The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir - Paperback

by John Grogan (Author)

"As he did in Marley, Grogan makes readers feel they have a seat at the family dinner table....4 stars."

John Grogan, author of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller, Marley & Me, once again takes readers into his past, his memories, and his heart in The Longest Trip Home--a funny and poignant memoir of faith, family, and identity. A New York Times bestseller in its own right, The Longest Trip Home has earned glowing accolades from the critics ("Genuinely heartrending," --New York Times "Wry and witty," --Washington Post; "Entertaining, funny, and, best of all, always honest at its core," --St. Louis Post-Dispatch). And, just as Marley & Me was more than simply "a dog book," John Grogan's Longest Trip is much, much more than your typical story of a boy's coming-of-age.

How does a boy honor the parents he loves while breaking from the faith that defines them?

• A Coming-of-Age Story: From childhood pranks and first loves in 1960s suburban Detroit to forging an identity outside the confines of a loving but strict home.
• A Crisis of Faith: A deeply personal look at the struggle to reconcile a devout Catholic upbringing with the questions and doubts that come with growing older.
• A Heartwarming Family Memoir: Filled with the hilarious and heartfelt stories that made Marley & Me a beloved bestseller, this is a book for anyone who has ever loved, and been driven crazy by, their family.
• Aging Parents: A tender, unflinching portrait of the final years of his parents' lives, and the journey of a son stepping into the role of caregiver for the father who always cared for him.

Front Jacket

Meet the Grogans

Before there was Marley, there was a gleefully mischievous boy navigating his way through the seismic social upheaval of the 1960s. On the one side were his loving but comically traditional parents, whose expectations were clear. On the other were his neighborhood pals and all the misdeeds that followed. The more young John tried to straddle these two worlds, the more spectacularly, and hilariously, he failed. Told with Grogan's trademark humor and affection, The Longest Trip Home is the story of one son's journey into adulthood to claim his place in the world. It is a story of faith and reconciliation, breaking away and finding the way home again, and learning in the end that a family's love will triumph over its differences.

Back Jacket

Meet the Grogans

Before there was Marley, there was a gleefully mischievous boy navigating his way through the seismic social upheaval of the 1960s. On the one side were his loving but comically traditional parents, whose expectations were clear. On the other were his neighborhood pals and all the misdeeds that followed. The more young John tried to straddle these two worlds, the more spectacularly, and hilariously, he failed. Told with Grogan's trademark humor and affection, The Longest Trip Home is the story of one son's journey into adulthood to claim his place in the world. It is a story of faith and reconciliation, breaking away and finding the way home again, and learning in the end that a family's love will triumph over its differences.