As I start this project, sharing weekly book reviews, it seems only fitting to begin with a title that remains as fresh in my mind as the day I finished it.
In Die Young with Me, Rob Rufus offers a memoir with an amazing narrative flow that chronicles his life growing up in Huntington, West Virginia. At first, readers learn of his introduction to rock music, the bond he shares with his twin brother and friends, and the formation of their band, not to mention all the other hopes and plans that come with a potential future of life on the road while touring.
Rufus’s life takes a sharp turn when he’s diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer before reaching the age of 18. As I followed his progress from surgery to chemotherapy to the aftermath, I felt as though I was sitting with him in the hospital room or listening to a recounting of the doctor’s reports over the phone. Perhaps this string of events is more poignant to me after watching both of my parents experience extended hospital stays before ultimately succumbing to cancer.
Not only does Rufus share his fear throughout the book, but also his anger at what the disease did to years of his life, and medical professionals who opted not to take the reports he gave of what his own body was doing seriously. The emotions will stir great empathy in the reader, but are hypercharged and even more raw thanks to Rufus’s outstanding writing.
His ability to capture and highlight important, but everyday details, such as the band on a tee-shirt or the scenery along a road, literally transported me to the music shop or the car ride to Ohio for doctor’s appointments.
I’ll be completely up front, portions of this book are very heart wrenching and stirred emotions in me that had been dampened for some time. Such is his craft, though, that all of those emotions are worth revisiting to complete this stellar read.
Not all of the book is doom and gloom. I appreciated reading about his teen years and it certainly brought back memories of my first listens of Blink-182. Nirvana, and the years spent with hair half way down my back. Further, the success of this book has enabled Rufus to write two more and make it as a cancer-free, successful writer and musician.
It’s definitely worth five capybaras.
