And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship [Hardcover]

Bob Greene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006

"New York Times" bestselling author Bob Greene recounts his friendship with four men he's known since kindergarten showing how it progressed over the years through their experience of learning that one of them is dying. This is a memoir of great beauty and mystery. Growing up in small-town Bexley, Ohio, Bob Greene and his four best friends, Allen, Chuck, Dan, and Jack- known as ABCD&J were inseparable. Of the four, Jack was Bob's very best friend, from the moment he'd befriended Bob on their first day of kindergarten. They grew up together, got in trouble together, and learned about life while they also went their separate ways, as we all do. But through the five friends kept in close touch and marked the milestones of each other' lives the good ones and the bad. Then the call came: Jack was dying. And so the friends came together as friends do to see Jack through to the end of the journey. "And You Know You Should be Glad" is tremendously moving, funny, wistful, and honest. More than anything, it is an uplifting book about the power of friendship, and about the people who knew you when. It is bestselling author Bob Greene's finest book so far.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestselling author Greene (Duty) has filled a shelf with two dozen books, including his 1993 novel All Summer Long, while appearing as a broadcast journalist (Nightline) and writing for newspapers (the Chicago Tribune) and magazines (Life). Now he looks back on his youth in Bexley, Ohio (pop. 13,000), where he and his four pals grew up together, calling themselves ABCDJ (for Allen, Bob, Chuck, Dan and Jack). Their lives' paths diverged, but they always stayed in contact; in 2004, the news that Jack was terminally ill reunited them. Then and now, the group used jokes "to hide our feelings—to pretend to feel nothing... [which] seemed much better than the alternative." Greene met Jack in kindergarten, and they remained best friends for life. Remembering people and places they shared, the two revisit old haunts, discovering that their beloved Toddle House, where they once went for late-night chocolate pie, is now a Pizza Plus. Greene's repetitive, rambling free associations recall everything from his Halloween costume and old songs to ice cream parlors, state fairs and clothing fads. Unfortunately, the author's dusty attic of lost Americana is cluttered with clichés, nostalgia and overly sentimental yearnings. (May 1)
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Review

“Nostalgic. . . . Endearing. . . . Quotably philosophical.” (Library Journal )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1ST edition (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060881933
• ISBN-13: 978-0060881931
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,209,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most heart-warming book ever!, May 5, 2006

By 

Kathy Posner (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship (Hardcover)

This book is about the friendship of 5 men that started when they were in elementary school. Greene has written about these friendships in Be True to Your School. This book deals with the events leading up to the death of one of the friends. The love that these 5 men had for each other over a 50 year span is astounding. I cried while I was reading the book because I was jealous of the depth of the friendships. While I have friends now that I love as deeply as Bob Greene did his friends, none of the relationships go back as far as elementary school. I also cried because of the magical weaving of Greene's words as he described the innocence of life in the suburbs in the 1950's and 1960's when nobody locked their doors and Moms were at home baking cookies. I read half the book straight through before I had to put it down because I was sobbing too deeply to continue. I had to wait a few days to gather the strength to go back to it because I knew how much the ending would effect me. After reading this book, the memories of one's own childhood come flooding back in a way one never thought possible. And wile some memories are sad, it is still wonderful to have them.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made Me Pick Up the Phone to Call My Best Friend, May 3, 2006

By 

Peter Frost "Peter Frost" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship (Hardcover)

I just love this book. It's moving, funny, and a great story. I read Green's BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL when it was a bestseller some years ago, and this is just as good because it talks about some of the same people. But you don't have to have read that book to read this one. It's its own thing. Every character in this book comes alive -- especially Jack Roth. What a great guy! Yes, this book is sad in places, but it leaves you with a profound feeling of about how important it is to have friends, and what they mean to us.

Everyone should read this book -- men and women. I wish there were more books published like this.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I KNOW you will be glad..., May 9, 2006

By 

Michael Kelly (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It was touching and heart-felt and really brought me into the lives of these men. There are sad parts, but it's more life affirming than anything else. It's like Tuesdays With Morrie, but well-written.

Save yourself the time and buy two copies right now. One for you, one for your best friend. You're going to want to send one to your best friend.