And You Know You Should Be Glad
Written by Bob Greene
Narrated by Bob Greene
4/5
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About this audiobook
A highly personal and moving true story of friendship and remembrance from the New York Times bestselling author of Duty and Be True to Your School.
Growing up in Bexley, Ohio, Bob Greene and his four best friends -- Allen, Chuck, Dan, and Jack -- were inseparable. Of the four, Jack was Bob's very best friend, a bond forged from the moment they met on the first day of kindergarten. They grew up together, got in trouble together, learned about life together -- and were ultimately separated by time and distance, as all adults are. But through the years Bob and Jack stayed close, holding on to the friendship that had formed years before.
Then, the fateful call came: Jack was dying. And in this hour of need, as the closest of all friends will do, Bob, Allen, Chuck, and Dan put aside the demands of their own lives, came together, and saw Jack through to the end of his journey.
Tremendously moving, funny, heart-stirring, and honest, And You Know You Should Be Glad is an uplifting exploration of the power of friendship to uphold us, sustain us, and ultimately set us free.
Bob Greene
Award-winning journalist Bob Greene is the author of six New York Times bestsellers and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed page.
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Reviews for And You Know You Should Be Glad
31 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not exactly Tuesdays with Morrie but still another moving statement about the passing of a friend.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is journalist & author Bob Greene's tribute to his childhood & lifelong friend Jack. When Jack is diagnosed with cancer, Bob and the group of best friends known collectively as A,B,C,D & J return to Bexley, Ohio and rally together to share childhood memories and help Jack finish out his life with dignity and respect.Ultimately this is a bittersweet story. Of course it's never easy to witness someone you love struggling during the last days of their life, and this one is no exception. It was a touching tribute, although underwhelming for the most part. As a typical reader from the outside looking in, the stories weren't especially interesting and perhaps even a bit dull. Someone who may have known Jack or Bob or any of the five friends in this story would likely get more out of this.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm a big Bob Greene fan, but this wasn't his best work. Maybe the subject matter (the death of his best friend from childhood) was too personal.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5boring. childhood reminiscences are for the participants not for others. maybe a magazine article not a book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very moving and loving story, part memoir, part tribute, by Greene, about his closest friendship. Bob and Jack met when they were in kindergarten and remained close throughout their lives. Now in their late fifties/early sixties, Bob and the rest of their group of 5 buddies rally round to support and embrace Jack after his cancer diagnosis and help him walk his final road with dignity, laughter and love. The memories recalled throughout the book resonate - none are remarkable but in many ways, that is precisely what is wondrous; the ordinary lives of ordinary kids growing up in a small town is something that probably every one of us can relate to on some level. What stands out for Jack, Bob and their friends, the experiences they shared, individually or together, the experiences that touched them and impacted them, are things that made me smile in recognition. Often. I don't know how many of us are lucky or blessed to have such loyal and loving friends throughout our lives. Jack's death was made easier in the way it ought to be: embraced, surrounded by the people who matter most in life.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A true story: five men who have remained close friends since their early childhood despite now living far apart, when one of them is diagnosed with cancer, the other four rally round in support. The details of story are unremarkable; as youngsters they did nothing outrageous, nor since. What is remarkable is the strength and endurance of their friendship, and that these were five thoroughly decent young boys proved loyal to each other into maturity.The story is very much rooted in the present, with frequent recollections of the past, and is told in short bites. And You Know You Should Be Glad is a touching, often moving account. Bob Greene write with great warmth and obvious affection for his dying friend Jack; he paints a picture of an honest, caring and thoughtful boy who retained these qualities into adulthood.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once again Bob Greene tells us a moving story about youth, freindship, and life. This time he uses his childhood friends to teach that those bonds made when we were young hold so much for us. Greene weaves a story that eventhough I grew up 2,500 miles and 20 years later I feel I was right there in Bexley.