Free to use Man and Woman Having Conversation at the Bar | RODNAE Productions
Free to use Man and Woman Having Conversation at the Bar | RODNAE Productions
Having worked in a comedy club for a number of years, I got to know many comedians personally. So, if you ask me if I think one is qualified to write a story about love and loss, I can confidently say “Absolutely and probably more than most.” With their unique perspective of looking at the world, their ability to weave together what a lot of us see but fail to really notice, and their gift of communication, good comedians cut right to it with their observations.
In A HEART THAT WORKS [bit.ly/3HNl2Ol], Rob Delaney recounts the 2.5 years between the birth, diagnosis, and death of his son, Henry. Delaney’s story encompasses his family’s experiences in between the “between,” in the before, and in the after of Henry’s battle with brain cancer. He depicts the good and the bad; to not share all of it would be a disservice to himself, to Henry, and to his readers. He exposes his anger, his annoyance, his grief, yes, but also communicates Henry’s strength and light as well as the love, grace, joy, and bits of humor found in even some of the worst days. Brutal and raw are common adjectives that have been used to describe this book, and they are not wrong. His emotions are guttural and his honesty is unapologetic; he doesn’t hold back.
At its core, A HEART THAT WORKS is a letter of thanks, love, and permission. Thanks to the friends, family, and caregivers, who were there for Delaney’s son and his family, love to his wife Leah and their 4 boys, but, most of all, permission to himself and to others to deal with their own unique tragedy as only they can. He gives no answers or advice, just his truth.
In the midst of his family trauma, Delaney reads Joan Didion’s A YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING and remarks on how it made him feel less alone. If he can take any solace in his heartache, whether it was his goal when he set out to write this memoir or not, maybe it’s that his reflections, experiences, and this book, will do the same for someone else.
UnCovered review by Stephanie Baker, ACLS IT
Original source can be found here.
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