Check out my review at:

http://www.shannonsbookbag.blogspot.com/2014/10/stronger-bauman.html ( )

Bauman isn't a good writer, which is fine. His ghostwriter also isn't a good writer, which isn't.

That Bauman went through hell and back is indisputable. That his family suffered horribly too, including finding out about his injuries in the worst way possible, is also indisputable.

But I found myself wanting more from this book. Which seems rather demanding of me, I suppose. Guy got his legs blown off. Isn't that enough?

Ultimately, for a memoir, it isn't. ( )

Very interesting book to listen to. It was interesting to hear his side of the story and what happened after the bombing. Good as an audiobook. ( )

Interesting! ( )

I had very low expectations for this book. I read it because I wanted to know more about the hunt for the Boston marathon bombers, and this book was blurbed as being about the guy who told the police who to look for. I was afraid that the rest of the story would be sappy and I figured I would skip it.

Turns out that I read the entire book in one sitting. The manhunt part was a very small (though interesting) part of the book--mostly it is about how Bauman survived and became stronger. I don't know whether the kid himself is uncommonly gracious or whether the ghostwriter is exceptionally sensitive to the kinds of grating things people sometimes say, but this book managed to put Bauman's personal tragedy into perspective without minimizing it.

For example, nowhere does Bauman say something like, "God had a plan for me and that is why I survived" (which would make me wonder--didn't God care about the people who didn't survive, including one eight-year-old boy who died right in front of his parents)? And though Bauman has ample reason to feel sorry for himself, he never sounds whiny. He talks about other people facing similar or worse tragedies, saying, "Yeah, this was hard on me but I'm not the only one facing hard things." He explains why the tsunami of public support he received had its downside (putting lots of pressure on him--e.g., if he couldn't learn to walk on prosthetics, he would have let the whole city down) without once sounding ungrateful or unappreciative.

One thing I wish he had explained is why he didn't marry his girlfriend already. She was invaluable throughout his recovery, making personal sacrifices to stay near and help him, and they move in together at the end, so . . . ? Not that it is any of my business. :)

Another thing: Costco, wow. I was very impressed with how that company cares for its employees. ( )