"American OZ Pulls Back the Curtain on Carnival Life to Show Us Ourselves," WindyCity/BookTrib Review
American OZ is a rollicking, gritty, adventurous story of life in the secretive subculture of traveling carnivals. You'll never see your state fair or street festival the same way again.
Comerford writes a bold, inspiring true story of a year working behind the scenes with the colorful characters and legends of carnivals.
He shares stories of freaks, a carnival pimp, and the last King of the Sideshows. A dunk tank insult-clown is shot. Masked gunmen rob his carnival. And a young showman friend dies a shocking death on the road.
It's a new classic American road story as he hitchhikes across Canada and the USA to shows in California, New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Alaska, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, and Florida where he works in a freak show.
He becomes the #1 hitchhiker in the USA and a top agent at the State Fair of Texas.
He travels to the lawless foothills of Mexico to see the new face of the American carny. He exposes the truths about immigration, labor abuse, and living between two worlds.
People seek love and meaning in their lives on the road. Comerford finds we're all connected in more ways than we know.
"Brilliant ... Deep Observations About Life!" writes the Chicago Tribune.