What do you think?
Rate this book
Eyeing the Flash: The Making of a Carnival Con Artist
The year is 1963, the setting small-town Michigan. Pete Fenton is just another well-mannered math student until he meets Jackie Barron, a teenage grifter who introduces him to the carnival underworld -- and lures him with the cons, the double-dealing, and, most of all, the easy money. The memoir of a shy middle-class kid turned first-class huckster, Eyeing the Flash is highly unorthodox, and utterly compelling.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2004
About the author
Peter Fenton
3 books11 followersPeter Fenton is author of the memoir Eyeing the Flash: The Education of a Carnival Con Artist (Simon & Schuster, 2005). William Grimes of the New York Times called it “a cross between Ferris Bueller and William S. Burroughs…a hilarious, twisted, coming-of-age story.” Fenton has written two humor books: Truth or Tabloid! You Decide (Three Rivers Press, 2003) and I Forgot to Wear Underwear on a Glass-Bottom Boat (St. Martin’s Press, 1997). He lives in Oregon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 14, 2016
I'm the author
January 10, 2016
I had hoped for more depth, for Jackie to be a redeemable scoundrel, for young Pete to learn some life lessons from the grizzled old souls who ran the midway, but this was not to be. Everyone in this story seems just plain awful. Perhaps that’s the point. I didn’t engage with Peter or feel like I was ever on his side. The story also had moments where I just flat out thought, “That never happened.” (Example: the scene where the degenerate gambler lunch lady comes out with a special gourmet lunch she made for Jackie, who shared with Pete: a tremendous amount of food, including curly fries. First, no one in the kitchen questioned why she was cooking up all that pricey food? Was there no inventory or budget at that school? And second, apparently there were curly fries in a school cafeteria in a small town in Michigan in the 60s. I’m skeptical.)
Considering the author was writing about a few months of his life that happened over 40 years ago, it stands to reason that more than a little was reinvented to fill the gaps of time and memory. Also considering he was a trained conman, I took the stories with a grain of salt, and I think that is largely why I didn’t enjoy the book more—I didn’t feel I could trust this guy to tell me the truth, so I never let my guard down.
The book did bring back memories of Coke bottle and Find the Duck carnival games from my childhood, and the Himalayan ride he describes – I remember it too, it seemed like a furious flashing nightmare – guaranteed to induce seizure or vomiting.
I think the author might have been better served to turn his experiences into a novel. And actually when I saw that he had written for the National Enquirer I really hoped he’d tell us about that at some point in the book, but alas it was not to be.
Considering the author was writing about a few months of his life that happened over 40 years ago, it stands to reason that more than a little was reinvented to fill the gaps of time and memory. Also considering he was a trained conman, I took the stories with a grain of salt, and I think that is largely why I didn’t enjoy the book more—I didn’t feel I could trust this guy to tell me the truth, so I never let my guard down.
The book did bring back memories of Coke bottle and Find the Duck carnival games from my childhood, and the Himalayan ride he describes – I remember it too, it seemed like a furious flashing nightmare – guaranteed to induce seizure or vomiting.
I think the author might have been better served to turn his experiences into a novel. And actually when I saw that he had written for the National Enquirer I really hoped he’d tell us about that at some point in the book, but alas it was not to be.
September 21, 2009
Eyeing the Flash is Peter Fenton's coming-of-age memoir, set in Michigan, mostly on the low-rent carnival circuit. He quits his high school football team to hook up with fellow classmate Jackie Barron, scion of a carnival-owning family. Jackie initiates young Fenton into the ways of midway grifting, they have some adventures, summer ends, end of story.
The book is well-written, with plenty of interesting terminology and characters. For such a full-bodied topic, however, the story is awfully thin. First of all, while written in 2005, the story happens in 1967, but nothing--absolutely nothing--is made of the year or era of the book. Second, the emotional engine of the book is set up to be the relationship between Pete and Jackie, but for the most part the author keeps this topic at arm's length. Ditto for the second most important relationship--that between Pete and Mandy, the object of his affection. Lastly, other than some early conversations between Pete and Jackie about the nature of the con--"some people are ulcer getters; some people are ulcer givers"--there's no examination of the carnival itself.
It's all a bunch of cotton candy: feels good going down, but unfortunately, doesn't stick to the ribs.
*
WHY I READ THIS BOOK: During a recent visit to Portland, I found this at Powell's in one of the sections I browse there. The Puyallup Fair makes for Carnival Season, so I thought it was a good time to read it.
The book is well-written, with plenty of interesting terminology and characters. For such a full-bodied topic, however, the story is awfully thin. First of all, while written in 2005, the story happens in 1967, but nothing--absolutely nothing--is made of the year or era of the book. Second, the emotional engine of the book is set up to be the relationship between Pete and Jackie, but for the most part the author keeps this topic at arm's length. Ditto for the second most important relationship--that between Pete and Mandy, the object of his affection. Lastly, other than some early conversations between Pete and Jackie about the nature of the con--"some people are ulcer getters; some people are ulcer givers"--there's no examination of the carnival itself.
It's all a bunch of cotton candy: feels good going down, but unfortunately, doesn't stick to the ribs.
*
WHY I READ THIS BOOK: During a recent visit to Portland, I found this at Powell's in one of the sections I browse there. The Puyallup Fair makes for Carnival Season, so I thought it was a good time to read it.
Read
February 5, 2009Fenton (Truth or Tabloid?) came of age at the carnival. When he left his small-town, middle-class Michigan home for life on the road when he was 17, he began his transformation from math geek to con artist (and eventual reporter for The National Enquirer). Critics agree that Fenton tells his tale of carnival life (or, as The Oregonian notes, "a sort of evil Horatio Alger story") with humor and insight. Who else would admit to cheating small children out of their last nickels? They also praise Fenton's polished writing and fast-paced, twisted dialogue and scenes. A few question the full veracity of the story, but never mind. Fenton never fails to entertain__and teach us a thing or two about a con man's tricks.
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
August 2, 2015
Eyeing the Flash is subtitled The Making of a Carnival Con Artist, and boy does it live up to its name. It's a pretty quick and weird read chronicalling Fenton's descent from a straight-A student to a carnival huckster, with the help of his friend Jackie Barron, and pretty unusually it doesn't follow him back up. He talks about con tricks and carnivals in great detail, but skims over most of his life that doesn't have to do with that, which I think is pretty admirable. I also think it's pretty sneaky-- he never outright says he's telling the truth, so how do you know he's not scamming you now? Pretty meta.
The thing about Eyeing the Flash is that there's no real coherent story beyond Fenton learning to grift. It's a series of connected vignettes more than a coherent story, but those vignettes are memorable. They're also entertaining. There is always that nagging question, though... are they true or not?
Does it matter?
The thing about Eyeing the Flash is that there's no real coherent story beyond Fenton learning to grift. It's a series of connected vignettes more than a coherent story, but those vignettes are memorable. They're also entertaining. There is always that nagging question, though... are they true or not?
Does it matter?
Read
January 8, 2018This was such a weird little book, and I really enjoyed it.
Peter Fenton, local Detroit high schooler, seems like a nice kid who could go places, until he skips town with a friend's family carnival. From driving semi-trucks without a license to setting up an illegal basement casino to having an all-out winner-takes-all midway competition, Fenton had more adventures in his teens than most people have in a lifetime -- and it's all true! (Well, he claims it is, anyway. The whole point of the story is to show you what a shyster he was, so who knows whether he's still pulling your leg?)
The inside look at carnivals and the lives of small-time con men was fascinating and fast-paced. Lots of fun.
Peter Fenton, local Detroit high schooler, seems like a nice kid who could go places, until he skips town with a friend's family carnival. From driving semi-trucks without a license to setting up an illegal basement casino to having an all-out winner-takes-all midway competition, Fenton had more adventures in his teens than most people have in a lifetime -- and it's all true! (Well, he claims it is, anyway. The whole point of the story is to show you what a shyster he was, so who knows whether he's still pulling your leg?)
The inside look at carnivals and the lives of small-time con men was fascinating and fast-paced. Lots of fun.
January 10, 2013
I love carnivals. I love the Midway. I love games at theme parks and boardwalks. I am a high school Math and Computer Science Teacher with a Masters in Computer Science. If I get free time in class I will often demonstrate the probabilities of winning at casino games, hoping that the students will think twice before playing. I will also show how Mathematics and Geometry govern the chance (or lack there of) of winning certain carnival games. This book is the epitome of one of my life's wacky interests. It was very well written and I think it would make an incredible movie.
September 30, 2014
This volume is a true story of how one individual became a side-show con artist. It describes the techniques the 'carnies' use to empty the pockets of the rubes that enter the tents of the traveling fairs, carnivals and circuses.
I recommend this book if you want a 'beyond the canvas' look at what it takes to scam the innocent and live the life of a showman...on a fairly low level of the entertainment business.
I recommend this book if you want a 'beyond the canvas' look at what it takes to scam the innocent and live the life of a showman...on a fairly low level of the entertainment business.
August 13, 2018
This was a fun little book, quick-reading. Cute characters. A bonus for me was that it took place in MI, so many of the locations rang true (though the main character's hometown of Mineralton is obviously fictional). If by its description and cover you want to read it, you will probably not be disappointed. Conversely, if it doesn't look interesting to you, you probably won't find it interesting.
November 24, 2011
Here's the thing: it's an accurate tale of one person's experience in carnie life. But as I read, I kept thinking that I'd never believe this if I hadn't been there myself, which I have to a lesser degree.
June 7, 2007
I think this guy used to come into my parent's drive-in. Really.
January 26, 2009
A carny memoir that brings unexpected depth to a familiar setting
April 10, 2012
Seeing my dad get frustrated and losing countless hours/dollars to carnival games makes sense now.I felt like the truth was stretched quite a bit at moments but enjoyed reading it nevertheless.
July 7, 2013
I rather enjoyed this look into the bizarre world of a carnival con artist.
October 8, 2014
Fenton's memoir of his time as a carnival con-man.
January 5, 2018
Enjoyable read! Fast paced, engaging, and unique. The questionable morality displayed by these characters is fascinating and had me hooked as I tried to understand Jackie and co's justification for blatantly ripping people off. A cool look into the lives of some shady characters!
May 21, 2019
It was an interesting read, though I don't know if I got anything from it.
Maybe other than to not trust Carnival games.
Maybe other than to not trust Carnival games.
March 9, 2020
Made it halfway, SOOOOO boring. The book just never changes. It's the same thing, over and over. 30 pages of what it is, fun, interesting, quirky. Couple hundred pages? No thanks.
September 15, 2013
I picked up this piece looking forward to learning everything there was to know about Carnival Con-men, and instead gleaned a chunk of Fenton's tough upbringing, a dose of his carnival experiences and just a tiny touch of romance.
Altogether the read was fun and insightful, but lacked a sense of direction or resolution. While individual anecdotals and situations were cool, overall it was hard to get a sense of how Fenton actually felt about his life. Was he living a dream that couldn't last, was he working in a slummy hell out of necessity, or was Fenton's young life just something a little different from most?
Altogether the read was fun and insightful, but lacked a sense of direction or resolution. While individual anecdotals and situations were cool, overall it was hard to get a sense of how Fenton actually felt about his life. Was he living a dream that couldn't last, was he working in a slummy hell out of necessity, or was Fenton's young life just something a little different from most?
July 19, 2013
This book is MESMERIZING. If you like con artists, heist stories, or painful memoirs with unreliable narrators who seem determined to show themselves in the worst possible light (and I love all three), this book is for you. Teenager Peter Fenton escapes from his unpleasant home life through his unhealthy friendship with a fellow high school student who is also a bookie, fledgling con artist, and the son of carnival owners and has, to Pete's shock, an even more disturbing home life than Pete himself. I couldn't put it down.
June 25, 2011
It had great reviews comparing it to "a cross between Ferris Bueller and William S.Burroghs" by the NY Times. I must not have been reading the same book. It was enough to keep me reading, but was not great by any means. I was bored and couldn't wait to finish it so I could go on to something new. Again, it was made out to be a great book, funny and interesting, and it might be for someone else. I didn't find it that good at all. It was ok.
July 18, 2016
Eyeing the Flash: The Education of a Carnival Con Artist by Peter Fenton (Simon & Shuster 2005) (Biography). If true, this book is the author's memoir of his time as a young man working as a carnival con artist. But is it true? The author's CV states that he spent years writing for the National Enquirer. Should that influence my thinking? Enquiring minds want to know! My rating: 7/10, finished 12/24/14.
January 29, 2016
A funny, romping read about the sleaze of the con and the making of a young artist at a small Midwestern carnival, c. 1963. The deeper Fenton goes into the varieties of scams -- the Hanky Pank, Alibi and Flatties -- the more rollicking the book gets. (Hanky Pank are kids’ games. At Alibis the carny gives the mark an alibi for missing the pins, etc. and Flatties offer cards and gambling, a more refined fleecing.) Eyeing the Flash is a terrific tour of low-rent Barnum.
November 16, 2016
This fascinated me. Having worked the similar and at the same time dissimilar business of corporate amusement park games I found the reality and the life lessons to be spot on. And believe me, covering the spot is difficult. That's why it gives away the big prizes.
March 26, 2013
unlike anything else i've read
January 22, 2009
Excellent glimpse into carnival life, told in the style of any good jackpot.
June 29, 2011
Very interesting and entertaining look into the world of carnival game "agents". Reading this makes me glad that I never wasted any money at carnivals.
November 17, 2014
Had similar experiences as the protagonist in this book.
November 14, 2013
Not what I was looking for.
April 10, 2017
I thought there might be some secret carny knowledge in there. Nope. These carnies are just dicks who constantly try to rip everyone off, including each other.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews