A Lot Like Fun - Only Different

by Jack Livingston

Author Jack Livingston describes the book, “Clearing out the high school with a smoke bomb prank in our senior year, raising a family of pigs in a village yard, saving a drowning man in Singapore, and overcoming the trauma of a childhood abduction are part of my friend, Chris Kelley’s past. I knew little about them. To me, Chris was the guy who was always up for doing two fun things in one day (sometimes three).When Chris was diagnosed with Pick’s disease (a rare type of dementia) in his mid-fifties, it signaled the end to what we had taken for granted. It changed our friendship. No longer would I follow him on epic adventures he planned. These days, I take him for hikes, hold both sides of our conversations, and help him across a two-foot stream. But because I didn’t want to forget the times we’d had together, I started to write, and as a result found out there was more to my friend.In A Lot Like Fun –– Only Different I share incredible stories of our improbable friendship where Chris met life head on while I asked, “Are you sure we want to do this?” It contains dozens of stories and photos from our past that contrast ‘current day’ Chris, diminished by Pick’s, with the Chris I knew so well. No longer are we barreling down the 219 to ski or mountain bike the Bent Rim Trail, and celebrating with a ‘couple tree’ beers. We aren’t breaking trails with our snowshoes in the Adirondack High Peaks or cruising through Appalachia on the way to a 24-hour mountain bike race. We still get together every week. And I look forward to those times. It’s fun –– only different. Chris greets me with a smile and a hearty laugh. He doesn’t speak, but I know if he could, he’d tell me, ‘Thanks for coming out, Jack. Today was great.’ And then it breaks my heart when he stands next to my car, wanting to ride home with me and I have to tell him, ‘Chris, you're riding with your brother. I’ll see you next week, okay buddy.’ And I hear his words of the past. ‘Good deal.’”

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2021

Reviews

[Keenie Bugenhagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times I didn't want to put this book down, at others I had to put it down. It is a story of friendship, adventure, living life to the fullest, and the cruelty of Pick's disease. The book will bring smiles and chuckles as you accompany a group of friends through decades of antics. It will also provide a stark reminder of how very fragile life is, and how important it is to embrace every single day. Mostly it is a beautiful example of what it means to be a true friend when it is most difficult and most needed. May we all have such a friend in our life.

[Jim Cipriani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book captured me from the start. I like how the author contrasted each adventure story with the downside of a diseased friend. It made me happy and sad at the same time. Well written and a worthwhile read.

[Amanda Cianflone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read!!! This book does a great job of educating the reader about Pick's Disease, while making sure that the life long friendship is really whats important.

[Grier Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Lot Like Fun – Only Different” is a beautifully written story about the author’s unconditional love for his friend, Chris. They test the limits from high school days up to Chris’s present day struggle with Pick’s disease. My husband, who has a different type of dementia, also read the book, laughing through this group of friends’ wild adventures and at times, crying when he related to Chris suffering through the horror of gradually losing one’s independence. He told me, “It was one of the best books I’ve read!” He couldn’t put it down. “A Lot Like Fun – Only Different” is a must read.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love story at heart. A group of friends thoroughly enjoying each other for over 40 years are tested by a horrible character robbing disease called Pick’s disease. The antics and “epic” adventures make you laugh. The slow decay of the ring leader’s larger than life personality has no effect on this tight group of friends. Their dedication and loyalty to each other is heartwarming to say the least.

[Andy Hammill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read showing the power of friendship over time and a cruel disease. I read this book one story/chapter at a time absorbing and reflecting on the experiences and how it made me feel.
Jack Livingston brings you into the close knit group of friends who have adventures and experiences with their crazy, live life full speed ahead friend Chris. Life is short and after reading the entire book I believe it and want to do more with every minute I have. Thank you for the inspiration

[Linda Hammill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about friends, family and the strength to pull together for your friend of many years. Jack Livingston tells the story of his friend, Chris, and all the crazy things that he talked Jack and other buds into doing! Now friends come together to support Chris and help his wife deal with the horrible Pick’s disease. This book will inspire you to live life fully and to appreciate all of your friends and to do something fun every day!

[Abby Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who knows Chris (but not particularly well — I’m the daughter of one of the men mentioned throughout the book, Paul “Wally” Sugnet), I enjoyed the book but I’m not sure that someone who doesn’t know him would, just because I think there are just a few too many personal stories that would be better left as inside jokes. I loved most of them but I think it would’ve been too many for people who don’t know him.

I know this isn’t how writing works because I’m sure Jack rearranged stories and didn’t write them in the order they’re in the book, but it felt like his writing got better as the book went on. I read the second half much quicker than the first, and I think those stories would be more interesting to people who don’t know Chris. I think removing just a few of the stories from Chris’s past at the beginning/middle and replacing them with more info about Pick’s disease would’ve still been enough to show the reader who Chris is while making the book more applicable for other people who are watching a loved one suffer from the disease.

The last chapter was really beautifully written. Get your tissues ready, folks. It perfectly summed up who Chris is/was and what we can all learn from him. Thanks for writing this, Jack.

[JANE BROWN · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about a remarkable friendship. On one hand it's hysterical and humorous and the other is brutally honest about how Frontotemporal Dementia can rob a person's mind. In the end, it's a story of love and friendship that continues to grow through the grips of the disease. It's a story well worth reading.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lot Like Fun- Only Different, is a must read book. It made me laugh, smile and cry. Most importantly, it reminded me what a true friend is and the idea of unwavering loyalty. Please read this book, it teaches us life lessons we all can use.

[Anthony Cassiol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful way to honor a friend and create awareness. Made me miss all of my friends back home. Cherish those moments. Such an enjoyable read. I highly recommend.

[Katherine Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have worked with Jack Livingston for many years and I never truly knew the adventurous, humorous, and extremely caring aspects of his personality as portrayed in this well written and thoughtful book. It was very interesting to me for that reason alone. I also thoroughly enjoyed getting to know not onlyJack, on a deeper level, but his best friend, Chris as well as all of the other colorful and extraordinary characters who made this book a real page turner. Hiking, biking, floating, skiing or drinking along with Jack, Chris and crew was an eye opening, inspirational, at times hysterical and very moving experience. Jack's words hit home and I have taken at least a couple of his mottos to heart; life is short and do at least two fun things a day. One can take away many profound credoes from the stories Jack relates but the one that struck me deeply was what it means to be a true and loving friend. Jack's love of and dedication to Chris goes beyond what I've so far seen in a "normal" friendship. Chris and Jack, as well as others in this book are truly an inspiration and a poignant reminder of what is important and to be valued most in this life. Thank you for sharing your personal life with us, Jack. Whoever has the pleasure of reading your story has both a wild and soul enriching adventure to look forward to.

[Jeanne Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mother of four boys and a girl, I must admit that, as I started this book, I was feeling quite shocked and anxious about the many risky adventures. It reminded me of trips to the ER with one or another of my children as well as the risks they took without my knowledge. I wondered about Chris’s mother and I was tempted to stop reading because each chapter just made me shake my head more.
By the time I reached the halfway point, I was hooked. The foreshadowing was very powerful and kept me riveted to the story. As a nurse and being familiar with dementia in its many forms, I was very curious about the progress of Chris’ disease. I felt hopeful to read how the friends step up to stay connected and offer support through ongoing visits with Chris as well as respite for his wife and family who were care-giving. This is how people get through challenging situations like this: it is with the support of others! I could totally relate to his mother’s comment about her approach to her adventurous son. I must thank you for sharing her perspective. I am glad that I persevered in my reading.
Well done! Great title!! Thank you for sharing this very important “a lot like fun, only different’ story with the world.

[Vickie Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lot Like Fun: Only Different is a heartwarming, honest story of true friendship. Author Jack Livingston charms the reader with hilarious, thrill-seeking, and authentic stories of Chris Kelley and his friends. Throughout it all, you know the hard and sad fact that Chris has Pick's Disease (a form of dementia similar to Alzheimer's) and is slowly losing many of his daily life skills. The author skillfully takes you from present interactions with Chris to memorable tales from the past. Jack respectfully gives us a peek into Chris's world, detailing friends and family's devotion, support, and love.
The antics of this group will leave you laughing and in awe of their bravery and risk-taking. The true story of Chris and Picks disease, that Jack skillfully weaves through the book, will leave you in tears.
I was deeply moved by this beautiful book.

[A Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Jack tells a series of stories, often hilarious – of adventures with his friend Chris and their close-knit group of life-long friends. Chris is often the leader/instigator/ring-leader. The stories read like tales told over beers at the bar – once the danger was over, and only the humor remains. It’s not all laughs – there is a serious side as Chris is suffering from Pick’s disease, and his deterioration, especially before being diagnosed, tests friendships. Jack is an enthusiastic story teller and his sense of joy is infectious in the telling of the romps, but he also effectively weaves in Chris’s decline, to render a moving picture of friendship.

[Shaohai Yu · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a friend of Chris, I find this book revived all the good memory that I associated with Chris, his family and friends. Jack did a marvelous job in reviving the past time and depicted Chris's spirit and attitudes towards life, exactly how I remembered Chris, a great, frank and sincere person! What moved me more is the friendship, that friendship is really rare nowadays which makes it even more precious. There was quite some adventurous fun activities, many were physically challenging. From my perspective, behind these activities, there is a spirit, a free spirt to explore life, to enjoy life, and a spirit of being oneself realizing life is too short, just as a word a guy in the book mentioned, "There is so much more in life that you miss when you can't be exactly who you are."

[Jim B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read, written in way that pulls you into each scene. I was intrigued by the insight Jack provided into the how the family & close friends reacted and adapted to this debilitating disease. This book relates stories of intrigue and adventure that made me think of my past and my relationships. Somehow this story about Chris's life & adventures and the impact of Pick's Disease succeeds in being enjoyable, sad, educational and at the same time ultimately inspring! I will carry the messages found within A Lot Like Fun with me forever.

[MARK HUBER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loyalty to a high school friend. Funny, scary, maddening and loving all rolled up. Since I went to high school and rode the bus with some of these guys it was an entertaining reflection of those years even though I didn’t know what happened behind the scenes! The message to do two fun things every day is an excellent reminder that life is short.

[David Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this funny poignant book in 18 hours. We all like to think we have friends that "are larger than life." Jack Livingston does. Read this book and if you are disappointed look in the mirror and wonder about the image....seriously.

[Macabee Greenwald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of stories from a friendship that you can tell has made a huge impact on the authors life. It has you laughing at times and emotional at others as you learn more about Chris. Makes me wish I knew Chris during these wild times.

A must read!

[Marina Ortolani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one weekend and couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend :)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and heartfelt tribute to friendship even when a tragic illness befalls a friend.
You don’t need to know the characters to enjoy it and maybe recognize yourself in them, or not.