Book Review - The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson

 

 

The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson starts when a package is delivered, bringing back memories for Gary. Calvin notices his grandad is crying and wants to know why. Gary settles down to tell his life story, particularly all he learned from his sword-swallowing friend Duke.

Part one begins with Duke seeing the circus train arrive in town. Getting caught up in the excitement and magic, he follows the fantastic people and animals to the circus ground. Here he helps the performers set up for that evening's show. When asked how old he is, the fifteen-year-old Duke replies that he is eighteen, and he is offered a job as a casual laborer. Duke sees this as a new start and a way to escape his unhappy life, where alcoholism, fanatical religious doctrine, and abuse prevail. Duke regularly watches Carlos, the sword swallower, perform his act and is enthralled; when Carlos asks if he would like to be a sword swallower, Duke is eager to learn. Here is the beginning of Duke's life as a circus performer. It is a life Duke loves, but there is no guarantee that a circus performer will always have work. At different times in his life, Duke is a librarian, he studies music and sets up a band, he has a lengthy prison sentence, and he studies theology. Duke has many demons but leaves prison a different man!

Part two begins when Gary is at his graduation. As the school's student body president, he is about to make a speech. The Principal introduces Gary as one of the best students the school has had. However, Gary has drunk heavily since he was fifteen and left school without any plans for his life. He is popular with many friends, but they all float through college in a drug and alcohol-induced haze. After college, Gary parties hard. The downward spiral continues until, at thirty-five, with no money, no partner, and no job, he ends up in a tavern where a man tattooed from head to toe is on the stage with a microphone. Here is Duke performing his one-person show. Duke enthralls Gary. He thinks he is the most exciting man he has ever met, and when Duke leaves the tavern, Gary follows him. 

By part three, Gary is at his lowest, but introducing himself to Duke would be his making. Duke and Gary have an instant connection, and Duke takes Gary under his wing and becomes his mentor. 

I did not warm to Gary. He is a hypocrite because as soon as he reaches eighteen, he says to his mother, "Mom, I have had enough. You have a drink problem, and I cannot stand it anymore." ( Quote from page 145 ). He then tells her he will not see her again until she stops drinking. By this point in his life, Gary is an alcoholic and a drug addict! Until he meets Duke Gary's reckless, drunken excesses always end up hurting himself, public property, and other people. Until the end of the book, he always seems to get away with being a complete loser. I also could not understand why the preface to this book says The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson is a work of fiction based on Gary and his friend Captain Don Leslie's lives. However, he changes the Captain's name to Duke but still calls the character based on himself, Gary. Either this is a work of fiction, or it is an autobiography. At the moment, this is not very clear!

I loved Duke and found myself laughing with him and crying with him. I like the way Duke turns every knock back and horrible experience into a positive and something to be learned from. I love that Duke wears his heart on his sleeve. The love for his circus family is there for all to see. I also liked the humor throughout this book; e.g., on page twenty-five, a Jewish man says he would never mutilate his body with tattoos. The reply to this is, "What the hell did you do with your foreskin? Carry it in your front pocket?"

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid has an exciting and fast-paced story line. I admire Gary Robinson for writing this book which does not show him in perfect light. There are some editing mistakes, but they do not detract from a great story. 

I recommend that The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson be read by adult readers who should be aware of drug addiction, alcoholism, swearing, and sexual references. This book would be enjoyed by circus enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys a brilliant read based on real-life people and events.

Thanks to Gary Robinson for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review. You can read more of my reviews here : http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tara-d-morgan.html

Book Review - Killer, Killer, Killer and The Drug Exchange Dealer by Charles A. Jackson

 

Killer, Killer, Killer and the Drug Exchange Dealer by Charles A. Jackson tells the story of Anthony, a black man in his forties living in North Carolina. Anthony's life revolves around drugs. When he was young, he felt life was dull and saw the drug life as exciting. In the beginning, it was almost a game to him. He believes most people either take drugs or sell them. Anthony even sees his father as a legal drug dealer; for example, on page one, "The daddy also sold drugs but the difference was he had license to sell alcoholic drugs." Then one day, Anthony is watching the television when the newsreader reports that an African American male in his forties identified by his friends as Fungi has been murdered in a motel. 

Fungi and Anthony worked in the drug dealing world together. Anthony is still a young man, but he is also a drug user and a drug dealer. He is caught up in a vicious circle that he has to break to save his and his family's lives!

The only thing I liked about this book was the cover picture, which sadly does not seem to have anything to do with the story! The idea of a man deeply embroiled in drug addiction and selling but desperately wanting to break these chains could have been a great story. However, Killer, Killer, Killer, and the Drug Exchange Dealer is dreadful and reads as if a schoolboy has written it; for example page nine, "Jerome decided to have an age seventeen birthday party. During them days, the drinking age in the State of North Carolina was sixteen years of age." I did not particularly appreciate all the mindless conversation, which made this book dreadfully dull. There is a chapter where Anthony cleans himself up and joins the army, but we learn nothing about his army life, just that he spends most of his spare time in his room with different women drinking and taking drugs. Every paragraph of this chapter is virtually the same, with just a different woman's name in it. Writing in this way is unbelievably lazy.

When writing a story about drugs, it must be believable and exciting. I do not believe that a few days after Fungi is murdered, Anthony not only goes to a football match but also takes along his young daughter Keke. Fungi has been murdered, and there is a good chance that someone will be out to get Anthony, too, so going to a football match with his child makes no sense!
Nearly every page has spelling and grammar errors, and this book needs to be edited and proofread properly. Due to the mistakes, the lack of structure, and the difficulty I had reading this book because of how it is written, I would like to give Killer, Killer, Killer and the Drug Exchange Dealer 0 out of 5 stars

I do not recommend this book because the conversations lack structure, and the characters are never fully developed. The writing style of Killer, Killer, Killer, and the Drug Exchange Dealer is very chaotic, and much of the conversation does not make sense. I presume the author is trying to get the reader to understand how people talk in North Carolina, but it just comes across as childish! 

Thank you to Charles A. Jackson for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.