Rescuing Jeffrey
by By Richard Galli

List Price: $12.95
Pages: 198
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0312283407
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

On the 4th of July in 1998, teenager Jeffrey Galli dove into a friend's swimming pool and hit his head. His father Richard pulled him out and resuscitated him only to find that Jeffrey would be paralyzed from the neck down, be unable to breathe on his own, and be dependent on others for the rest of his life. With disarming honesty, Richard Galli confesses his determination to "rescue" Jeffrey again - this time by removing him from life support. In journal form, Galli emotionally records the progression of events entwined with the family's heartbreaking choice and the uplifting and life-affirming outcome of their decision.

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1. An increasing number of memoirs -- many on disturbing and personal topics -- have appeared in recent years. Literary memoirs can serve as a powerful means of discussing universal themes through personal experience and Richard Galli's book has certainly been regarded as a "teaching tool" in terms of how to cope and deal with tragedy. Do you believe there are subjects too personal to put in a book - for example, how did you feel when Richard Galli was contemplating removing his son's life support? What is the value of using literary writing to explore such personal experiences?

2. Richard Galli's book has been heralded as an extremely honest and affecting book. How does he achieve such an emotional intensity? Is it through the language that he uses? His tone? The format of the book?

3. Throughout the book, Galli's tone is often humorous and ironic, even as he sits at the hospital waiting room; overall he seems quite rational and composed. Sentences like "I had brought my son back to life, and then I had to find a way to kill him," produce a certain shock value. How did this no-nonsense style affect your view of the situation? Did it make the whole situation more or less intense? Did you still feel emotionally attached to Galli during these scenes?

4. How did the chapter introductory paragraphs, which are composed of notes sent to the Galli family after the tragedy, affect your reading of this book? Did it make their story more personal or universal?

5. Did you find that you followed Richard Galli's progression in the book as the story went on? In other words, did your opinion about "Option Two" (removing Jeffrey's life-support) shift along with Galli's own transformation?

6. As much as this book is about family tragedy, it is also a book about parenting. As Galli writes, he offers an intense contemplation on what makes life meaningful, and gives readers a written testimony of the depth of a parent's love for his child. Even though Jeffrey is unconscious for most of the book, Galli's relationship with his son is constantly shifting, not only in terms of Galli's decision about his son's life-support but also how he views Jeffrey. Did you notice this change in the way that Galli viewed his son? Discuss this progress.

7. Galli makes it very clear that the doctors' only focus was to keep Jeffrey alive. It seems natural that people faced with tragedy would prefer to take this more passive role and let the doctors make all the decisions. But Galli makes an interesting point when introducing "Option Two:" "This place, these people, they all have one thing on their minds: keep him alive….Just because people can do things for him, doesn't mean they have to do those things." What point is he making about the doctors' approach to Jeffrey's situation? Did you find Galli's choice to take a more "active role" in the decision-making process shocking?

8. This book is often described as ultimately life-affirming and uplifting. How does Galli manage to produce this effect even though, ultimately, his son still has an extremely difficult road ahead of him?

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"Galli knows that with a story this inherently powerful, less is emphatically more...Through a voice as plain as that of a single-reed instrument, he achieves an emotional resonance that swells with symphonic intensity...a huge story unflinchingly told. "

—The New York Times Book Review

"A book that goes beyond even Tuesdays with Morrie to the emotional core of our very existence, making us confront our fears, our loves, and our dreams in a way we may never have before...This is one of those rare great books that captures the strength of the human spirit and trumpets the quiet dignity of true heroism. "

—The Providence Journal

"Never has this kind of loss been made more poignant than in [this] book. "

—San Antonio Express—News

"This gut-wrenchingly candid book...is likely to arouse controversy and sharply divided reactions...Yet this eloquent story of heartbreak and hope is ultimately life affirming. "

—Publishers Weekly

"This eloquent memoir is small in size but huge in emotion. "

—Kirkus Reviews

"This is as frank and honest a depiction of the kind of dilemmas we all might face, in one way or another, as I've ever read--and this book might help prepare you, if or when that time comes. Short, to-the-point, 'real' almost to a fault, Rescuing Jeffrey will move you. It might make you mad, it might make you cry, it might even life your soul--but it will move you. "

—Creative Loafing

"Galli's no-nonsense style renders the family's agony palpable in a way purple prose never could...No parent, no man or woman who's ever been through a life-or-death medical crisis with a loved one will come away from Rescuing Jeffrey dry-eyed. "

—St. Petersburg Times

"Rescuing Jeffrey brings to light some of the most compelling questions of our time concerning medical ethics, religion, and the right to die. Even better, this book portrays a bittersweet triumph of the resilient human spirit. "

—Boulder Weekly

"Galli writes with fierce honesty...As he wrestles with his feelings, he offers an intense contemplation of what makes a life meaningful, and gives readers a written testimony of the depth of a parent's love for his child...In the end, Jeffrey himself finds the will to live, making this absorbing memoir both heartbreaking and life affirming. It is a clear example of how writing the stories of our lives can help us heal. "

—WritersDigest.com