| Dick Estell The Radio Reader Public Radio's Reading Program |
| (non-fiction) |
| Airs April 8 - May 12, 2009 |
This a book told in three parts. In the first, “Growing Up,” Grogan recounts his
childhood in the 1960s and ‘70s. Whether he was snitching sacramental wine as
an altar boy, fibbing his way through his first holy confession, or spying on the
sunbathing neighbor woman with his toy telescope, John was figuring out his
parents’ expectations would be nearly impossible to meet.
In Part II, Grogan chronicles his courtship of Jenny, the woman he would
eventually marry.
In the final section, “Coming Home,” the author, now middle-aged and a father of
three, receives the phone call that will force him to redefine his role as a son in
the face of his parents’ declining health. Ultimately, the author will make the trip of
a lifetime back home again---a trip of reconciliation and reconnection during
which he will find the courage to say the words that were so long overdue.
childhood in the 1960s and ‘70s. Whether he was snitching sacramental wine as
an altar boy, fibbing his way through his first holy confession, or spying on the
sunbathing neighbor woman with his toy telescope, John was figuring out his
parents’ expectations would be nearly impossible to meet.
In Part II, Grogan chronicles his courtship of Jenny, the woman he would
eventually marry.
In the final section, “Coming Home,” the author, now middle-aged and a father of
three, receives the phone call that will force him to redefine his role as a son in
the face of his parents’ declining health. Ultimately, the author will make the trip of
a lifetime back home again---a trip of reconciliation and reconnection during
which he will find the courage to say the words that were so long overdue.
| The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan William Morrow, N.Y., 2008 |
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