Bobo's Daughter: One Woman's Journey to Find Hope, Healing, and the Father behind the Face Paint by Bonnie Barnett

ISBN-13: 9780984235872
Publisher: Synergy Books
Published: September 2010
232 pgs
Source: Publicist

When the publicist contacted me and asked if I was interested to review Bobo's Daughter, I was skeptical at first because I rarely read memoirs. However, I was attracted by the gorgeous cover but what most intrigued me is this memoir is about the relationship between the author and her father, who makes his career as a clown. I've to admit I wasn't a huge fan of clowns since young; while some children think they are funny I often thought of them a bit creepy and intimidating. I've to blame it on the bright paints that they put on their faces.

Now as an adult and though my feelings towards them hasn't changed, I've grown to respect and admire their zest by always putting on a smile and their best performance to their audience. Bobo's Daughter chronicles author Bonnie Barnett's journey of getting to know more about her father and searching for him as he travels to places as a circus clown.

Bonnie first met her father, Chester "Bobo" Barnett, at the circus when she was 4 years old. She knew nothing about him, and her mother did not mention much about him considering he had chose to leave them behind for his career as a world famous clown. Despite that, Bonnie was mesmerised after watching her father's performance, and she told herself she would like to get to know him better. Needless to say, her mother didn't share her sentiments and felt somewhat betrayed that Bonnie wanted to meet him. Nevertheless, Bonnie never give up her intention of reconnecting with her father throughout the years and this book is the result whereby she shares with her readers about her struggles growing up, and finally finding peace and forgiveness after what she's been through.

This memoir also covers the relationship between Bonnie and her mother, who used to be a girl clown and how she gave up her clowning career to raise Bonnie all on her own. I really appreciate the author for including a few pictures of her parents and herself in between the chapters as they enable me to glimpse more deeply of the life she's been living on top of her written words. In a nutshell, Bobo's Daughter is only only a moving memoir about reconciliation and forgiveness between a daughter and a father, but also about having hope and the courage of finding oneself and learning through experiences without giving anything up. Today, Bonnie works as a Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist and Life Coach near Durham, North Carolina.

About the Author:
Bonnie Barnett currently lives in Durham, N.C., where she owns a private, in-home outpatient therapy practice. She also works at Agape Corner where she helps at-risk children and families living below the poverty line. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a minor in psychology from California State University at Los Angeles and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

(Many thanks to the publicist, Lindsay Marshall for sending this book to me for review.)