"From Grief to Glory" by Otto Reike is a worthy read for both men and women, but men may especially enjoy the frequent references to sports. Don't let the length of this book put you off the read. This is a sarcastically funny story of life as a member of a large Catholic family during the past 60 or so years. It is intertwined with American history of the time. Otto is brilliantly blunt on occasion and I have to wonder if some family members are still speaking to him. Honestly though, he does say the things we all want to and dare not. He talks politics a bit and puts his slant (from a Catholic point of view) on something and fiercely defends the faith, at least for a while. He is brutally honest about his divorce and how it affected him and his family. Even more sad is the way he tells about the unexpected death of his two sons.

Some pictures are included and I must admit, I do like to see the folks I am reading about. While it does include some of the author's 'rants' over the years, and a bit of mild off-color language, I found it quite enjoyable and occasionally laughed right out loud while I read. I do admit that I am particularly fond of memoirs because I write them as well. "Meeting Myself, Snippets from a Binging and Bulging Mind" is my latest. So all in all, I do recommend Otto's book. Enjoy.

Missouri born and raised, Otto Rieke writes that "all of grief can be turned to glory after what we've endured in life." Ardent, devout Roman Catholic, Otto married his love, Mary Beth, and fathered five children only to have Mary Beth leave him for another man and to have two of his beloved sons, Gabriel and Michael, killed in senseless auto accidents in 1993 and 2000. Otto writes of his belief that a functioning family is the root of a society and is quite forthright in taking on newspapers, politicians, and anyone with whom he disagrees. With an off-beat, self-ridiculing sense of humor, the author admits that he is selfish, angry at the world, hard to live with and an egomaniac. When he attempts to run for office, he is amused with the Kansas City Star's calling his candidacy "all blabber and smoke and mirrors." Otto Rieke takes on anyone, any issue, and despite hip surgeries and illnesses, writes about what he believes in, including sports and maybe even tilting at windmills!

Otto Rieke is a first-rate writer, make no mistake. However, his paragraphs are much too long and should be separated into several shorter ones. The texts of letters and opinions that he wrote should be written in italics so the reader will know when they begin and end. But From Grief to Glory is too good a work to not be re-edited a bit. If people don't know who Rieke is, and even if they totally disagree with his viewpoint, this is a book that many people will enjoy reading just for the joy of knowing that Otto Rieke lives and thinks and lets people know what he thinks. A joy of a good read!