Josser: the Secret Life of a Circus Girl, by Nell Stroud (Virago, £6.99 in the UK)

Josser is a circus word for an outsider, and the divide between jossers and born-and-bred circus folk is permanent and uncrossable…

Josser is a circus word for an outsider, and the divide between jossers and born-and-bred circus folk is permanent and uncrossable. Nell Stroud should know - she ran away from a personal tragedy and "real life" to follow the bright lights, sawdust and greasepaint of the Big Top. This is a passionate plea for the survival of the circus, its performers and its traditional arts - all of which are misunderstood argues Stroud, who shared the camaraderie, exhaustion and struggle against animal rights protestors with trapeze artists, clowns and circus families from all over Europe. A captivating first book which will change the way you see the circus forever.