And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship
By Bob Greene
4/5
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About this ebook
A highly personal and moving true story of friend-ship and remembrance from the New York Times bestselling author of Duty and Be True to Your School
Growing up in Bexley, Ohio, population 13,000, Bob Greene and his four best friends -- Allen, Chuck, Dan, and Jack -- were inseparable. Of the four, Jack was Bob's very best friend, a bond forged from the moment they met on the first day of kindergarten. They grew up together, got into trouble together, learned about life together -- and were ultimately separated by time and distance, as all adults are. But through the years Bob and Jack stayed close, holding on to the friendship that had formed years before.
Then the fateful call came: Jack was dying. And in this hour of need, as the closest of friends will do, Bob, Allen, Chuck, and Dan put aside the demands of their own lives, came together, and saw Jack through to the end of his journey.
Tremendously moving, funny, heart-stirring, and honest, And You Know You Should Be Glad is an uplifting exploration of the power of friendship to uphold us, sustain us, and ultimately set us free.
Bob Greene
Bob Greene is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer specializing in fitness, metabolism, and weight loss. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. For the past seventeen years, he has worked with clients and consulted on the design and management of fitness, spa, and sports medicine programs. Bob has been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He is also a contributing writer and editor for O, The Oprah Magazine, and writes articles on health and fitness for Oprah.com. Greene is the bestselling author of The Best Life Diet Cookbook; The Best Life Diet, Revised and Updated; The Best Life Diet; The Best Life Diet Daily Journal; The Total Body Makeover; Get With the Program!; The Get With the Program! Daily Journal; The Get With the Program! Guide to Good Eating; and Make the Connection.
Read more from Bob Greene
Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Life Diet Revised and Updated Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Late Edition: A Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And You Know You Should Be Glad: A True Story of Lifelong Friendship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life You Want: Get Motivated, Lose Weight, and Be Happy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Life Diet Cookbook: More than 175 Delicious, Convenient, Family-Friendly Recipes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Get With the Program!: Getting Real About Your Weight, Health, and Emotional Well-Being Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBob Greene's Total Body Makeover: An Accelerated Program of Exercise and Nutrition f Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Best Life Diet Daily Journal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Get with the Program! Guide to Good Eating: Great Food for Good Health Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Get With The Program! Guide to Fast Food and Family Restaurants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for And You Know You Should Be Glad
29 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A true story: five men who have remained close friends since their early childhood despite now living far apart, when one of them is diagnosed with cancer, the other four rally round in support. The details of story are unremarkable; as youngsters they did nothing outrageous, nor since. What is remarkable is the strength and endurance of their friendship, and that these were five thoroughly decent young boys proved loyal to each other into maturity.The story is very much rooted in the present, with frequent recollections of the past, and is told in short bites. And You Know You Should Be Glad is a touching, often moving account. Bob Greene write with great warmth and obvious affection for his dying friend Jack; he paints a picture of an honest, caring and thoughtful boy who retained these qualities into adulthood.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very moving and loving story, part memoir, part tribute, by Greene, about his closest friendship. Bob and Jack met when they were in kindergarten and remained close throughout their lives. Now in their late fifties/early sixties, Bob and the rest of their group of 5 buddies rally round to support and embrace Jack after his cancer diagnosis and help him walk his final road with dignity, laughter and love. The memories recalled throughout the book resonate - none are remarkable but in many ways, that is precisely what is wondrous; the ordinary lives of ordinary kids growing up in a small town is something that probably every one of us can relate to on some level. What stands out for Jack, Bob and their friends, the experiences they shared, individually or together, the experiences that touched them and impacted them, are things that made me smile in recognition. Often. I don't know how many of us are lucky or blessed to have such loyal and loving friends throughout our lives. Jack's death was made easier in the way it ought to be: embraced, surrounded by the people who matter most in life.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once again Bob Greene tells us a moving story about youth, freindship, and life. This time he uses his childhood friends to teach that those bonds made when we were young hold so much for us. Greene weaves a story that eventhough I grew up 2,500 miles and 20 years later I feel I was right there in Bexley.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5boring. childhood reminiscences are for the participants not for others. maybe a magazine article not a book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm a big Bob Greene fan, but this wasn't his best work. Maybe the subject matter (the death of his best friend from childhood) was too personal.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not exactly Tuesdays with Morrie but still another moving statement about the passing of a friend.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is journalist & author Bob Greene's tribute to his childhood & lifelong friend Jack. When Jack is diagnosed with cancer, Bob and the group of best friends known collectively as A,B,C,D & J return to Bexley, Ohio and rally together to share childhood memories and help Jack finish out his life with dignity and respect.Ultimately this is a bittersweet story. Of course it's never easy to witness someone you love struggling during the last days of their life, and this one is no exception. It was a touching tribute, although underwhelming for the most part. As a typical reader from the outside looking in, the stories weren't especially interesting and perhaps even a bit dull. Someone who may have known Jack or Bob or any of the five friends in this story would likely get more out of this.