humor and lots of visual gags, this series is an action-packed celebration of friendship and perseverance.
A century ago, daily life ground to a halt when the circus rolled into town. Across America, banks closed, schools canceled classes, farmers left their fields, and factories shut down so that everyone could go to the show. In this entertaining and provocative book, Janet Davis links the flowering of the early-twentieth-century American railroad circus to such broader historical developments as the rise of big business, the breakdown of separate spheres for men and women, and the genesis of the United States' overseas empire. In the process, she casts the circus as a powerful force in consolidating the nation's identity as a modern industrial society and world power. Davis explores the multiple "shows" that took place under the big top, from scripted performances to exhibitions of laborers assembling and tearing down tents to impromptu spectacles of audiences brawling, acrobats falling, and animals rampaging. Turning Victorian notions of gender, race, and nationhood topsy-turvy, the circus brought its vision of a rapidly changing world to spectators--rural as well as urban--across the nation. Even today, Davis contends, the influence of the circus continues to resonate in popular representations of gender, race, and the wider world.
Love Is in the Air by A. Destiny,Alex R. Kahler Pdf
When fifteen-year-old Jennifer attends circus camp to reach her dream of being a trapeze artist, she learns she is afraid of heights, but after one glimpse of Branden, the best trapeze artist at the camp, Jennifer begins falling for him, too.
Author : Joseph P. Olexa Publisher : University of North Texas Press Page : 369 pages File Size : 40,7 Mb Release : 2023-03-15 Category : History ISBN : 9781574419054
Death and Life in the Big Red One by Joseph P. Olexa Pdf
Joe Olexa enlisted in the US Army in December 1940, figuring that if he was going to be in a war, he might as well start training. Assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed “The Big Red One,” he served in Company L of its 26th Infantry Regiment for the next four years. Along the way he trained with the division in maneuvers in the United States; shipped to England in 1942; landed at Oran, Algeria, in the Operation Torch landings of November 1942; and fought in Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy, Belgium, and Germany. Olexa was one of the first group of enlistees that brought the division up to full strength in the buildup prior to Pearl Harbor, and was a sergeant by the time he went overseas. He served as a squad leader, platoon sergeant, and acting platoon leader, outlasting nearly all the men in his company. His memoir features accounts of unusual adventures in Tunisia when his battalion was detached from the rest of the division, and presents a detailed and intense account of his platoon’s experiences at El Guettar. Later, Olexa became a “Sea Scout,” going ashore on Sicily the night before the invasion to provide signals to guide landing craft onto the beach at Gela. After landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day, Olexa was selected by his battalion commander to hunt snipers and lead patrols in addition to his usual duties, and he fought in Normandy until wounded in late June. He rejoined his company in mid-September 1944 and was heavily involved in the capture of Aachen in October. His memoir, originally composed in the late 1970s and expertly edited and annotated by James Smither, offers remarkable insights into the experiences of an ordinary soldier who found himself in truly extraordinary situations.
"There was a time when Elaine Richardson was one of 'the Negroes everybody pointed to as the Negroes you didn't want to become.' The title of this book is no metaphor or allusion, but a literal shorthand for a remarkable, unpredictable journey. She inherits a plain way of talking about horrific pain from a mother who seemed impossible to shock. The way too fast way she grew up was and is too common, but her will to remap her destiny is uncommon indeed. To call her story inspiring would be itself too plain a thing, hers is a heroic life." -dream Hampton, writer and filmmaker