Title: A Long Walk with Sally: A Grieving Father's Golf Journey Back to Life
Author: David Clark Jr.
Genre: Memoir, Golf, Grief
Book Blurb:
"This is much more than a golf book or travelogue; it's a moving saga of a father's search for solace and a testament to the healing powers of man's best game."
~ George Peper, Editor of Links Magazine
David Clark's walk began as he sat on a curb at 4:30 a.m. looking at the car his daughter and niece had been riding in...
A parent's worst fear and most unimaginable horror began on April 4, 2004. As his world was torn further apart, David's only wish was to escape--to walk away--but how could he? How would he ever find the peace he so desperately needed? On a golf course in Ireland, the answer came. Thus began a ten-year quest, taking David to 290 courses throughout the British Isles. As he was about to leave on his final trip, he looked out the windshield of his car and realized where he would find his peace.
A Long Walk with Sally will touch golfers, parents, and anyone who has faced the loss of a child. David's story is a testament that from the most unimaginable pain and darkness it is possible for the sun to shine again.
My Review:
Let me first offer my heartfelt condolences for the tragic loss of both Sally and Grace on that day in 2004. This was a tough book for me to read. I have suffered more losses than most and more than most would care to. The loss of my father when I was 19 knocked my life off its girders and it took years for me to get my way back to where I wanted to be. In a lot of ways, it took meeting my soulmate 16 years later to finally find some peace. I chose alcohol as my way to deal with my own loss. I cannot recommend that as a choice.
Because of that, I cannot condemn David's choice of golf as a way of dealing with a horrible loss. It wasn't a simple solution *there are no simple ways of getting past grief* and this book conveys every single moment of the long journey back to light. I was in tears more than once and felt the pain over and over again. This book is brilliantly written and conveys the deep pain that only a loss of a daughter to a parent can state. David's wife Jo deserves a medal for all she took on after the tragedy. I found the golf journey incredibly well written and the travelling tales of the times through the UK to be a great read. The opening of Sally's Y with Grace's Chapel made me cry anew.
A very readable book. Brilliant and emotional. Mr. Clark, you chose your way to deal with your loss and I think it worked for you. May you enjoy a long enjoyable time with your beautiful granddaughter. A fantastic book. Worth 1,000 stars...
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it now:
Author Biography:
David Clark, Jr. is a successfully retired real estate developer, recognized community leader, and avid golf enthusiast. After losing his 19-year old daughter and niece, he chronicled his 10-year grief journey among the untamed links of Great Britain in search of peace. A devoted husband and father of two sons, he currently resides in North Carolina.
Social Media Links:
Website http://alongwalkwithsally.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/MaryWalewski
Reviewed by: Mr. N