As I was walking down the aisles of Indigo, my go-to bookstore. A curious cover caught my eye. “I Had a Brother Once.” I put it back on the shelf, thinking, “You should never judge a book by its cover.” And yet, the thought of allowing a cliché to force me to not even peek and see for myself if the allure of the design lived up to my curiosities was unacceptable. I marched back to the memoir section and pulled the book from the shelf.
first of all i never usually stayed out past midnight or even ten,
Adam Mansbach
but i was feeling myself that night.
something was ending & it was time to celebrate.
In exploring mortality, sorrow, and familial bonds, Mansbach ventures beyond the comedic realm he’s often associated with, diving into profound depths. Mansbach gained notoriety with his book “Go the Fuck To Sleep” in 2011; here, he trudges through heavier terrain, crafting a raw and unfiltered narrative of his brother, David’s, suicide.
Mansbach’s prose, liberated from traditional constraints, takes on a lyrical quality, inviting readers into the intimate recesses of his grief-stricken soul. With gut-wrenching honesty, he recounts the moment of receiving the devastating news from his father, the weight of the words “David has taken his own life” echoing hollowly in his consciousness.
Yet amidst the anguish, Mansbach unearths fragments of insight, piecing together the puzzle of his brother’s life. Through introspection and dialogue with fellow survivors, Mansbach grapples with the incomprehensibility of suicide, seeking solace in shared narratives and collective sorrow. His journey is not one of closure but of acceptance, a testament to the enduring bonds of kinship and the resilience of the human spirit.
Ultimately, “I Had a Brother Once” resonates deeply with anyone who has experienced the profound loss of a sibling, offering solace in shared grief and the enduring promise of remembrance.
The Sobees #QUITLIT Score: 4 out of 5
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
#QUITLIT is our curated list of addiction and recovery book reviews. All Sober Curator Contributors should be well-read, from addiction and recovery memoirs to fiction and self-help. You can also find us on Goodreads here.
What’s on your nightstand? We want to hear about what you’re reading and the addiction and recovery books you can’t live without. Please email us at thesobercurator@gmail.com
In the mood to #ADDTOCART? Check out our curated list of #QUITLIT books in our Amazon Shop.
ADDICTION FICTION: Book reviews featuring addiction, recovery, and mental health storylines.
TSC LIBRARY: Step into The Sober Curator Library! Here, books are more than pages—they’re portals. We read them, listen to them, obsess over them, and then spill our thoughts in curated reviews.
Explore our four signature genres: #QUITLIT, Addiction Fiction, Self-Help, and NA Recipe Books.
Want even more inspo? Our Amazon #QUITLIT list of books written by Sober Curator Contributors.
📘 Submit a Book for our #QuitLit Library: Welcome to the largest culturally-driven sober book collection on the internet. Memoir, fiction, criticism, quit lit, anything that fits a Gen X or Millennial sober reader past initiation. Submit your book →
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
