Felony Juggler A Novel poster

Felony Juggler A Novel

By Penn Jillette

First published 2025

In the early 1970s, Poe - a quick-witted young juggler from rural Massachusetts - abandons the talent shows of his childhood in favor of a nomadic life. He hops trains, hitchhikes, lives on the streets, sleeps rough, and juggles to feed himself. A few years before, he would have been a hobo; a few decades later, he would have been homeless; but in 1973, he is just a street-juggling hippie. After roaming the country for a few years, Poe settles in Philadelphia and masters his street act before ever-growing crowds. In time, he runs all the busking around South Street like the don of a street-performing mafia. But his talent at manipulating crowds attracts the attention of a criminal organization who convince him to provide a diversion during a bank heist for a payday far greater than the coins he collects in his hat. Things go south, an innocent bystander is killed, and this peacelove talking hippie is now a felony murderer. He splits town and goes into hiding, but he can't resist the lure of the crowd, and resurfaces under a pseudonym in Hibbing, Minnesota, drawing large crowds as a regular performer at a Renaissance Fair(e).

Published
6 May 2025
Pages
240
Publisher
Akashic Books
Edition
Hardcover
Elsewhere
Open Library
  • Comedy
  • Thriller
  • Crime

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