After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story [Kindle Edition] Author: Michael Hainey | Language: English | ISBN:
B008J4E2PI | Format: PDF, EPUB
After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story Epub Free
Direct download links available After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story Epub Free for everyone book 4shared, mediafire, hotfile, and mirror link “Family? Secrets? Sometimes I think they are the same thing.” So writes Michael Hainey in this unforgettable story of a son’s search to discover the decades-old truth about his father’s mysterious death. Hainey was a boy of six when his father, a bright and shining star in the glamorous, hard-living world of 1960s Chicago newspapers, died under mysterious circumstances. His tragic absence left behind not only a young widow and two small sons but questions about family and truth that would obsess Michael for decades.
Years later, Michael undertakes a risky journey to uncover the true story about what happened to his father. Prodding reluctant relatives and working through a network of his father’s old colleagues, Michael begins to reconcile the father he lost with the one he comes to know. At the heart of his quest is his mother, a woman of courage and tenacity—and a steely determination to press on with her life. A universal story of love and loss and the resilience of family in the face of hardship, After Visiting Friends is the account of a son who goes searching for his father, and in the journey discovers new love and admiration for his mother. Direct download links available for After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story Epub Free
- File Size: 3566 KB
- Print Length: 322 pages
- Publisher: Scribner; Reprint edition (February 19, 2013)
- Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
- Language: English
- ASIN: B008J4E2PI
- Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,395 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #18
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors - #22
in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Journalists - #43
in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors
- #18
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors - #22
in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Journalists - #43
in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors
Memoirs are memories, personal remembrances stored for a lifetime, eventually shared with the world in an intimate, devastating way. How an author would allow people to enter their lives, and examine it, is impressive, as is this can’t-put-down new book, “After Visiting Friends” by Michael Hainey.
When Michael was six, his thirty-five year old journalist father was found dead on the street, apparently of a heart attack. The story never registered as true with Michael, and as an adult, decides to use his journalism skills to investigate the death that happened decades earlier. What he lays out is an utterly fascinating account of the path he took to solve the mystery, and along the way, paints a picture of his family that is honest, and all together real.
The people Michael tells about are tightly drawn and all together real. His mother: widowed at an early age, not spared any sentiment or pity, but richly drawn as a person who did her best to shepherd her family through this event, on the surface never questioning her husband’s death. His grandmother: a strong wise woman succumbing to dementia.
Even more impressive are the people who Michael interviews along the way. One in particular resonated so strongly, she nearly dared to take over the story: Jan Scott, a receptionist in the Forensic Medicine building whose religion permeates her life and supports Michael in ways unpredictable. She’s a compelling character in a story with compelling characters.
These characters, these people, are compelling because of Hainey’s writing style. His prose is short, immediate, and present. He often writes without verbs, making the reading seem like lists, but it brings you right into the story and makes you feel like you are there.
I am a mother of two boys, ages 6 and almost 4. ?I'm lucky to still have my husband's help in raising them. ?I chose to read this book because when I read about it in Entertainment Weekly, it seemed like the kind of book I love to read. ?I like memoirs about family dysfunction and tragedy because I hope I will learn how to rise above setbacks, how to deal with tragedies and dysfunction, what pitfalls to avoid and how to be a good parent. ?I have had my share of traumas to overcome, so I am particularly interested in how others cope. ?I have never lost a parent or anyone very close to me, however.
I agree with the other reviewers on the great writing, vivid details, and bygone but colorful language that immerse you in fascinating American history. ?The book really made me think about so many different things, but I'll only touch upon the parenting and relationship part.
After I read this (Kindle version), and I read this in two days because I was engrossed in it, I was again reminded of how far-reaching a parent's influence is. ?As a parent, you understand that you have an enormous responsibility to your children, but it's good to remember that one day your children will be fully grown adults and hopefully will still have a relationship with you- built upon the many conversations and experiences over decades. ?Behavior and communication patterns established early might still be in place later, so make sure those patterns are working. ?So, this book reminds me that you must help your children to understand things when they ask about tragedy- no matter how painful for you. ?The author's mother did a wonderful job raising her children without her husband. ?However, it seems that a lot of pain could have been alleviated if they could've talked more about the tragedy.
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