Marley Rides [Perfect Paperback]

Jennifer Hart (Author), Inglis & Kern (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

They gave me six months to live, and I gave 'em three and a half years of living. Marley Jacob Pratt (1985-2003)

This story is not just about a young cowboy who contracted terminal lung cancer at the age of 15.
It is not just about his family.
It is about a network of people who changed the life and death of a boy, and who were courageous enough to be changed by him.
This story is never ending, because the ripple effect of our love is now the history from which we build our futures.

When Marley Jacob Pratt was fifteen years old, he was told he was one of the youngest on record to have squamous lung cancer, and that it would likely kill him before he turned 16. Like most teenagers, he figured the authorities did not know what they were talking about. It was up to him to prove them wrong by packing in as much living as possible.

Even if Marley had been a normal teenager, this story would be an adventure, but he wasn't. Marley looked at life upside down, thus everyone he came in contact with was touched by his viewpoint. Marley didn't care about other people's opinions. To him, being self-conscious was a waste of valuable time. His priority was to build a large community so he could have tremendous amounts of fun. To him, loving unconditionally, laughing too loud, and riding fast and hard was the key to living free.

During a three and a half year battle with cancer, Marley survived two rounds of chemotherapy, thirteen rounds of radiation, and six major surgeries which included the removal of a lung and a total knee replacement. The cancer attacked his respiratory system, lymphatic system, endocrine system, and skeletal system. And yet, this kid went to school, worked for the fire department, worked on the family ranch, spending his free time riding on his horse, his Kawasaki Mule, or his ATV. He never stopped having fun or stirring up the dust on the country roads he lived on.

Narrated by his mother, Marley Rides also contains the e-mails sent to the ever-growing number of people who became a part of Marley's support network. These letters began as a way to inform Marley's family and friends of medical updates, but the list quickly grew to include hundreds more. Marley's Network formed to help a unique and deserving young man, and yet the energy created impacted the network two-fold.

Marley Rides is an uplifting story about tragic loss. The story is about how networking with community fosters courage, combines skills, and builds strength. It's about how to deal with medical professionals, Hospice, and caring for the dead at home. This story focuses on how Marley and his family learned to ride the waves of life and death. But in truth, this story is about all of us. Every one of us will encounter sickness and death, and will have to choose how to handle adversity. Marley's story is an example of what can happen when people join forces.

The unusual format of Marley Rides includes over 100 photographs and quotes, and is designed to make readers of all ages and backgrounds feel the intensity of the joy and pain life offers us all. The style of this book helps the reader feel like a part of the family, and that is exactly what happens. Marley is gone, but Marley's Network lives on.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This story is gold! The central theme is COURAGE. Not the individualized courage of Horatio at the bridge, but Prince Hal rallying his men, telling them that men now abed in England, will consider themselves robbed, because they were not there. Marley s courage was magnificent; a courage that spread to others. This story ennobles us to rise above our stolid, stultifying lives and, for a little while, be greater than we are. We can borrow some of his courage, faith and hope. Marley was the victim, yes, but he was also Commander of the Legion of Hope. We have given him much, but he has given us more. --Jeff Cheek, Combat Veteran, Korean War

Marley Rides is about connection the connection between family members and, through the fierce toughness and fragile tenderness of that bond, the connections between that family and the rest of us. I have learned...
A little more about the power of faith and prayer and their role in healing
A little more about letting go of any delusions about how we can take over and steer another s life no matter how much we love the person or know the right thing to do
A little more about how to acknowledge the unthinkable my child might die before I do
A little more about how to be vulnerable
A little more about how to feel the power of joining with each other in love --Sue Reis Lamb, Senior Executive Consultant, CPS Human Resource Services

While reading Marley Rides, I was spellbound and deeply moved. It is a superb book on so many levels, moving back and forth from the personal story to the larger story. For weeks, I lived in a space of deep sorrow that was equally a place of powerful expansion.

Marley Rides is the story of a mother. Her devotion, her humor, her unfailing stamina and dedication to find meaning in Marley s journey through cancer. It blesses all mothers everywhere.

I loved how the author captured Marley' s speech, his affection, his social nature, his wildness, and gusto for having fun. That experience of him through the story is stamped indelibly on my heart, and is such a perfect reminder of the joy inherent in all of us as human beings.

Marley Rides. is a masterpiece testimonial to a young warrior and his unique way of living life, to a mother's steadfast, bottomless love, and to the infinite possibilities and generosity of spirit elicited through Marley's Network. --Nancy Jane, Teacher and Wilderness Guide

About the Author

Jennifer Hart lives in the woods outside of Ashland, Oregon doing her best to stay fully alive while listening to the voices of Those Who Have Gone Before, or her Intuition. After experiencing the deaths of her brother-in-law, Steven Foster and her son, Marley Pratt just weeks apart, Jennifer has spent her time delving into the meaning of life and death, writing from her heart, supporting her daughter's dreams, and living a life full of laughter and tears. Her calling is to help her international family rediscover the art of supportive networking, the deep communal feelings and inherent sacredness of joy and loss, and the care for the dying which incorporates the wisdom of the old ways.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Lost Borders Press (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977763226
• ISBN-13: 978-0977763221
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,633,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book dealing with death, December 14, 2007

By 

Hannah Brehmer (Ashland, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marley Rides (Perfect Paperback)

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read about someone's child dying, because it seems like such a depressing subject. But there is a local connection for me, so I wanted to check it out. Well, it is a tremendously moving book...sad, yes....but funny, inspiring, and very thought-provoking. I could hardly put it down, even though I knew the ending. It is a true story filled with love, involving many people, and it shows what a person can do when faced with extreme circumstances, when love is the motivation and support. It is also a deep look at what dying is all about and how we can face it with a conscious and open heart. It will stay in my mind forever.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Read, December 8, 2007

By 

L. Stahlman (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marley Rides (Perfect Paperback)

Marley Rides is a beautifully written, intimate and very original peek into the lives of a family dealing with an unusual boy with an unlikely disease. This book makes laughing in the face of strife and death not only acceptable but a downright necessary survival technique. It is bound to inspire folks to embrace the good times in the midst of their struggles and realize the benefits gained by relying on and supporting their own networks of friends and family in times of need. Marley truly lived his life to the fullest, and his mother has captured his adventures (and her own) magnificently in Marley Rides.

5.0 out of 5 stars A maestro of inner resources, October 29, 2009

By 

Judith Poole (Watertown, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marley Rides (Perfect Paperback)

Jennifer (Hart) Massey manages the Innersource warehouse for David Feinstein and Donna Eden's books, DVDs, CDs. Beyond that job description, she is a maestro of inner resources. I found her book Marley Rides, incredibly moving. It is a story of many things - family, community, challenge, humor, resilience - revolving around her son's triumphs despite the challenges of living with a very invasive lung cancer diagnosed when he was age 15. He finally succumbed after many trials and tribulations at age 18. However, Jennifer's very touching book is one of love, authenticity and hope without sentimentality.
I hope you will take a look. I found it hard to put down. It is an opus that nurtures and fills the reader with awe and wonder. Jennifer is a compelling writer. It was most generous of her to commit Marley's tale to these pages.
It is a special resource to recommend to those with close friends or family members dealing with a terminal illness.