I read about
Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt somewhere and I remember thinking, "Holy cow, a true story about a mom who dies and her parents step in to help raise the kids? I can't possibly read that without crying!" However, while cuddled on my in-laws couch (I did a lot of reading over the holidays), I dove into the book and couldn't have been happier about taking the risk. Making Toast is indeed a "family story" (as the cover says). It starts when the Rosenblatt's daughter Amy passes away suddenly and they travel from Long Island to Maryland to help their son-in-law raise their three young kids. As someone who is a total grandma's (and I was a grandpa's, too) girl, I really didn't think I make it through this without crying. But, I did! (The same cannot be said for my sister who claimed she was sobbing in a public place reading this). It's such a poignant, moving, and honest account of the entire family's struggle to maintain composure and live their life after such a horrific tragedy. Rosenblatt is a fantastic writer who seems to give the reader moments to pause, think, breathe, and then keep going. I am sure he is a fantastic grandfather. This book is short (I was so sad when it was over), which makes it a perfect travel read...unless of course you're like Jenny and can't hold it together in public while reading this. It's an inspiring, uplifting, and raw story of one family's strength and passion to keep on keepin' on.
PS. Roger Rosenblatt will be at Book Revue tomorrow night!
