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Phoenix: A Brother's Life
A beautifully rendered portrait of family and loss, of childhood and manhood by a supremely gifted writer evaluating the sum of his experiences and emerging with a moving work of the highest level.
J. D. Dolan was vacationing in Paris when he received a telephone call telling him to fly home immediately. A horrible accident had put his big brother John in a Phoenix burn unit with third degree burns over 90 percent of his body. As a child in 1960s Los Angeles, J. D. shared with John the unspoken bond that exists only between brothers. But as time passed and their excursions together ended, so did their conversation. For reasons known to John alone, they existed with each other only in silence, and now, in what would be their final days together, there would be precious few opportunities to talk. Phoenix is J. D. Dolan's personal reflections on the agonizing weeks spent coming to terms with his brother's fate, and his attempt to bring their relationship into perspective.
J. D. Dolan was vacationing in Paris when he received a telephone call telling him to fly home immediately. A horrible accident had put his big brother John in a Phoenix burn unit with third degree burns over 90 percent of his body. As a child in 1960s Los Angeles, J. D. shared with John the unspoken bond that exists only between brothers. But as time passed and their excursions together ended, so did their conversation. For reasons known to John alone, they existed with each other only in silence, and now, in what would be their final days together, there would be precious few opportunities to talk. Phoenix is J. D. Dolan's personal reflections on the agonizing weeks spent coming to terms with his brother's fate, and his attempt to bring their relationship into perspective.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2000
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 5, 2021
I was between books last weekend and decided to treat myself to a reread from my own shelves. I usually pass books on and only keep the special ones, and this one is special.
Back in 2000, I was working at a local Independent bookstore and read an ARC of this book. I loved this book. I reported on it at staff meetings and was so excited for it to come out. And then, J.D Dolan came to the store for a signing. What a thrill it was to have read his book and to be able to talk to him about it. He told me he had written hundreds of pages (the book is less than 200 pages) and at a meeting with the publishers in NYC, he was told he had written a gem of a book. He has written a gem of a book.
Unfortunately, I was not able to sell many copies of it. Somehow, people aren't attracted to a memoir about a man coming back home because his brother is in the hospital dying from an industrial accident. If you like personal memoirs, though, you need to read this one. I am so glad I have a personalized, first edition copy of the hardback, signed and dated 4/2000.
Back in 2000, I was working at a local Independent bookstore and read an ARC of this book. I loved this book. I reported on it at staff meetings and was so excited for it to come out. And then, J.D Dolan came to the store for a signing. What a thrill it was to have read his book and to be able to talk to him about it. He told me he had written hundreds of pages (the book is less than 200 pages) and at a meeting with the publishers in NYC, he was told he had written a gem of a book. He has written a gem of a book.
Unfortunately, I was not able to sell many copies of it. Somehow, people aren't attracted to a memoir about a man coming back home because his brother is in the hospital dying from an industrial accident. If you like personal memoirs, though, you need to read this one. I am so glad I have a personalized, first edition copy of the hardback, signed and dated 4/2000.
March 9, 2010
Deborah Tannen quoted from this book in "I Only Say This Because I Love You", and the quotes were so intriguing that I decided to read it. It's the story of a younger brother's relationship with his older brother who functioned as his surrogate father. Years later, however, they are estranged, and the older brother suffers a fatal accident. The story is told through current and past scenes. I found it well-written and heartbreaking, but as usual with memoirs, I felt manipulated by the author's careful revelation of information and the scene he chose to end with. It seems he could just as easily have ended with a hurtful scene to emphasize their deteriorated relationship. Memoirs ultimately seem to demonstrate one person's view of the half-full/half-empty glass.
July 25, 2021
The writing was superb but the overall memoir was a bit morbid in regards to the lengthy process of a dying brother. I am in no way trying to sound insensitive. Dolan's story seemed to be more for him than the reader. I get that. But I never fully connected with it. If I was more familiar with J. D. Dolan I might have felt more engaged. So, my 3 stars was entirely subjective.
September 4, 2015
Phoenix: A Brother’s Life takes your hand and guides you through the senselessness of grief (whether or not you’ve been through a similar situation as depicted here). J.D. Dolan doesn’t just depict a very honest version of himself here but also a very honest version of every one of us. When it comes to death in the family we all end up unable to tell whether we ultimately hate or love those who still live within or own family in the heat of the situation. Sometimes what matters most is how we come out of the situation as individuals.
September 8, 2007
My former writing teacher wrote this book gave me a copy during our last class period because it was my birthday. I liked it and I feel like I learned a lot more about him by reading it.
December 3, 2010
I really enjoyed this book!
April 24, 2013
This was one of my favorite non-fiction reads. The language was compelling, and the relationships between family members are portrayed vividly and honestly.
August 27, 2013
Non-fiction. JD writes about his older brother John who is killed in a steam blast.
April 23, 2009
really sad story. great book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews