Better Dirty Than Done

An Inspirational True Story

By Rick Czaplewski (Indie author, 2023)

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So Mom and I, we’re cruising along the other day minding our own biz. Tip-toeing thru the tulips. Zippity do-dah-zippity-aying. My, oh my what a wonderful day-ing.

Well, okay. It was actually pouring rain. Think Noah. It was also cold. Think “Abdominal” Snowman. Cuz one of us had a growly tummy. What?

Anywho, we found this “inspirational true story” thingy waiting for us at the post office. It’s a self-portrait of a young man battling cancer. Hodgkin’s Disease, to be exact.

Smack-o-Rama

Well, smack-o-rama and Jolt-a-Bolt! Felt like Déjà vu all over again. Cuz Mom’s kid bro battled Hodgkin’s Disease awhile back. So Mom got all googly-eyed for a min. You know how Mom is. ‘Sides. This bro thing was when Her Royal Momness was a youngin’. You know. Shortly before the earth’s crust cooled. It was also before Ms. Brilliant and Beautiful – Yours Truly – arrived on the scene. Smack-o-rama, Jolt-a-Bolt again!

Intense

So you might understand how this book impacted us. It’s emotional. Unfiltered and raw. There’s no pie-in-the-sky bye and bye, Pollyana stuff here. Nopers!  It’s real and it’s genuine. Heartfelt. Searing. It took Her Momness back to the days of… Wait. Let’s get to the book, shall we? I’ll let Mom fill ya in. Soon as I scout her up some more tissue. (That googly-eye thing again. Cuz. Well. Mom.)

What do you do after learning you are going to die relatively young and soon?

Theme

That’s the central theme of this moving and matter-of-fact memoir by Rick Czaplewski. It opens with the author recalling his growing-up years in Milwaukee and quickly transitions into his Hodgkin’s Disease diagnosis as a college freshman. With penetrating prose, the author takes readers into a deep dive into the treatments, reactions, and responses that follow. It’s intense and powerful.

Better Dirty Than Done is a poignant, deeply personal reflection about one young man’s battle with cancer. How he may not live long enough to do or experience pretty much everything he’s ever dreamed about. And how he feels about same. Along the way, the author chronicles his dreams and fantasies about what he’d like to attain when healthy. This includes mountaineering in Taiwan, the Swim Around the Rock at Alcatraz, San Franciso, and running the Boston Marathon. Also how his “chemo brain” thoughts flit “from fantasy to grief to mundane.”

How it Is

That’s kind of how this book is. Some readers may find it jumbled and confusing. A timeline that is anything but linear. But then, neither is cancer. And that’s kind of the point.

To wit: The narrative brims with self-doubt. Bewilderment. Confusion, frustration, depression. Resignation. Fight. If only. Lament. “Skeletal thought arcs.” Mental awakenings. Because. Trips into Why? And What if? “Chemo brain.” Time. It darts “from fantasy to reality to dread.” The line of demarcation is sometimes gossamer-thin. It can get confusing. Just like an H.D. diagnosis.

Rapier and Waggish

Even though it addresses a tough subject – cancer – rays of rapier wit and waggish humor shine through every chapter. Articulate and absorbing, the narrative is briskly paced and supple. Told in the first person, it’s a quick read. But it’s not an easy one.

On that note, kindly note – not to be redundant here or anything here – that Better Dirty Than Done isn’t a lightweight, feather-headed “coffee table” type book. There’s so much emotion in these pages. We had to put it down and walk away more than once. Just to catch our breath. So you might want to buckle up, Cupcake.

In fact, we kinda felt like we’d been run through the ringer by the time we turned the final page. But the narrative ends on a high note. There are some surprises in the Epilogue that tie everything together. So don’t miss that.

Some housekeeping notes. 1) This book does not meet our Submission Guidelines regarding profanity. Oops. 2) We won’t be rating this book. It’s not that kind of a book. It’s a unique genre that’s pretty much one of a kind. You’ll either like it or you won’t. (Tip: Give it a chance. Especially if it’s pouring rain and your tummy is growly. – The Kimster.)