Running away with the circus is one of the worlds most enduring and romantic ideas However the reality of circus life during the Depression era was that it was hard and painful Jacob Jankowski now over ninety years old looks back on that time of desperation cruelty and prejudice but at the same time he recalls a magical atmosphere with the animals the largerthanlife circus population love and of course a special elephant named Rosie Sara Gruen depicts the juxtaposed truths of the circus and the nursing home Gruens masterful storytelling techniques show how the worlds of aging and circus adventure intersect Among other things the BookclubinaBox discussion guide for this marvelous novel will discuss surprising facts about circus life and elephants and will certainly uncover the mystery of how to carry water for elephants Every BookclubinaBox discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author