By My Brother's Side

I thought all of my entries would be “must haves,” but in the interest of saving some money in more difficult economic times, I had to change my strategy. Somehow, I ended up with two copies of By My Brother’s Side by Tiki and Ronde Barber. And somehow, as hard as I work at hiding the book in the depths of the bedroom bookcases, it always makes its way into little hands. The story follows the brothers when they are young. The two boys love sports, but Tiki has an accident on his bike and has to sit on the sidelines while Ronde continues his athletics all summer (not really the definition of by someone’s side.) The injury is serious enough that the doctor is not sure if Tiki will ever play sports again. This is all building to a climax that is nothing more than the doctor giving the OK to take the leg brace off. On one page, we see the brothers complete their homework before football, but that message seems to be added as an afterthought. Although the book ends with the brothers playing football together and winning the game, it is painfully long with little elegance to the writing. I can think of a sports book or two that gives a true message of perseverance, determination, and loyalty. Skip this one, parents.