Guys Like Us

August 22, 2011
In this lovely, humorous memoir, Nolan charts his strong bond with his father, Mike, who lost his memory after he was hit by a truck during a Saturday morning bike ride. Though recovery and rehabilitation restored Mike's appearance, he had no understanding of who he was and what he did. Nolan recalls his father's intense law career and their family history in New Jersey. In the process, he gives his father back a sense of himself. Referring to both his father, as well as his grandfather, Joe, Nolan writes that both men "moved around with a fabulous awareness of their own power and it wasn't power made of money or fame or muscles, mostly it was just personalityâ¦they were always the loudest and the sweetest and the worst." Readers will easily relate to Nolan's clear-eyed depiction of father-son devotion.