The Hamburg Sun Review

"Oh Brother!" teaches lessons on life and love
Hamburg Sun, January 13, 2011

It is more important to enjoy life than it is to try to understand it.

This is both the mantra by which Jeff Fazzolari lived his life and the message that continues to inspire many after his untimely death.

In his latest book, “Oh Brother!: The Life and Times of Jeff Fazzolari,” author Cliff Fazzolari keeps the memory of his brother alive by sharing humorous and heart-warming anecdotes of Jeff’s daily escapades. Known to his family as “the walking celebration,” Jeff had the ability to transform any ordinary situation into a party.

Yet, as often as the book is funny, it is also incredibly sad. Any reader who has experienced loss can relate to the agonizing trial of the Fazzolari family as brothers, sisters, parents and in-laws spend countless hours and sleepless nights in the waiting rooms of Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.

“I come from a tremendous family,” said Fazzolari. “This book was as much for them as it was for Jeff.”

Indeed, “Oh Brother!” places a tremendous amount of importance on family. The book’s cover assures that readers will want to hug their siblings and give thanks before the book’s end, and Fazzolari’s writing holds true to this promise.

Though writing a book is never an easy feat, Fazzolari described the writing process for “Oh Brother!” as downright torturous. Fazzolari holds nothing back in his writing; the reader is allowed to witness the narrator at his most raw. Yet it is these moments of unbridled emotion that readers are likely to relate to and appreciate. Fazzolari’s words tug at the heartstrings until readers find themselves praying along with the narrator for a miracle.

Despite the emotional toll it took, Fazzolari said that the decision to write about his brother’s life was a “no-brainer.”

“If the shoe was on the other foot, he would have done the same for me,” he said.

Cliff and Jeff Fazzolari grew up with their four other siblings in North Collins.

“It’s an incredible place,” said the author about his hometown. “I couldn’t have picked a better place to grow up.”

North Collins is just one of many places that local readers will recognize in the book. The Gow School in South Wales is also mentioned quite frequently; Jeff worked there as an executive chef.

“Oh Brother!,” which marks Fazzolari’s 10th book, has generated an unprecedented response for the author. Fazzolari called the waves of praise from both friends and strangers “overwhelming,” but much appreciated.

“You want to do that every time you write,” he said.

Perhaps the praise is not only due to the author’s writing, but Jeff’s infectious personality. If readers did not have the chance to know him in life, he feels like an old friend before the book draws to a close. Though Jeff’s life was short, it was inarguably well-lived. The book is full of Jeff’s life-lessons that seem wise beyond his 38 years of existence.

“It all boils down to the things you can’t hold,” reads a quote from Jeff in the book. “If it isn’t about love and faith and hope, what is it about?”

For Fazzolari, who journals every day of his life and was reading major works of fiction since the second grade, writing books was the next step in a natural course. Fazzolari is the author of both fiction and non-fiction works, including “Nobody’s Home,” “Blind Spot” and “House of Miracles.” He is also the author of the popular blog, Thoughts of a Common Man, which can be found online at www.fazzolari23.blogspot.com.

He is currently working on a fiction novel, entitled “Everything I Know.”

Those who are interested in purchasing a copy of “Oh Brother!” should send an e-mail to Cliffordfc@roadrunner.com along with their name and home address. Fazzolari will send an invoice and a signed copy of the book.

Fazzolari resides in Blasdell with his wife, three sons and two dogs.