I read this book because it meant alot to my sons. They related to it and because of some tragedies in our lives.....I also could relate. It is the story of Nicholas Sparks and his brother and the importance of family. Even in the face of death and grief, there is strength to carry on when it is shared with loved ones. My main source of strength is Jesus and it is because of the hope I have in Him that I am able to contnue. I don't always thrive, as this book encourages.....some days it's just enough to get by. In the loss of my daughter, Miranda, it helps me to read about other's losses and how they dealt. We all handle grief differently, Nicholas and Micah Sparks did also, but there is also a kind of unity that you feel with others who have been where you have.....you share an inner feeling of understanding with them. These two brothers have a great bond, as my two sons do, and this story meant alot to me, primarily because it touched them.