Being Brett: Chronicle of a Daughter's Death

Douglas Hobbie has probably done the best job possible in conveying to another human being what the loss of a child is like. I shudder to think what the rest of his days are like, knowing his beautiful Brett will never be there with him face to face again. Even though I knew how the book would end, I found myself hoping again and again that the treatments would work, all their pain and suffering would be relieved. A heartbreaking tale, and yet one that must be shared, so more of the world can have a piece of Brett in it. For Mr. Hobbie, his family, or anyone out there that has lossed a loved one, I would just like to quote Flavia Weedn, "We can't feel saddened over the loss of those we love without first remembering the joy they brought us. The real loss would have been never having had them in our lives at all". Be happy for the time you had with her and the memories you will carry with you always. And kudos to Beth, who stayed with her through thick and mostly thin. Their love for each other shines throughout the book.

This is the first book I have ever read that as soon as I finished it I started right over again. What a heartbreakingly intense journey Brett struggled through! I felt so close to her and her family and will forever be enriched from this reading experience. Thank you Mr Hobbie, for sharing your family and especially your amazing daugther Brett with us. I plan to visit her memorial bench someday. I will always remember the joyous spirit of "Santa Bretta".

It has been nearly nine months since I read this book and I think about it, and Brett, often. I cannot help but be changed by what I have read; Mr. Hobbie, thank you for sharing your daughter with those of us who did not have a chance to know her. I feel as if we could have been good friends, and I do feel close to her, and to your family, in spirit. Thank you again for your immense generousity.

My expectations were high, as I began this book on a cross country flight -- because I had read others' reviews. They were met and more. This lovely, thought provoking, sad, glorious, funny, wonderful gift of a book is one of my all time favorites. The unique relationship between father and daughter, as well as all of the other relationships and individual characters -- all deftly created in written form -- I can't say enough. Thank you.

Brett Hobbie was one of my closest friends. She was a skilled poet, a mesmerizing speaker, and an intoxicating person to spend time with. I felt giddy alive with her and this book almost manages to convey her spirit to those who never had the good fortune to know her. Doug Hobbie has crafted what must have been a difficult book to write: a eulogy of sorts, but also a chronicaling of a life written by a parent with a very keen sense of his child's wit and humor and struggle. A small, quiet triumph