Official Review: Never Stop Dancing

Post by **Christabel Uzoamaka** » 12 Dec 2020, 07:11

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Never Stop Dancing" by John Robinette and Robert Jacoby.]

4 out of 4 stars

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I have no words to describe how I feel about this book. John Robinette’s emotions were so profound that they left me speechless. The way he described his grief moved me deeply. My rating is 4 out of 4 because this was a splendid read. At many points in this book, I had to pause and cry because what the author went through was overwhelming. John Robinette, an “IT guy,” was no author. But Robert Jacoby approached him to detail his immediate grief following his wife’s death. The interviews that were taken a decade ago birthed the memoir Never Stop Dancing.

Amy Polk was John’s wife. She loved to dance. A dedicated mother and beautiful human, she always looked for ways to impact society. One of her projects included making midwifery more accessible in her community. When, on a seemingly normal morning, she got hit and killed by a truck, it shook many people to their core, including her husband and children. Never Stop Dancing chronicles John’s grief during the first year after her death.

The description said that Jacoby interviewed John, and that was how this book came about. Because of this indication, I wondered what format the book would take. On reading it, I was pleasantly surprised at the format. The memoir began with an introduction that explained Jacoby’s rationale behind wanting to interview a grieving husband in the first year after his wife’s death. Naturally, this idea is an outrageous and insensitive one. But on reading further, I felt so grateful that Jacoby decided to follow his guts and go on with this outrageous idea. The content eventually progressed to the interviews.

The eight different interviews were spread out into “summer, fall, winter, and spring.” The interviews were not the usual question-and-answer types. Jacoby would drive to John’s house, set up his recorder, and they would just talk. The book featured several pages of John pouring his heart out and occasional intervals of Jacoby explaining his intentions and feelings regarding the whole thing. I was grateful for the occasional well-timed interludes because they provided a much-needed break from the intense, beautiful emotions that John revealed.

It pleased me that this book was not only about grief. John talked about life, love, therapy, God, his anger, and his healing. His opinions of God were, however, not overbearing. He also included his opinions of poems and music, including poems by Rumi. My favorite quote by Rumi was, ”Grief is the garden of love.” John's understanding was quite impressive. I also loved reading about how he met Amy, his struggle with the dating scene, and some of his insecurities. I loved this book!

You may be wondering, “why make a book about grief?” But why not? There is no set manual for grief, and you never know what it’s like until you lose someone. But this book provides valuable insight into what it could be and look like. It reiterates the fact that the only certain thing in life is death and that it is important to live fully and in the present. It also reveals how we can act around and to people who have recently lost someone. I recommend this book to everyone above 18, especially people who just lost someone, because of how relevant I feel it is. I had absolutely nothing to dislike about this book. But I must warn you to prepare to cry your heart out. There are also some profanity and reference to lovemaking between John and Amy.

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Never Stop Dancing
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jardenjarden · Post by **jardenjarden** » 16 Dec 2020, 12:42

Wow, what a beautiful yet sad topic! It seems to me that John is really admirable in the sense that he was able to be so honest and genuine with Jacoby. That takes guts and must have been unimaginably painful, especially so soon after his loss. Regardless, it sounds like the author's insights transformed John's story into one that can be related to and learned from. Thank you for your great review!

Eddy E · Post by **Eddy E** » 16 Dec 2020, 15:06

This Review is so great. I love the interview format that seemed to flow from just a conversation, hardly do you see men open up about greif in a certain way that is so honest and pure. The Author did a great job bring his experience to light in this beautiful memoir.

Great job on the review

Sararob06 · Post by **Sararob06** » 16 Dec 2020, 16:20

Wow, this review is wonderful! I imagine trying to put your raw grief into words was extremely difficult but it seems that they were successful in this endeavor. Reading the circumstances of Amy's death was heartbreaking. I suffered a similar loss in my life and I'm sure a book like this would have helped me work out my grief.

17 Dec 2020, 01:30

Losing a loved one is never easy. I hope other readers will find strength and comfort in this book. Great review.

RHD · Post by **RHD** » 17 Dec 2020, 11:48

This is a different kind of memoir. Usually, the author, or interviewee, goes on about their exemplary lives - perhaps one or two challenges or shortcomings. Thank you for your review!