The Longest Trip Home LP: A Memoir (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
With the signature sensitivity and humor that Grogan expressed in "Marley and Me", Grogan describes his life growing up in a strict Catholic family and the journey home when his father is ailing. I listened to this (Grogan reads)and there were laugh out loud moments! I totally understood Grogan's need to go to mass toward the end of the book. It is the "Once a Catholic, Always a Catholic feeling" that I can relate to. I have so many problems with the Catholic Church and yet attending a mass can be such a comfort after being raised in the faith. The ending with his mother was poignant and lovely. All of us who are dealing with the ups and downs of assisting and loving aging parents (and aging sibling and selves!) can relate to this memoir. First of all reading a memoir can be boring, but this book is the book club read for January. An obligatory read if you will. Blah. blah, blah…. been there, done that. Really, you can get people to read your unremarkable life story? Well, I guess it helps if you first wrote a book about your dog and had a movie produced based on it, as in Marley and Me. I did find a number of parables to which I could relate. I didn’t grow up Catholic, but was raised in a strict religious home and learned at an early age, like John, that lying to my parents was a safer bet then suffering their wrath if they had known the truth. But maybe that is not so different from kids everywhere.
What do You think about The Longest Trip Home LP: A Memoir (2008)?
great book, especially for those who grew up catholic or who live in the Detroit area.
—TowerRose
