An Interview with Author Kenny Kahn

The author of The Carny Kid: Survival of a Young Thief talks about the impetus for his book, the potential film, why knowledge is power, the importance of teachers, the negative impact of government agencies, the sequel, and more.

Interview by Roberta Austin [more]

Was there any one pivotal event that pushed you to write the book?

Not really, but friends kept telling me that my story was unique and I needed to write a book after I started revealing facts about my early years about fifteen years ago.

Your publicist says there is talk of making a movie of your book. If that comes to pass, who do you see cast as you?

I think it would have to be three newcomers, as I don't see current young stars who would fit. There would have to be a very young Kenny, about five to eight, a Kenny ten to twelve and a high school Kenny.

What advice do you give to young people lured by the easy money of drugs and the "gangsta" life?

If you come from a poverty-stricken background, the best thing is the acquisition of knowledge. You have to push your education to the highest degree. Don't expect a nickel from anyone else; you have to earn it yourself. You can't let your parents, whose lives may be a mess, ruin yours. Your life is in your own hands. Many parents should never have been parents and aren't qualified or available for motivation or help. You have to do your best and not let anything get in the way of your goals. Life will always have problems, but don't let that deter you. Public education is free and you need to take full advantage of all that is offered. The lifetime earning difference between a high school degree and a college degree is one million dollars. Money is important, but trying to get rich quick by illegal means will land you in jail. You are better off to lock yourself in a library. Knowledge is power!

You dedicated your book to your favorite teacher. How would you motivate today's teachers who seemed burned out, at times? Why did you go into law instead of teaching?

Teachers certainly don't go into the profession for money. It has to be a calling. Society does not care enough about teachers. They are often at the bottom of the ladder financially. It is important that they support each other. They gain inspiration from the inside from students and each other. They need more good press and acknowledgment from the public. I wound up in law school after an undergraduate degree in political science. There was no choice, but to stay in school with that degree. I was not gifted in the sciences, but did well with liberal arts and speaking.

Do you think your life would have turned out differently if the social services had intervened, as they often do today?

Yes, things would have been much worse! I have zero faith in government agencies. People are hired because they are consistent and have a work ethic, but they really don't give a damn. My siblings and I would have been separated to three different foster homes. As a teenager, my chances of being adopted would have been nil. My parents would have been jailed. This would not have helped them. Most substance abusers are not criminals in the true sense of being thieves or murderers. Depressing statistics show that last year in the U.S. 750,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession, which is a huge waste of time for the courts and law enforcement.

THE CARNY KID ends with your high school graduation. When will be the sequel be published?

As soon as it is done. Hopefully by summer of 2006.

About the Interviewer: Roberta Austin was born in Roanoke , Virginia, and as an army child, she spent most of her young life traveling to Germany, Japan, Texas, Maryland and Georgia. With librarians and teachers in her background, she learned to read at 5 and has been an avid reader ever since. Currently residing in Atlanta GA, she works as a Library Associate; a dream job for a book addict.