For more than seven decades the circuses enjoyed tremendous popularity in the Soviet Union. How did the circus--an institution that dethroned figures of authority and refused any orderly narrative structure--become such a cultural mainstay in a state known for blunt and didactic messages? Miriam Neirick argues that the variety, flexibility, and indeterminacy of the modern circus accounted for its appeal not only to diverse viewers but also to the Soviet state. In a society where government-legitimating myths underwent periodic revision, the circus proved a supple medium of...