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Unlikely Brothers (2011)

by John Prendergast(Favorite Author)

3.81 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0307464849 (ISBN13: 9780307464842)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Crown

review 1: "I'm no millionaire. This is a different kind of rags-to-riches story, because there is nothing richer than taking care of my family. It's a rags-to-respect story, I guess." - Michael MattocksI'm left frustrated with this book. Unlikely Brothers alternates the story and viewpoint between Michael and John. Michael's story is a solid four stars - he really illustrates some of J.P.'s statistics he shares late in the book (1/2 of black males in their 20s are in the justice system, less than 1/2 of black males graduate from high school on time, people, people who commit violent crimes were often abused themselves, etc). Michael does it in his own way and his story comes off very sincere. His is truly a rags-to-respect story of how a hungry, homeless little boy grows into a drug... more dealer and, finally, a family man. J.P.'s story on the other hand - a story that should have maybe been more relatable to my own life - is frustrating, dry, and at times, maddening. It is a 2-star story at best. It seems to me that J.P. sees his relationships with his "brothers" - Michael, James, David, Tyrell, Khayree, and Nasir - as not true commitments. I know there is untruth in that, for how many Big Brothers/Big Sisters stay with their assigned sibling for 27 years like Michael and J.P.? And yet... J.P. seems to treat each relationship seriously only when it's a matter to convenience to himself. John's a busy guy throughout the story, building relationships in Washington and overseas, with celebrities and politicians, struggling with his marriage, but I still felt frustrated. Michael became a drug dealer and J.P. ignored it for a decade+? Didn't believe it could possibly be true because he felt he was making such a difference in their lives just by being there and rubbing off on them? When he himself admits that he saw them "a few hours here and then"? He didn't even know that Nasir was shot until 5 years later and, from the story, it really seems that he fell out of touch with most of his brothers. I know that I'm attacking a human rights activist, that honestly - probably - did the best he could with his brothers. I think that, in the end, J.P. just had a big heart and couldn't focus it on one commitment at a time. He had all of these little siblings on top of his other interests/passions - working and living with mentally disabled men, his trips to Africa, his eventual job with the White House, founding his own non-profits, etc. I think that it was just hard reading his story next to Michael's. I felt like there was a tenuous tie between the two men and it was almost impossible to reconcile their perspectives at times.
review 2: This book made me fall in love with John Prendergast. His brutal honesty about the injustice and tragedies that he witnessed, his own shortcomings and selfish desires was powerful. Juxtaposed against Michael Mattock's story, I was hesitant that the story was going to be preachy invitation to be a Big Brother. Instead, it was honest and funny. It read as a coming of age story in which the lives of two very different men intersected. less

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