A Circus Maximus - Paperback

by John Anthony McKenna (Author)

A work of fiction based on true events, A Circus Maximus was written over the course of many years in research and reflection, combining classic references and historic sites in the examination. It aims to both inspire and empower the reader in the pursuit of a purpose-driven life as well as serve as a moving and living account of history. Educational offerings are abundant within the book's architecture and generously embedded in the protagonist's pilgrimage.

Tobias Nathan Tyrone is living large as a film-industry executive when his path is ripped by world events and putting into question everything he held as worthwhile and true. Violence and displaced dreams set Toby on the trek of a lifetime, dropping familiar ties to traipse through Europe where emotive encounters on the road to Rome rattle his past and reshape his thinking. Follow Toby's tracks on the rapturous turns as he correlates his instincts and troubled conscience with the ghosts of the ancients - the emperors, tyrants, poets and prophets of yore - bringing into stark focus what comes around goes around in A Circus Maximus. When a surprising romance propels him on the final lap into the Eternal City, the magnetism of benevolent and beautiful Tutela Sasso is dangerously suspended when the wheels of justice thrust Toby into a turbulent carnival of errors resulting in a life-altering exile. Only when liberation is delivered does redemption appear - delivering a bountiful gift to the world -and where else for this to be manifested but in the great Roman circus?At its center is the Spina, vignettes of actual events, curious facts and parallel experiences illuminating profound reflection. The narrative bridges notable spiritual sites and philosophical figures into a contemporary storytelling context. As it weaves the collective pilgrimage of the human race in a compelling collision of examination, one is provocatively called to either race on recklessly and perilously or take steps intentionally and wisely, the latter requiring a noble commitment to bravely begin again. In the pivotal 21st-century when the human race is grappling to understand its universal impact and destiny, a return to the cradle of civilization is warranted. Today's curious explorers will find within the pages common pilgrimage and, in the best of cases, renewed permission and courage to press forward in face of formidable risks.Questions asked today were deeply pondered by history's muses and sages along the well-worn track of time. A Circus Maximus welcomes wisdom in the echo, inviting the reader to take a spin upon the wondrous ride.