Zaslow worked at the Wall Street Journal, and is said to have been an inspirational man. I wish I had known him. In his own way--by writing for both Randy Pausch and Gabby Giffords--he was a caregiver. He shaped the words they needed to say, so millions of readers would understand, not only their illness and injury, but the spirit that carried them through it.In the case of Randy Pausch, Zaslow wrote the story that made the book an overnight success, and it's easy to see that Randy and Jeffrey shared many of the virtues illustrated in the book: "Earnest is better than hip," and "Enable the dreams of others."
It's such a loss to society when someone like Zaslow dies suddenly and prematurely. What would have been the next great book he would write? How many more people might he have touched? All we can do is honor the lessons left behind, emulate his great work, and pay it forward in a way that is uniquely our own. Thank you for teaching us so much, Mr. Zaslow.
What if Jeffrey Zaslow had not driven to northern Michigan in the winter for a book signing for his latest book, THE MAGIC ROOM, in Petosky? Did he really have to go that far, overnight, just to sign books in a small town? SIGH and REST IN PEACE, JEFFREY: a good man gone too soon!
ReplyDeletei have a differen take on all this here, your POV on my POV? email or comment my blog re
http://plogspot101.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-if-jeffrey-zaslow-had-not-driven.html
By dan bloom on February 12, 2012 9:57 PM
but why was a bestselling author on a cold February morning driving solo to and from a small bookstore in northern Michigan, when he did not have to do such a minor book event for his new book. He could have done an interview on Good Morning America or NPR and any other large media outlet, and he could have had a much different arc in life. It seems so sad and a pity that Jeff had to drive solo in icy conditions from Detroit to Petoskey and back just for a minor minor book signing event.
yes, That he bothered to go there says volumnes about his own dedication to his fans and readers, so on level, bravo to Jeff for agreeing to go there to sign a few books. But on the other hand, one has to ask his publishers and PR people: why on Earth was this small book event part of his national book tour? What were people thinking? And why did he go?
He was doing what he loved to do, and never expected to die. Most people think that tragedy only strikes others. If people never took risks, very little would get done in the world. Some risks are worth taking, and some not, but we never know until we try.
ReplyDeleteR, re: my comments in CAPS. SIGH: re ''He was doing what he loved to do, and never expected to die. TRUE. Most people think that tragedy only strikes others. TRUE. If people never took risks, very little would get done in the world. TRUE. Some risks are worth taking, and some not, TRUE but we never know until we try. TRUE.''
ReplyDeleteBut R, did you know poor Jeff made 208 public appearances last year, away from home. Why did he have to spend so much time away from his daughters and wife, when he was already a wealthy man from THE LAST LECTURE, sold for $6.78 million to the publishers, and pubbed in 35 languages. Jeff should have heeded his own inner self and shown MORE LOVE for his kids and wife by staying home MORe. That is my point. SIGH. yes yes, i am grieving too, and i refuse to accept the way he died. IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE, we have to stop thinking that way. HIS DEATH was preventable, did not have to happen. But of course, it did, and i accept that. but i don't accept it. DANNY
Danny, I knew Jeff for almost 25 years. Spent many hours with him in Chicago when he was the advice columnist who replaced Ann Landers. I was one of the Regular Joes he put together to add their voices to the advice he would give in his columns. This was back in the 80s, long before the best-selling books and the world fame and the Oprah show and all that. And I can tell you, that Jeff was EXACTLY the same man he was after his fame as before. I mean, not one whit of difference.
ReplyDeleteAnd that means that the Zaslow of the 1980s who beat out 12,000 other candidates for Landers' job was the same Zaslow who made millions on book sales and was the same Zaslow who would travel to a small indie bookstore to sign books for 40 fans. Jeff never changed. If you had spent even one minute with this man -- and I spent many, through lunches and dinners and his Zazz Bash for singles at Navy Pier, hell. I even shot a TV pilot with him and seven other of the Joes -- then you wouldn't be asking these questions because you would truly know the kind of man he was. Not that you shouldn't ask them - I understand, I really do - but there are no answers. At least none that we could ever understand anyway.
I have shed many tears over the last few days, but I would have cried them no matter how he had died, because he was a friend and a good man. I have such wonderful memories and pictures and notes from him, not because I was so special but because HE was - and he treated every single person he ever met as the most special person on earth at that moment. I will never know how he did it. This, on top of turning out acres of columns and books that will live forever as testaments to his incredible writing skills.
My only answer is his boundless energy and enthusiasm for every single thing he ever did. I imagine there might have been times when he hesitated or thought twice (I can recall seeing him worried and fretting over something or other) but he went ahead and did it anyway. He didn't "rank" his actions, you know? He didn't understand that. A "mere" 40 people were not mere to him. I can't explain it. You would have had to have spent actual time in his presence -- and I am deeply sorry that you will never get that chance now -- to fully understand what I'm talking about. I've never seen anything like it and will likely never see it again. He was full of life and seemingly endless energy and that's just the way he did things.
I feel your pain and frustration, I really do, but Jeff would not have agreed that it was a waste, any more than he would have thought being killed on the way back from Oprah or GMA would be a more noble way to die. It was -- WE were -- all the same to him. That's what made him great, and why everybody who ever interacted with him is taking this loss so personally and so deeply. What a legacy to leave. There is none higher.
For someone so deeply loved, admired, and respected, there is no right time to leave and no good way to die. Believe me, there are many of us struggling to come to grips with it. I still have a note on my to-do list: "Call Jeff Z." I can hear him good-naturedly scolding me for my procrastination. (I don't think he even knew the meaning of that word!)
I wish you peace, and I'm sure Jeff would wish that for you too.
Take care,
Jo