The Last of the Wallendas

Unfortunately, her tangled history of this extended family and its unique obsession unfolds in undistinguished prose that lacks the pungent ambience of circus life. She acknowledges that her childhood was confused, her apprenticeship harsh, yet she and her children carry on the tradition of highwire performance even now, when the circus's glory days are long past. From Publishers Weekly Writing with DeVincentis-Hayes, who teaches English literature at the University of Maryland, the granddaughter of highwire walker Karl Wallenda tells the story of her family's generations-long involvement in circus acrobatics and her career as keeper of the heritage. Although that heritage has included private tragedies, family feuds, bitter divorces and numerous performance-related deaths and maimings, the inherited compulsion to dare the heights was so strong that Delilah chose to honor her grandfather, who p

Enjoyable read CraigC I am horrified of heights and several of the stories really tensed me up.. "Miricles and Mastery of Wire Walking" according to Heather Hogben. This book was written from the heart. You were allowed a look into their lives. My husband could not put it down. He read the whole book. That is saying something as he is a skimmer :-), of books.You learned the good, bad and the ugly of a family. They pray together and stay together. Exciting life and we would one day love to meet Delilah. My husband is already planning it for next year. This is how impressed he was with this book. What a fami. Good Read Loved this book, I really enjoyed this book ! I also liked all the pictures and the family tree. After reading this book I looked for more books on this amazing family. I didn't find many but I always check to see if there's anything new released or in the process of being released ! I recommend this to anyone who likes adventure !

The Last of the Wallendas is Delilah Wallenda's personal, colorful and poignant story of circus life, her eccentric grandfather Karl and a family wracked by headline tragedies. She brings us behind closed doors to see the Wallendas' fights, affairs, divorces, bigamy, suicides and insanity throughout the years.Delilah Wallenda tells the inside story of how Karl created and performed the dangerous seven-person human pyramid, then lived with the high wire tragedy that left his son-in-law and nephew dead and his adopted son permanently paralyzed. The "Great Wallendas" was one of the most famous daredevil circus acts in history. She reveals how Karl's death and its consequences affected his family and her own subsequent fight to save the circus.Delilah has gained fame as the only woman to perform Karl's stunts, taking over from her mother, Jenny, who quit performing because of Karl's obsession to perform "the seven." She continues in the Wallenda tradition, performing on the high wire and continuing to thrill audiences.