This 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. ( )

Not exactly Tuesdays with Morrie but still another moving statement about the passing of a friend. ( )

I'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. ( )

boring. childhood reminiscences are for the participants not for others. maybe a magazine article not a book. ( )

This 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. ( )