Kinker: Circusing the Seventies (Tales of a Traveling Airbrush) - Softcover

Knoderer, Dave Letterfly

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798336444940

Publisher: Independently published, 2024

Synopsis

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Winner of the 2026 PenCraft Book Award.

When a fiercely imaginative, relentlessly restless teenager bolts from the confines of home, he doesn’t just run away—he runs toward something wild. Under the traveling big top, Dave is swept into a world pulsing with color, danger, and possibility. Among acrobats, outcasts, and dreamers, he discovers a place where misfits aren’t just tolerated—they’re essential. He drums for the nightly shows, splashes art across the circus caravans, and finally feels the spark of belonging he’s been starving for. But life on the fringes only whets his appetite. Dave wants the center ring.

Captivated by the animals whose grace and power mesmerize the crowds, he enters a rare apprenticeship that upends everything he thought he knew about control. Instead of dominance, he learns partnership. Instead of force, patience. Through trust, gentleness, and a near-spiritual bond between man and beast, he trains a six‑horse liberty act that becomes the heartbeat of the show—and his own long‑awaited moment in the spotlight.

But the brighter the lights, the darker the shadows. Fame sweeps him up fast, and the excesses nearly destroy him. At his lowest, the circus family he once believed in abandons him in a foreign country—broke, humiliated, and utterly alone. With nowhere left to fall, he limps back to his parents’ new home expecting condemnation. Instead, he finds something astonishing: a back‑to‑the‑land commune of seekers, castaways, veterans, ex‑ministers, and wanderers rebuilding their lives from the soil up.

Welcomed without judgment, Dave learns humility in the quiet rhythms of communal living. As he opens himself to others, he begins to rediscover faith—not the rigid doctrine of his childhood, but a lived, breathing connection to something larger. In stillness, service, and honest self‑reckoning, he realizes the gift he’s been chasing was never out there under the lights. It was inside him all along.

With a new compass and a steadier heart, Dave returns to the circus—not to escape, but to belong. Grounded, clear‑eyed, and more alive than ever, he steps once more into the sawdust with a final challenge before him:

To create an act worthy of the man he has finally become.

About this title

About the Author

Dave Letterfly Knoderer takes readers deep into the colorful world of the traveling circus, where passion for classic horsemanship, living a life of adventure, creating beautiful artwork and the lessons learned while transforming obstacles into the stepping stones of growth. The author provides the gift of enlightenment while making sense out of chaos one heartwarming story at a time.

From the Back Cover

When an intensely creative, frustrated teenager turns his back on his family, he discovers a fascinating world under the traveling big top. Dave quickly finds himself thriving in this creative oasis, drumming for the live shows and even painting decorative art on the circus fleet. Longing for more, he dreams about entering the spotlight.

His growing affinity for the animals trained to perform amazing feats leads Dave into an unforgettable mentorship. Guided in kindness, partnership, and harmony between man and beast, he is empowered to train his own six-horse liberty act and enter the center ring at last.

But the rise to stardom includes excesses that nearly cost Dave his life. And it's in this low point that he is left behind by his pseudo family, stranded in a foreign country—broke, ashamed, and quickly forgotten. With nowhere else to turn, he makes his way to his parents' new home, where he discovers a surprise haven among the abundant charismatic commune full of back-to-nature hippies, discarded ministers, suffering veterans, family rejects, and unlikely hopefuls of every type.

Welcomed into the fold with open arms, Dave tastes the benefit of humility for the first time as this new family encourages him to open up and find a practical relationship with an upgrade from the God of his youth. As he comes into perfect alignment with a higher purpose and seeks harmony with guidance from above, Dave unveils the gift he had been searching for that was within reach the entire time.

Armed with a new design for living life, the inspired artist picks up the pieces and makes a triumphant return to the circus. There, he builds a fresh connection with his surroundings, cultivates even brighter aspirations, and shines with a radiant vigor like never before. Now all he needs is a new act.

From the Inside Flap

Here's what people are saying;
"Sometimes you get the gift of experiencing a true American story. I recommend this book to lovers of passionate write-ups and moral-inducing books. Also, young readers who have a passion for something, but face challenges can learn one or two lessons from the book. This is such a gift. When's the movie?"

" I recommend this book to lovers of passionate write-ups and moral-inducing books. Also, young readers who have a passion for something, but face challenges can learn one or two lessons from the book."

"I absolutely LOVE this book! It's a Magical Mystery Tour, winding through the life of this extremely talented author's lifelong journey. Definitely, a must read! Letterfly never ceases to astound me!"

"What a great book!! I couldn't put it down. Very well written. It is so captivating it feels like I am traveling right along with him. Can't wait for his next book."

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798336444940
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 492