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Title: And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship
ISBN: B000MG1Z6U
Author:
Bob Greene
Publicate Date: 2006-05-01
Publish: 2006-05-01
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $4.70
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.16
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Send This Baby to Your Buddies
Mr. Greene has written a terrific tribute to lifelong friendship. Jumping back and forth between how the ABCDJ group was during their youth and into the present in which they are all dealing with the deterioration and ultimate death of Jack is very effective. Mr. Greene attempts to convey the conflicting emotions that come with the death of an important element in his life. It made me appreciate how truly lucky I am to have similar relationships with my own group of five lifelong friends. This book is a keeper and I intend to give one copy to each of my four cronies.
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2: I know this group....
I am about 16 years younger than Bob Greene, I grew up in Arizona, and not in the mid-west, but I can really relate to this book. I too have four great friends that I am still close too, we have watched each other's back for over 30 years. We have stood by each other through thick and thin. Right now one of us is very ill, and I worry that I am going to live what Green when though all too soon.
Good book, sad subject.
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3: BEST I'VE READ IN 2 YEARS ! ! ! !
I heard about this book from a friend. I am so thankful that it was recommended to me. I have since bought 6 copies for gifts to other friends. If you want to remember your childhood, cry over the pain of adulthood and begin to understand why we are here and what we should be, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU ! ! !
Don't let this one pass you by.
Thank you, Bob, for this wonderful stroll down memory lane -- with all the highs and lows..............
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4: Good, not great.
First, the praise: This book is an example of why most people think they could be writers. Greene's plain, straight-ahead, uncomplicated writing style just makes it seem so easy. Somehow, seemingly just by putting one word after another, he writes prose that is extremely readable. Of course it's not that easy, or I'd be doing it, too.
Now, the criticism: This isn't one of his best works. I have two main complaints: First, while the subject matter is by its nature sentimental, Greene lets it slip beyond the sentimental, to the maudlin. Second, the reminiscenses (is that a word? see what I mean about writing not being easy?) are too personal. Sure, some of his childhood experiences are similar to mine and yours. But still, they're HIS experiences -- not mine or yours. There was never a Toddle House in my part of the country. And the stuff that made Greene and his pals roll on the floor laughing as they reminisced really didn't seem that funny to the reader. You had to be there, in other words.
Summary: Good read. Not a great read.
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5: Great Characters, Poorly Told Story
When I saw this book, a continuation of the characters in "Be True To Your School", I bought in with great enthusiasm. But I was disappointed.
The characters are still good, though Greene does not show the differences in the personalities very much. Here were 5 great friends, but you don't see the differences in the personalities.
I also with Greene would have talked a bit more about his own journey through life. Nor do you hear very much about the bad times any of the characters faced.
I have a hard cover version of this book. There are NO pictures of the friends in this book, astonishingly chintzy. Greene refers to people mistaking Jack for Steven Spielberg, yet there are no pictures for the reader to see for themselves. Greene refers to other pictures taken of them, but they are not for us to see.
Plus, Greene's observations seem incredibly pithy and sappy.
Finally, one question that bothered me throughout this book and "Be True To Your School". Did Greene and his friends ever eat a single meal at home? It seems that all they ever did was to go to one Bexley place or another for hamburgers and fries. Didn't their parents feed them? Or how did they pay for all these meals out.
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