The man behind the nose

You might not know as much as you think about the world's most famous clown. Sure, you know the giant shoes, the bulbous nose, the big ruby smile, and the twin shocks of red yak-hair. And you know the many clowns inspired by him, from Ronald McDonald to Krusty the Clown. Well, the wild, inspirational stories in this book are all true. Larry Harmon, a World War II private harboring dreams of becoming a doctor, met the most famous entertainer of the time, Al Jolson. After seeing the young man on stage, Jolson told him he should consider a career change. A decade later, Harmon, trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood, auditioned to portray a character named Bozo the Capitol Clown. The character spoke so much to Larry that he simply became it, and turned Bozo into a cultural icon. But that was only the beginning.--From publisher description.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.