Sicko the clown wasn't always “a clown gone bad.” He had a life. Growing up in a world populated with clowns, Sicko was at first confused with what to do with himself because he couldn't juggle nor ride a unicycle or be in the circus. He tried being a Hobo but it didn't suit him. And he didn't fit in with the Bumpkins in the hot chocolate houses. But he could play the bongos and found a new calling as a musician. At the peak of his success, he got drafted into the Clown Kingdom's Royal Fighting Fools, where he trained as a deadly Nincompoop before shipping off to Nam. But after his best friend, Buddy-Buddy, is captured and tortured by mimes, leaving him disfigured, Sicko can only think of revenge as mimes remain at the heart of Sicko's problems. All mimes must die!

This collection of poetry is dedicated to all those children across the globe who struggle on a daily basis for food, shelter, comfort, and recognition of their existence. During a time of global pandemic, while First World countries rush to vaccinate their citizens, it is important to realise that none of us are safe until we are all safe. All of the author's profits raised from the sales of this book will be donated to UNICEF Ireland to help support those children whose lives are as important as those of our children and grandchildren. Mainly written under the light of the moon, The Dark Side of Silence is a poignant, contemplative reflection of the author's journey in life to date. Raymond has abandoned any formal structure whilst developing these poems so as to celebrate his neurodiversity from dyslexia and autism. In summary it is a celebration of the individualism that exists in us all. The Dark Side Of Silence is a reminder of how vulnerable each of us is; but it is also a lesson about beauty and inner growth, and how they exist within that vulnerability, once we welcome it as a core part of what we are, and then immerse ourselves in it in the hope of finding out who we truly are. If we run away from our vulnerability, then we are running away from life. We cannot be truly alive unless we are truly vulnerable at the same time. Nor can we be truly alive if we lose the connection to the child each one of us once was, and, in so many ways, will always be. That child has made each of us who we are today.

A gorgeously rendered graphic novel of Daniel Alarcón’s story City of Clowns. From the author of The King Is Always Above the People, which was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction. Oscar “Chino” Uribe is a young Peruvian journalist for a local tabloid paper. After the recent death of his philandering father, he must confront the idea of his father’s other family, and how much of his own identity has been shaped by his father’s murky morals. At the same time, he begins to chronicle the life of street clowns, sad characters who populate the violent and corrupt city streets of Lima, and is drawn into their haunting, fantastical world. This remarkably affecting story by Daniel Alarcón was included in his acclaimed first book, War by Candlelight, and now, in collaboration with artist Sheila Alvarado, it takes on a new, thrilling form. This graphic novel, with its short punches of action and images, its stark contrasts between light and dark, truth and fiction, perfectly corresponds to the tone of Chino’s story. With the city of Lima as a character, and the bold visual language from the story, City of Clowns is moving, menacing, and brilliantly vivid.

If you currently are in therapy. If you have ever been in therapy. If you are planning to be in therapy. If you have a psychological problem. In other words, if you are a member of the human race, you must read this book! In Maybe I'm Not Listening: Confessions of a Shrink, Dr. Tarlow relates some of the very funny and unusual experiences he has had with patients in psychotherapy. The book is Dr. Tarlow's candid and honest inside view of what at least one psychologist is thinking during therapy sessions. Dr. Tarlow gives his opinion of some very unusual symptoms presented by his therapy patients. There is the obsessive-compulsive patient who has to eat all her food in alphabetical order. Important questions that patients ask are also included in the book. For example, is it a good idea to consult a psychic rabbi? Many of the issues that a psychologist deals with on a day-to-day basis are discussed. How fees are set, boring patients, famous patients and attractive patients. Each day of the book features a unique confession that no other therapist has dared to make. This book will forever change your view of the mental health professional.

Tall Tales of a Short Clown is the story of Barry Lubin, whose alter ego, Grandma, became one of the most successful clowns in American history, and was named "The World's Funniest Grandma" in Germany. Barry has entertained well over a hundred million people in circus rings, stadiums, arenas, on stage, in festivals, in films, and on television as the funny little carpetbagger with a mischievous view of the world. Barry is undoubtedly the only person to have achieved the combination of performing a running headstand onto a whoopee cushion on stage at Carnegie Hall, eating well over 10,000 bagels, and managing to piss off Ringo Starr, Meryl Streep, Gene Kelly, and Bruce Springstein as well as being inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame. Tall Tales of a Short Clown follows Barry's journey from Emerson College dropout to Clown College graduate, from his early failures on the Greatest Show on Earth to his induction into the Ring of Fame, the highest honor in clowning and in circus. He reveals his struggles with drug abuse and alcoholism and his journey into sobriety, his bout with thyroid cancer and his triumphant return to the ring, and his love affair with audiences on six continents over five decades, to earn his place as one of the most beloved clowns in history.