UNLIKELY BROTHERS: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
UNLIKELY BROTHERS

Our Story of Adventure, Loss, and Redemption

BY JOHN PRENDERGAST

and MICHAEL MATTOCKS

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In UNLIKELY BROTHERS, human rights activist and cofounder of the Enough Project, John Prendergast, and his “little brother,” Michael Mattocks share their experiences together, taking us on their journeys as their two lives intertwine. Their “Big Brother/little Brother” relationship started with John Prendergast as a curious and emotionally wounded twenty-year-old, making the life-changing decision to form a brotherly relationship with then seven-year-old Michael, who was living out of plastic bags, roaming from one homeless shelter to the next. Lacking a connection with his own brother and distancing himself from a disastrous relationship with his father, John formed a unique bond with Michael the moment they met. This bond would continue for more than twenty-five years as the two struggled with varying degrees of violence in their own lives. Inspirational and deeply moving, UNLIKELY BROTHERS beautifully showcases what an incredible impact such a mentor/mentee relationship can have.

Watch a video of UNLIKELY BROTHERS HERE!

AN EXCERPT FROM UNLIKELY BROTHERS:

Chapter 1
“He Ain’t Heavy, Father, . . .” 

John Prendergast
 

When people learned that I was a big brother to Michael and James, they would always say something about how generous or noble I was. I guess that’s one way to look at it, but it sure isn’t the whole story. Not even close.
 

When I first met Michael and James, I was a curious, driven, and emotionally wounded twenty- year- old. At the time, I was talking my way through summer courses at George Washington University, having already attended three other universities, and I was working at the Robert Kennedy Memorial’s Youth Policy Institute in some kind of glorified internship. I was on a mission to change the way America addressed the needs of kids living in poverty, to help shine a light on what was called back then the “underclass,” and to create an education- to- employment system that would give kids from disadvantaged neighborhoods real equal opportunity. You know, the kind of grandiose dreams a twenty- year- old should have. So becoming a big brother to Michael and James fit right into that, I suppose. But to understand what really propelled me into the lives of these little guys— to gauge the parameters of the hole in my heart that I tried to fill with Michael and James— you have to go back to my own beginnings.  

To read the complete excerpt from the book, visit the Random House website HERE. 

PRAISE FOR UNLIKELY BROTHERS:

"Read this book, and learn more about our common humanity like I did. This inspiring story will touch your heart and have you believing we are our brother's keeper all over again."—Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore

"This is no ordinary memoir. It is an inspiring, important and utterly unforgettable saga. Every American should read it and any who do will be moved--moved to change and moved to act. John and Michael have opened up their innards, probing their friendship, their adventures, their disappointments and their demons so as to light a spark in all of us."—Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Problem from Hell

“Unlikely Brothers is an unlikely book, two interweaving stories filled with loss, tenderness and hope. John Prendergast’s and Michael Mattocks’ journeys - together and apart - should resonate for all of us, a searching for our place in the world, a yearning for friendship and connections.”—Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here and Never a City So Real

 

“A fascinating account of a long-standing friendship.” —Publishers Weekly

“Despite their contrasting perspectives, Prendergast and Mattocks illustrate that when it comes to the human condition, attitudes trump platitudes and actions outweigh promises.” —Booklist

“A feel-good narrative that underscores the brutal effects of poverty at home and injustice abroad.”—Kirkus Reviews 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

JOHN PRENDERGAST is a human rights activist and author. He is cofounder of the Enough Project (enoughproject.org), an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Working for the Clinton administration, he was directly involved in a number of peace processes in Africa. He helped create the satellite sentinel project with George Clooney, wrote two books with Don Cheadle, and developed documentary films on Congo with Ryan Gosling. He has appeared in four episodes of 60 Minutes and was featured in a New York Times Magazine profile titled “Attention-Grabber for Sudan’s Cause.” He has been a youth counselor, a basketball coach, and a Big Brother for more than twenty-five years.

MICHAEL MATTOCKS lived in homeless shelters as a child and began dealing drugs as a teenager. He is now a husband and father of five boys, working two jobs at once in order to support his family. He helps coach his sons on their football teams.  

Visit the UNLIKELY BROTHERS website HERE to find out more about this fascinating book and authors.

 
GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO JONATHAN AND THE
FINE FOLKS AT RANDOM HOUSE, I HAVE
TWO COPIES OF THIS FASCINATING BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY TO TWO LUCKY READERS 

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT UNLIKELY BROTHERS THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT UNLIKELY BROTHERS AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON  A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

+1 MORE ENTRY: "LIKE" AND COMMENT ON UNLIKELY BROTHER'S FACEBOOK PAGE HERE ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY OR ABOUT THIS BOOK 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, MARCH 10

 GOOD LUCK!