This is not the story of someone who has accomplished an extraordinary feat such as climbing MT. Everest, or walking on the moon, or changing water into wine, although he did sneak a fair amount of wine from the church sacristy as an alter boy.

In The Longest Trip Home John Grogan weaves a story of an ordinary boy growing up in a middle class family with very devout Catholic parents. Grogan shares the humorous and often outrageous predicaments he encounters when as a youngster he begins to follow his own path. He skillfully takes the reader along with him on his journey from age six through his teens and into adulthood. We see the transformation of a boy into a young man and then into a husband and father.

His antics in the classroom and as an altar boy will make some Catholics cringe I’m sure, not to mention his views on religion. Most readers will be able to relate to the differences Grogan and his parents experience as he matures and makes choices that conflict with their views. You may also find yourself weeping as Grogan deals with the frail health of his aging parents while living several states away.

In this touching memoir love and respect are the unifying threads that hold his family together and they are what makes The Longest Trip Home an extraordinary story.

Buy The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan on Amazon.

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Publisher: William Morrow | Pages: 352 | Source: Purchased