More Than Just Cheap Cigars: The Life and Times of My One-of-a-Kind Father - A Stogy Smoking, Gruff-Talking Obstetrician

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Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 30, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781449021924
ISBN-13: 978-1449021924
ASIN: 1449021921
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

This memoir is about a husband, father, doctor and friend. Jack Bartels became a success in his life primarily because of his own inner drive, but luck played a role at some critical crossroads. In his later years many could compare Jack Bartels to the television character "Archie Bunker," and most of those comparisons would have been fair. To take him at face value, however, would be a mistake. Jack was in many ways a study in contradictions. He was vocally opinionated but still open-minded, confident yet at times very shy, and brash but also deeply compassionate when people needed him most. He never sought praise and accolades as so many others do, and because of this his life is one worth remembering. Anyone from a large family, or with a parent or relative from the "Greatest Generation" can appreciate the life of Jack Bartels. A proud man eventually humbled by age and illness, Jack's course unwittingly highlighted the complex familial struggles of such end-of-life occurrences. The book is a journey about a man and his love of wife, family and career, as well as the humorous and at times dysfunctional state of one American family as they share in the life of a truly extraordinary character. From the Back Cover I don't think my father ever allowed himself the satisfaction of truly enjoying a fine cigar. It was not in his nature to take pleasure in something so indulgent. He would smoke them out of politeness if given to him, but never on his own dime. The fulfillment he derived from the odiferous, cheap cigars he so frequently smoked was not in their aromatic allure, but rather it was their frugality that so delighted him. "I could smoke twenty of my cigars for the amount you spent on that foreign job!" He would utter with a saliva-soaked stub dangling from the corner of his mouth. That's not to say people didn't try to turn him away from the stench-ridden brand of stogies. Believe me, many tried. He would not let go of something of such 'value.' The cigars came to symbolize the very man himself. He employed them as a way to make a statement. If you've ever been to a public place with a 'No Smoking' sign you know exactly what I mean. That was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Out came the cigar, and with a sinister grin he would light up. He didn't feel that anyone should tell him where or when he could smoke. Imagine the pleasure he felt - not only was he smoking the cheapest cigar known to man, but he was also able to offend all those 'anti-smoking' types by blowing plumes of smoke in their direction. It gave him great delight to be able to go against the rules, especially when it came to his cigars. More Than Just Cheap Cigars: The Life and Times of My One-of-a-Kind Father - A Stogy Smoking, Gruff-Talking Obstetrician