Guest Book Review: In the Rearview Mirror by Lee Livingston

Another guest review today, courtesy of Sharon. It’s a quick read, but with a big concept. “A best friend in high school is a friend for life, except when he shoots himself at twenty-nine.” So reads the first line of Lee Livingston’s newly re-mastered memoir, In The Rearview Mirror. Despite the ominous overtones, it’s a touching and inspiring look back at our country, before the deaths of John. F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., before the Vietnam War. In his own words, Livingston says he and his friend were just “two carefree 18-year-olds hitchhiked across a country of wide-open highways and wide-open people.” Times may not have been simpler, but they were a whole lot more free. And the human experience is never quite so simple. It’s an adventure out of adolescence and into the beginning of responsibility, and a moving read.

I was very curious when I read the blurb, and the opening line is so moving and intriguing that it is hard to imagine not wanting to dive right in. Despite my initial interest though, this book did not hold me riveted as some do.

The story was surprisingly slow-moving. It was interesting, particularly to live – and laugh – through our shared past. I enjoyed reading about – and remembering – the craziness and optimistic promise of being young with everything ahead of you. Remembering, and reliving, the insane stunts and choices made in youth was refreshing and nostalgic. In no regard was this more apparent than in our beliefs about our relationships when we are young. We believe that our best friend through high school and college will remain as such forever. Not only do we believe – we want to believe. And that belief colors our experiences in so many ways – as well as our memories.

I am fortunate to be at an age where I often find myself reminiscing my own “rear view mirror”, happily traipsing down memory lane and remembering even the not-so-great moments with the flattering pale pink light of hindsight. Not everyone gets that opportunity, as the book makes brutally clear. The conclusion of this book was, in my view, the best part of it. It flowed quickly – as life does – reminding us of the inevitability of growing up and how responsibility and life require us to adapt even our best-laid and most well-intentioned plans…

The author has also created an interactive website that is amazing and worth the visit. You can join the guys on their journey here

Our review copy was provided by the author via Author Marketing Experts, Inc.