Three Weeks w/ My Brother - N. Sparks

For whatever reason - when I read an author's books and find them relatively entertaining....I end up having to read just about everything that he/she has written. It's just one of my odd habits.
So as you can see (if you've been reading previous posts) I've read quite a few Nicholas Sparks books here recently. And in a previous blog I ranted on how he wrote the same love story over and over....man and woman meet, fall in love, problem arises, situation resolved, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Well I decided I'd pick up his memoir, co-written by his brother. The book came about because Nicholas receives a brochure advertising the trip of a lifetime. You'd visit all various iconic spots around the world: Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Malta, Cuzco, Cambodia, Taj Mahal, Guatemala, etc. in only 3 weeks. So Nicholas ends up on the trip of a lifetime with his brother Micah. Dispersed amongst the story of their adventure and personal pictures you learn about the history of these two men. Their story is both tragic and uplifting - what would it be like to be the last 2 surviving members of your family? At times I felt like their history surreal - but we all know that some families are just marked with a lot of tragedy.

In this book you also learn that some of Nicholas' more famous books were inspired by people in his family. For instance, "A Walk to Remember" was inspired by his little sister. Though you might not enjoy his works of fiction, I think everyone would enjoy his memoir. It's a fantastic portrayl of family, love, tradition, struggle, and hope. I found myself crying in at least 2 different places.