A wonderful tribute and incredible writers
356077
We purchased the book because my husband's daughter, Jennifer Gracen is one of the authors.  However, after reading the book, which is a compilation of multiple authors writing short stories to honor their friend, Karen, a redhead, thus the "Orange", who medically was going through a very difficult time and almost died, I was left with inspiration, sadness, happiness, and many other empowering emotions.  I truly enjoyed the book and would recommend this read to others.
1220193
This book took me by surprise as I was not planning on being so deeply touched by it. Roiphe injects herself and her biography in a way I might find annoying in another author but I found warm and inclusive here. In putting a lens on these 6 authors, we see a lot more than how they died. We see their fundamental approach to life and work as well as their reactions to illness. With the exception of Thomas (and that was his own choice) these authors died with fame and resources around them, able to craft the end of their lives in a way few of us can do. That aside, there is so much to take away from these authors' end of life stories. Like Sendak, I too embrace Blake as a balm when energy fails me.

These authors have trappings that we the reader may never have but there is a universal quality to their end lives that was beautifully portrayed. Excellent reading and very hard to put down. I read this in a single sitting.
2557989
All good writing challenges the senses of the reader, and Sierra Delis has composed a fine collection that does just that. Each word, line, and stanza is to be savored slowly, and at the end of the poem left to cure in your mind as if it were the most important sustenance of the day. A lot of great writers begin their writing career with poetry, yet unfortunately a lot of it was lost or never published or shared. I am glad that Sierra Delis has taken the time to share and preserve this work for the many readers that will cherish her work in the years to come.
2679501
There are comments here that these stories can be found elsewhere in Bujold's work. However, this collection is a must for anyone who hasn't read her works and perhaps doesn't intend to.

The story called "Aftermath" is worth more than the price of admission. It is moving and surprising and may be the best thing this great, great writer ever produced. I purchased this collection, despite the fact that I already owned print books that included most of the works because it would be handy to read the short fiction on my Kindle and the collection delivered. I also bought the short piece "Winderfair Gifts" and it is also wonderful.
443082
This is one of the strangest books I have read, as it comprises nearly two hundred tributes to dead men I have never heard of. Almost all of the deceased were professional athletes in the fields of baseball and American football, though boxers, jockeys, coaches, agents, racehorses and sports journalists all figure heavily, too. Red Smith is considered by some to be the greatest sportswriter of all time. He won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1976. His newspaper columns were published for over 50 years consecutively, most notably for the New York Herald Tribune and the New York Times, and it's these two titles for which many of the tributes in 'To Absent Friends' were first written.

I had never heard of Red Smith until this book was strongly recommended me to a writer I admire, and I'm glad that I was urged in its direction, as Smith's writing is crisply descriptive, often funny, and always emotionally true. He writes sentences like this: "Lefty Grove, who threw bullets past Ruth and Gehrig and the rest, stood six-foot-three and wore an expression of sulky anger stuck on top of a long, thin neck." Some of his best writing here is in tribute to his deceased colleagues, such as this: "To say Damon Runyon's death is a loss to his craft would be like saying breathing under water is inconvenient [...] Runyon could do things with the alphabet that made a fellow want to throw his typewriter away and go dig coal for a living."

His turns of phrase frequently struck me as distinctly American in their delivery, and while I have never been a fan of either baseball or American football  my closest exposure to both probably being through the comedic lens of early episodes of The Simpsons  after reading this book I feel closer to both of these sports than ever before, which I think Smith would take as a compliment. It is introduced by an excellent foreword by a former colleague on the Times, Dave Anderson, and closed by a lovely note from Red's son Terence Smith, as the book was published in 1982, shortly after Red's death. As the author wrote when eulogising a friend: "Dying is no big deal, the least of us will manage that. Living is the trick." This is a wonderful book that I recommend to anyone who writes for a living, as it provides fine study of the craft.
351402
What a lovely idea! As I read the poignant stories told of the loved ones featured in the book, all kinds of thoughts sprang into my mind. I was thinking of stories I need to pen in honor of my dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even dear friends.  I also think we should start this with our loved ones who are still with us.  Then my mind began taking other leaps considering the possibilities with this. Scrap-booking is so popular, so why not make a memory book of a loved one or loved ones and give them as gifts. In fact, this is being done frequently to keep the mind that has started down the harsh road of Alzheimers Disease.  These books could be given to other family members for Christmas and birthday gifts or to honor a remembered anniversary or whatever.
If I have any criticisms at all about the book, it is the length which was a little daunting for me, but it wouldn't be for the person who was reading about his or her loved one. I also saw a couple of grammatical and spelling errors, but that is hard to avoid and happens sometimes even when you hire an objective editor. It happens all the time. When the book is really good and compelling reading, I can accept a couple of errors as long as they don't distract from the overall nuance of the book.
This was a clever, worthwhile project. The three contributors have differing writing styles and approaches. All of them write honestly, remembering the good and the bad about their loved ones. I can sense that all three loved their subjects. While in some cases, there were people with unpleasant issues, they were still loved and they were loved for their strengths. All three authors brought their loved ones to life and that was the point of the book. You felt like you knew them, too.
I hope I take the inspiration I got from reading this wonderful book and use it for positively to memorialize some of the special people in my life. Passing down the genealogy of our family tree is important, but special memories of our loved ones are more important. It gives is a sense of belonging and understanding why we are the way we are.
3015138
Almost every sentence of this memoir is remarkable. For those who love good writing, and those who wish to experience some of the depth of a true friendship between two women, I highly recommend this book.
4294952
Amazing stories and a great cause to help it was an honor to be published with such talented authors
2208143
There are not enough good things I can say about this superb anthology. Understanding why celebrities picked certain poems adds depth not only to the celebrities, but also to the poems themselves. Because such a diverse group of high-profile individuals participated in this book, they yielded a diverse group of poems. Some of them are famous and well-loved, others are new and rather obscure, but equally enjoyable. Also, the proceeds from the book go to a women's refugee charity affiliated with the U.N. -- so it's even for a good cause. Buy this book; you won't regret it!
4105923
Beautiful writing happens when we witness our moments with wonder and try to capture that wonder in as few words as possible. A good writer knows the fewer words, the better, but because we love words -- it's our natural currency --  we also find this to be an incredible challenge! I am delighted and privileged to be part of this anthology, a poignant collection of deeply-experienced moments that can enrich us all.
1871035
Marlene Cullen has put together another anthology that is a great read, and an excellent guide to inspire writers. I loved the "connections" between mothers and their adult children - both in their writing styles and the advice that they "share" with their younger selves ( and us). The pieces are diverse and compelling on their own, and then fascinating when woven together, illuminating the connections between generations. It is always interesting to see the way Cullen's prompts spark ideas and memories  in such an individual way.... they make the reader want to sit down and tell their own story. This is a guidebook, a writers reference, and a compilation of beautifully written little jewels.
2224909
Poignant, moving, and absorbingly informative, "Fallen Astronauts" is an extraordinary, lasting tribute to America's astronauts and the Soviet Union's cosmonauts who reached for the moon, but tragically lost their lives while pursuing their goal. Equally important, authors Colin Burgess, Kate Doolan, and Bert Vis tell of the wrenching but inspiring effects of the fallen heroes losses on the lives of loved ones left behind, stories seldom told in accounts of the brave and courageous.
While readers receive a capsule history of the early, pioneering days in the race to the moon, the book's mini-biographies tell us of the backgrounds, personalities, young lives, and good humor of those who risked so much and dared so magnificently. The depth and breadth of research and writing are evident, making clear to readers that each astronaut contributed greatly to advancing the mission, though their lives were grievously brief. Recollections of them by their wives and children, and the remarkable tributes on the surface of the moon by fellow astronauts, are touching, and bring warmth and balance to stories otherwise forever lost in the sparkling magic of space travel and discovery.
 "Fallen Astronauts" is a joy to read and adds a memorably eloquent dimension to the spectacular triumphs in space exploration.
1779841
What a beautiful tribute to a remarkable writer's father.  If you love unique approaches to writing, you will love the chances taken by Fletcher when he uses lists of words to evoke memories.  Not just a memoir of father but of family and culture and feelings.
I look forward to reading it again to find more wonders.
3358512
Although more famous because of her extensive travels in Arabia, the British writer Freya Stark must not be overlooked for this wonderfully exquisite collection of essays.

"Perseus in the Wind" is organized by devoting an essay to a single Platonic Form such as Love, Beauty, Death, Sorrow, and Memory: those primary ideas which serve as a backdrop to modern-day Jungian archetypical motivations.  Do not be intimidated by the subject matter breaching on philosophical technicalities, hoever.  Stark's prose is fluid, rich, and emotional and she is comparable to the great American novelist Edith Wharton in her skills with diction.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing and finds themselves contemplating the more sublime aspects of human consciousness.
338888
Pat Loud has gathered amazing images and wonderfully written passages that combine to make a beautiful tribute to her son Lance. Anyone who saw the original PBS series or is interested to the fascinating life of Lance Loud will love this book.
4801291
What Philip McQuillan does here is more than pay tribute (in a touching and wonderfully descriptive way) to a man who seems to define "the greatest generation."  He also gives the rest of us the inspiration to pay our own tributes to our own  "grandfather's uncles."  Because, as Philip's touching writing conveys, there are more important reasons to remember people who have touched our lives than if they were a "celebrity" or a historical figure.  Our grandfather's uncles and aunts were the celebrities of our own worlds- the real world.  These good, honorable people deserve to be remembered and their  wisdom, values and joyful anecdotes should be shared widely.  This society can use inspiration and modeling from these good souls- even if in memorandum.
4576575
Reading The Kite Runner, I had the same sensations that must have been felt by the first readers of Twain, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Harding and all the other great modern novelists.  This book has and pays tribute to all elements of great literature, and is a marvelous read as well.  It examines courage and cowardice; unbounded kindness and elemental cruelty; love, hate; the most cowardly betrayal and the terrible, but finally liberating, karmic retribution;  war, peace; madness and nobility of sentiment; mindless fundamentalist religeon and the most uplifting spirituality.  Hosseini understands not only the complicated interplay between fathers and sons and the extreme difficulty of forgiving those whom you have betrayed, but the humanity and basic importance of those moments of blinding failure that can sometimes be responsible for creating the truly heroic act and man.  This book deserves every accolade that the other reviewers have given it.  Buy it, read it and pass it on to those you love.  wfh