Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

If you've never read anything by Nicholas Sparks, I will summarize his works in a few words.  Cheesy.  Romantic.  Sappy.  Predictable.  I think you get the drift.   And that's not always bad.  I love reading these books when I want to read something romantic or that doesn't make me think too hard.  The story lines are simple and easy to follow; that's not necessarily a flaw.

So when his memoir, Three Weeks with my Brother, popped up on my recommended reading list, I thought, "Why not?"  I was shocked how much I loved this book.  It basically told two interwoven stories.  The first was about his three-week trip around the world with his brother, Micah, the only other living relative in his childhood family.  The second story was about his childhood, growing up with Micah, his sister, Dana, and their parents, as well as his current family, wife Cat and five children.  The chapters typically alternated and it was very easy to pick right up where you left off when switching stories.

The story line of his trip around the world was interesting.  He and Micah traveled all around the world seeing sights I can only dream of.  They met some extraordinary people and reflected on their own lives, relationships, careers, children, etc.  But the part that I really connected with was his childhood story and the story of his own family.

I felt like Nicholas Sparks and I have a lot in common, and I will reflect by looking at some specific quotes from his memoir.

Quote #1: “Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work's important, family's important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You're cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what's coming.” 

Micah said this to Nicholas when Nicholas was worried about leaving his family for so long and not being able to relax and enjoy life.  My husband frequently says the same thing to me, though not quite so eloquently.  I have so many different things on my plate: work, raising a family, a child with some special speech needs, a crazy dog, keeping up with the work of owning a home.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all these things and don't plan things for myself.  Something I probably need to do more often.

Quote #2: “You’re choosing to let life control you, instead of the other way around. That’s the big secret. You choose the kind of life you want to live.” 

I just love this quote.  I think it's important for myself, my students, and my own children.  Sometimes life is tough.  Sometimes we are faced with situations we wouldn't choose or don't want.  Sometimes we have to make decisions we don't want to make.  But our attitude and our actions speak volumes.  If you don't like a situation, it is up to you to improve it.  No one else is going to do it for you.  This applies to my own life right now; my third child is 2 and still not talking.   There are a lot of different suggestions from medical personnel and speech therapists to explain his silence.  But I'm not sitting idly.  I'm teaching him sign language, taking him to speech, and trying to help him find his voice.  Sitting around and waiting for him to talk is not my plan.  I'm taking action.  Just like Nicholas Sparks did.  (By the way, he also had a son who struggled with speech - just another connection).

So should you read this book?  I say yes, especially if you've read some of his other works!