Customer Reviews

The Longest Trip Home LP: A Memoir

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Grogan's memoir is one of the best I've read in a long time. On one level it's about growing up Catholic and balancing conflicting family values. But mostly it's such a good read that I'd recommend Longest Trip Home to any fan of the memoir genre.

The first part of the book takes us through Grogan's traditional Catholic upbringing: big family, loving parents, Catholic schools. Memoir readers will recognize familiar themes, such as the cruel Catholic schools. But Grogan adds his own touches. I've always wondered if altar boys really sipped the wine and Grogan tells us how it's done. We also meet Shaun, the Grogan family dog, who earned the nickname "Saint Shaun" for good behavior. Readers can speculate on how Shaun influenced Grogan's response to the famous Marley.

Grogan's parents displayed unusual understanding and sensitivity. Realizing John was a miserable misfit in Catholic high school, they allowed him to transfer to public school, where he discovered journalism and lowered his GPA.

Although the first half offers a good read, Grogan's real story begins when he moves in with Jenny, the woman who was to become his wife. Grogan's parents demonstrate the powers of deep denial. Assuming their thirty-year-old son has lived a chaste life, they write long anguished letters.

Grogan writes unsparingly yet lightly of his own struggle to be his own person yet honor his parents' beliefs. He describes the way his contemporaries relate to their religion as "cultural Catholics" and "cafeteria Catholics," both styles rejected firmly by his parents. As his children grow up, Grogan and his wife Jenny compromise -- but only up to a point. I found myself cheering for Jenny, who brought reason and common sense to many tense situations.

In the last pages of the book, Grogan shares his experiences of his father's last days. He shares memories with siblings, videotapes his father and tries to be supportive through medical procedures that seemed cruel and senseless to me. Why put an elderly man through chemotherapy and a final stint in the ICU?

Grogan doesn't comment. Indeed, he rarely analyzes, presenting a model of the "show don't tell" school of writing. But at the very end, he makes an unusual new friend. And he suggests, in a light-hearted way, that his father continues to look out for him.

That's the real gift of this book: It's a mixture of humor, nostalgia, sadness, and understanding. And of course he's a very good writer -- so good you don't notice till you're done.

it was outstanding. It went from laugh out loud funny, to sobbing uncontrollably. I grew up about the same time John did, was raised Catholic Irish, and abandoned the church at about the same age John did. John poked a little fun at his Catholic upbringing, but never crossed that line to irreverence or disrrespect. There are parts of this book that difinitely hit home (counting the Virgin Mary statues in the house)and the non Catholic may not find quite as entertaining, because they will probably think they are fabricated- they aren't!!! I love the part where John and Jenny stay in their parent's bedroom as newlyweds- with the crucifix, the Virgin Mary's and the rosary all staring at them.
I was a hippy, always in trouble, and was the first rebel in my family to quit Catholic school after sixth grade and attend public school. But will wonders never cease- after 30+ years of not stepping inside a church except for an occasional wedding or funeral I started attending Catholic Masses on a regular basis about 3 years ago. I thank God that I had a good foundation, and when I was ready to go back to church I knew where to go. I look back and am so appreciative that my family gave me the start that they did. This is a heartwarming book that I will definitely recommend- especially to my Catholic family and friends

Before John Grogan had lovable, terrible Marley, he was raised by a very conservative, Catholic family (putting it mildly). He goes to Catholic school, is an altar boy, and spends huge chunks of his life through middle adulthood concealing from his parents that he has no particular affection for religion and that he has abandoned many of the tenants they care most about. As he marries and raises children according to his own moral code, Grogan feels the rift between himself and his parents widen. However, once his father, who had seemed so towering in his childhood, begins to experience a rapidly failing health, Grogan looks anew at his childhood and his relationship with his parents.

Quote: "At West Bloomfield, the teachers offered learning the way waiters offer canapes at a cocktail party. You could help yourself or wave them away. If I wanted to learn, they would teach me; if I chose not to, they were happy to ignore me. After nine years of Catholic education, where the nuns and brothers forced performance, often by the threat of physical pain, I was free to fail."

I really enjoyed Marley and Me, so I was looking forward to reading this book. It was not bad, but it read like the stereotypical Catholic childhood. I realize it is strange to offer that as a critique concerning someone's actual life story (like they could help it!), but it did get exhausting to read after a while. I guess I would have at least liked some thoughtful analysis or different spin - something that feels like we haven't heard it all before. In fact, it sounds like the life stories of Grogan's father or brother Tim would have been much more interesting to read. These are given a brief fly over treatment that sounded fascinating and left me wanting to read more about those two. A paragraph about his father's early life - "itinerant childhood," boy during the Depression, financially responsible for his mother and siblings after his father dies, "double deferment after Pearl Harbor and his decision to enlist anyway." Perhaps an opening for Grogan's next book?

This book is the best book I've ever read. I laughed so hard my kids came running to see if I had 'lost it' then I cried so hard at the end I actually couldn't hold the book. John writes as if you are right there with him experiencing the same things he is....most of which I have growing up in suburban Detroit myself. Read this one first and then read Marly & Me and while I have to say I loved the story of Marley too, this one is my personal favorite.

I was immediately attracted to this book since I listened to "Marley and Me" on CD and loved it. It was a great story, well narrated. Unfortunately, within minutes of listening to this book I was wondering why in the world John Grogan would decide to narrate the book himself. I tried to hang in there but as his voice droned on and the content was not family friendly, I finally gave up. A professional book reader brings a story to life. The author seems bored with his own story. Could he really have no conscience about his actions and how they affect others? Do I want to hear the F word repeatedly? It also seemed like he would build up to a story and then move on to something else leaving the reader to wonder whatever happened to... By the fifth disk, I was so repulsed I will never read another thing by this author.

I grew up Catholic as well, and yes - it's trying at times when our faith is not as strong as our parents.

John Grogan recounts his story, growing up Catholic and try as I might, I just can't feel anything for this author because I don't think he reveals enough about who he really is. This book feels to be almost entirely devoid of emotion. (I felt the same way about Marley & Me) When John's friends shot the fireworks off towards the old man's house and nearly burned it down, I wanted to be squirming in my chair to see what happens next but it's just so dry that when I get to each next part, I just don't care.

I just could never get fully become engrossed in John's story. It's a light read, and I sometimes feel as if he is telling someone else's story rather than his own.

When I read a memoir, I want to really feel like I know the person that's writing the book- but two books later, I still don't feel like I know who John Grogan is.

Childhood memoirs I'd recommend instead:
Running with Scissors: A Memoir
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
This Boy's Life: A Memoir

Before Marley (see Marley & Me), John Grogan grew up in a deeply religious Catholic home near Detroit in the 1960s and '70s. His parents loved him and tried to get him to live a good Catholic ethical lifestyle. However, John was an imp who like many boys used his telescope to stare at the woman next door. He drank holy wine, smoked cigarettes and tried to score with girls while also eluding the necker-checker watcher, his kind but strict mom. To imbue him with their fervor, his parents took John on family miracle trips to visit shrines and camp under the stars so he would learn first hand the miracle of God. However unlike his parents or his brother Michael who turned towards priesthood and was as a devoted believer as their parents, John was devoted to the altar of female breasts; at best an agnostic as pure faith seemed illogical and tedious. When he met Jenny, he fell in love and began the real transition to adulthood, but remained practically faithless. That is until his father's illness led him to re-look his values including Catholicism.

This is an interesting memoir that reads like many young middle class Americans (religious denomination not matter) growing up in the 1960s as drugs, wine and sex were in and the religions of parents were out. Still amusing and filled with angst, John Grogan's The Longest Journey Home was not quite finished at this point, but he was definitely getting his act together. Boomer fans and their still alive parents who want to reminiscence about the internal family revolutions will enjoy joining Mr. Grogan as he travels a path many others took; younger fans might ask so what.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoy reading memoirs, but sometimes find them one-sided and self-centered. Not so with John Grogan's book. It is honest, funny, and oh-so-poignant.

Perhaps because we grew up during the same time, I can relate to many of the episodes in his life. And though I'm not Catholic, my best friends are, and I have heard many of their tales of Catholic schools. (Besides, I was raised Southern Baptist, and that can be equally dogmatic.)

Most touching, though, are the final chapters where the grown-up John deals with his aging parents. Those of us who have been through this can surely empathize with his perspective on his parents' long, fruitful, and loving lives and the inevitable shift from being the child to being the adult in this relationship.

This is an excellent book, written in a fluid style, with a blend of humor and pathos that makes it quite memorable. I'll be recommending it to friends -- just as soon as I finish wiping those tears from my stern English-teacher eyes.

I enjoyed reading John Grogan's memoir. It gave me insight into Catholicism through his humorous experiences as a kid growing up and also the confrontations with his parents as an adult concerning his lack of faith. It shows how religion can be divisive in relationships but how love can still triumph. I felt bad for his parents who were devout Catholics seeking to raise their children in their faith and not having any of them really embracing it as they had.

If you like stories about families, humor and dealing with elderly parents, this has it all. If you have Catholic background you would probably identify with many of his religious experiences.

John Grogan's well-written memoir is interesting, entertaining, and somewhat reminiscent of the nostalgic narrative style of Jean Shepherd ("A Christmas Story," et al), and the voice-over storytelling so memorably used in the classic TV series "The Wonder Years" about the coming of age in the '60s. The author of the best-selling "Marley and Me" provides insightful anecdotes, both funny and poignant, about his growth from boyhood to family man. Highly recommended!