I went to high school with Jeff Buckley and graduated a year behind him. We didn't share any classes and our paths rarely crossed, so I had no idea of his talent. I remember one day, though, as we passed each other as he was leaving a classroom while I was entering. We made eye contact, and he smiled and said "hi." I know I smiled, and I think I said "hi" back. Because I was a shy kid with low self-esteem, any time anyone I didn't know greeted me kindly it stuck with me. Anyway, I remember thinking, after we'd passed, that I'd missed an opportunity, that he looked sweet and kind and a little vulnerable and maybe he would have been my friend if I'd had the nerve to chat for a moment.

Because of this, reading Dream Brother was painful. I didn't finish it. He was sweet and vulnerable at the time, and according to the book was feeling alienated from the high school experience. I feel sad for the boy I passed in the hall that day, and I regret even more not talking to him a little bit and finding out about his life, although I suspect I would have written him off as way too cool for me (in fact, this is part of why I didn't talk with him that day and why the experience stayed with me). And this is why reading about his death at such a young age is so heartbreaking, even well after the fact. So no, I couldn't finish the book. It's well-written and extremely well-researched, so I'm giving it a high rating, but I can't say I enjoyed reading it. It just hits a little too close to home.