Being Brett: Chronicle of a Daughter's Death [Paperback]

Douglas Hobbie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998

Douglas Hobbie recounts the harrowing account of his daughter's struggle with Hodgkin's disease. From the beginning, and despite every shattering setback and disappointment in the course of her ordeal, Brett was determined to prevail.

Being Brett is a record of courage and perseverance that pushes past the myths and unreality that often insulate us from death and dying. To open this extraordinary book is to undertake an unforgettable journey that will provoke in every reader a deeper contemplation of what it means to be alive.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A father recalls his daughter's harrowing and courageous struggle with Hodgkin's disease. Douglas Hobbie writes with insight and an unflinching eye that strips away the myths and unrealities that surround the disease and often insulate us from death and dying. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In this painfully honest account, Hobbie (Boomfell) details his daughter Brett's five-year battle with Hodgkin's disease. Brett, a talented 23-year-old artist, had just begun an independent life in San Francisco when she was diagnosed with lymphoma. Although the initial treatment appeared to be effective, the disease recurred and Brett continued chemotherapy and radiation, also undergoing a devastating bone marrow transplant. Hobbie paints a vivid picture of his energetic, loving daughter and their relationship, as well as the emotional impact of her condition on his wife, his other daughter and son and on Brett's incredibly supportive lover, Beth. When Brett's condition became hopeless, she returned with Beth to Massachusetts to be near her family. Hobbie's harrowing account of Brett's last days is a shattering portrait of how a family struggles through the loss of one of its beloved members.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (P) (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805057900
• ISBN-13: 978-0805057904
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,810,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful way to prepare for death and dying... but an arduous read, January 21, 2008

By 

E. DePodesta (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Being Brett: Chronicle of a Daughter's Death (Paperback)

I must start by saying I couldn't put this book down... but at the same time, it was not a particularly rewarding read. The endless littany of hospital tests, misery and physical deterioration seem to be written more as a therapeutic exercise for the writer, rather than to tell the story of this young woman and her illness.

I do believe this book offers wonderful and valuable lessons in dealing with terminal illness: how to mentally prepare; how to have rewarding, meaningful, poignant conversations; how a family and loved ones can begin to cope with the loss of someone dear to them. I lost my mother to cancer 15 years ago and wish, wish I had conversations with her as Brett did with her parents.

But we as readers aren't given a whole lot to like about Brett. Her her fighting spirit, her smarts, her relationship with Beth, her ability to endure, yes. But for the most part she comes across as a self-indulgent, miserable, tormented artist, deep into her moody poetry, journals and bizarre drawings. More upsetting to me was my impression that she never seemed to show her parents -- who endured such terror alongside her, always giving her their undying love and commitment -- any genuine appreciation or gratitude. Her parents were always left feeling like they should have said it differently, should have done more, should have been more sensitive to her needs. She never told them, "You're doing it just right. I love you for the way you are dealing with this. I love you for going through this with me."

And beware: The book relives in agonizing, neverending detail the hospitalizations, tests, misery, pain and setbacks that Brett endured(let me add that I have known several terminal cancer patients, none of whom suffered anywhere near what this poor young woman endured. I also know a 20-something gal who went through a bone marrow transplant in about 1996 with nothing that even remotely resembled the misery and suffering Brett experienced. Her setbacks are not the norm. I think this book could really alarm other cancer patients and their families... please know that it isn't always like this!).

To me, the protagonist heroes of this book are Douglas, Holly and Beth, and Brett's younger brother and sister, all of whom I really loved, each of whom did an amazing, perfect job in dealing with such a terrible experience. I finished the book thinking so much more of them than of Brett.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brett and her family have a permanent place in my heart!, August 8, 2000

By 

Janet Haynes (York, ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Being Brett: Chronicle of a Daughter's Death (Paperback)

This is the first book I have ever read that as soon as I finished it I started right over again. What a heartbreakingly intense journey Brett struggled through! I felt so close to her and her family and will forever be enriched from this reading experience. Thank you Mr Hobbie, for sharing your family and especially your amazing daugther Brett with us. I plan to visit her memorial bench someday. I will always remember the joyous spirit of "Santa Bretta".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sad and joyful tribute to an extraordinary life., August 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Being Brett: Chronicle of a Daughter's Death (Hardcover)

Brett Hobbie was one of my closest friends. She was a skilled poet, a mesmerizing speaker, and an intoxicating person to spend time with. I felt giddy alive with her and this book almost manages to convey her spirit to those who never had the good fortune to know her. Doug Hobbie has crafted what must have been a difficult book to write: a eulogy of sorts, but also a chronicaling of a life written by a parent with a very keen sense of his child's wit and humor and struggle. A small, quiet triumph