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Rodeo in Joliet
A relentlessly honest coming of death story, this psychological memoir of comedian Glenn Rockowitz's ongoing struggle with cancer offers a vivid glimpse into the landscape of a mind when it is faced with the constant threat of death. The story takes us from Glenn's unexpected diagnosis of 'three months at best' just days before the birth of his only child, to his miraculous remission and the ironic death of his father. It is a journey that is by turns heartbreaking, painfully funny, misanthropic, loving and ultimately heroic. Rodeo In Joliet tramples the Hallmark cliches and platitudes of traditional cancer survival stories and presents in their place an experience that leaves the reader in awe and grateful for his or her every breath.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
346 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
About the author
Glenn Rockowitz
3 books14 followersGlenn Rockowitz (b. May 27, 1970, Plainview, New York), is an American writer, filmmaker and comedian. A graduate of Chicago's famed Second City, Rockowitz went on to write and perform comedy for many years throughout the United States. In 1995, he founded a nonprofit AIDS and cancer charity in NYC, known as The Best Medicine Group -- an organization that brought hundreds of live comedy shows into the homes of terminally-ill patients throughout the metropolitan New York area. Rodeo in Joliet, a memoir of his battle with a very aggressive late-stage cancer, was released nationally on April 11, 2009. By early 2010, the book became a bestseller and was optioned to become a film helmed by director Matt Aselton. He is currently forming Change It Back, an Adolescent & Young Adult cancer coalition designed to improve treatment standards for AYA patients
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 18, 2021
What a book. An unflinching look at living with cancer.
May 20, 2009
This memoir about being diagnosed by a late-stage cancer at the age of 28 is honest, raw, funny, heart wrenching, excruciating, beautiful. Even if you're not into memoirs, read this one. It holds no bars and tells it like it is whether you like it or not. I had the honor of reading the manuscript and I could not put it down. I was sobbing, laughing, haunted, intrigued and addicted to this book. It's unbelievable. But it's true. Read it.
September 27, 2020
From someone who watched her father battle cancer, chemo, a bone marrow transplant, remission twice and cancer returning three times . . . to finally death this book was spot on. It also gave me a glimpse at how my dad must have felt.
Emotional, direct, venerable and hopeful all in one.
Emotional, direct, venerable and hopeful all in one.
December 2, 2010
Bibliophile and I ventured to Wordstock in Portland this year. A plethora of books, authors, and book accoutrements that would make you drool. (Ok, maybe that's just me...but I do run my hands over hundreds of books that have not crossed my path before)
And so it was with Rodeo in Joliet, a memoir by Glann Rockowitz. I saw the smooth white cover lying on a table at Wordstock and the book DEMANDED that I open it. I am one of those people who read the first line of a book and know if I want to read it or just keep looking. I don't read dust jackets and I don't turn the book over to see what someone ELSE thought of the book. I read the first sentence to see what I think. After all...if you sit down to write a whole gosh darn book it seems like you could write a first sentence that just might make someone want to keep reading.
And so I open the book and read:
Voices are underwater, faces are Vaseline, smells are electric, words are paint spills and I can't feel a goddamn thing.
I turn to Bibliophile and say, "I want this one". And that is how I came to read the memoir by Glenn Rockowitz, a book I had never heard of.
Glenn has just gotten a diagnosis of terminal cancer in the beginning of the book. Cancer that has advanced and left him with an estimated three months to live. Glenn has a wife who is then seven months pregnant with his son. Glenn begins the wild ride of how one spends the last three months of their life and what their priorities are.
Glenn is not necessarily a likable character and I found myself as angry at his behavior as he was at his disease. He does not sugarcoat his experience and he seems to think that good manners boil down to a waste of time and time is something he has just about run out of.
Glenn's writing style reminds me of James Frey, (A Million Little Pieces), and that is a compliment...I could care less whether James fudged or changed or downright lied about things...I found his writing brilliant.
Glenn writes in the same clean honest style which is shown brilliantly in a passage about not wanting to be a "cancer patient" anymore.
I don't want to be on Oprah.
I don't want to be a feature in People Magazine and have a picture of My Family on the Beach, and a picture of My Son jumping on the Bed.
I don't want to be a story.
I don't want to be part of a support group.
I don't want to have a good cry.
I don't want ME time.
I don't want to TALK to Others Like Me.
I don't want a Coffee Klatch.
I don't want to Keep a Diary.
I don't want to do a Fun Run.
I don't want to Wear a Ribbon.
I don't want to Wear a Bonnet or a T-Shirt.
I don't want people to clap when I cross the Finish Line at some Fucking Fundraiser.
I don't want to start a Website of my Battle.
I don't want a website with a Flower Patterned Background.
I don't want to write Updates.
I don't want a Guest Book where Friends can Wish Me Well.
I don't want people to cook for me.
I don't want to write Thank You Notes.
I don't want people to be Concerned.
I don't want people to look at me THAT WAY.
I don't want my picture on the front of some Brochure.
I don't want a Foundation in My Name.
I don't want an Engraved Stone in some Goddamn Park.
I don't want to Battle Cancer with Courage.
FUCK THAT.
"Battling" is Vietnam.
"Courage" is Normandy.
Cancer is just fucking unfortunate.
He maintains this sort of pragmatism throughout his memoir while he is fortunate enough to know someone who can gain him purchase into an experimental clinical trial in the UK. Glenn manages to alienate people in the US, Canada, and the UK while he obtains treatment that many are unable to receive.
I like the clean, crisp Dragnet style of prose that is "Just the facts, Ma'am" and is absent of fluff and weighty descriptions.
One of the things I love about books in general is discovering why the Author chose the title. Some are straightforward: The House at Pooh Corner, Under the Dome, or The Time Traveler's Wife...We are not left wondering what it means. With Rodeo in Joliet we have not a hint of where that might come from but are drawn to the play on words just the same. I am not going to reveal why Glenn chose this title but I think the title in itself deserves to be lauded.
Love Glenn or hate him...it doesn't matter...I think you'll appreciate his story and walk away with more of an understanding of everyone you know who doesn't want to be a cancer patient anymore.
http://www.notthenewyorktimesbookrevi...
And so it was with Rodeo in Joliet, a memoir by Glann Rockowitz. I saw the smooth white cover lying on a table at Wordstock and the book DEMANDED that I open it. I am one of those people who read the first line of a book and know if I want to read it or just keep looking. I don't read dust jackets and I don't turn the book over to see what someone ELSE thought of the book. I read the first sentence to see what I think. After all...if you sit down to write a whole gosh darn book it seems like you could write a first sentence that just might make someone want to keep reading.
And so I open the book and read:
Voices are underwater, faces are Vaseline, smells are electric, words are paint spills and I can't feel a goddamn thing.
I turn to Bibliophile and say, "I want this one". And that is how I came to read the memoir by Glenn Rockowitz, a book I had never heard of.
Glenn has just gotten a diagnosis of terminal cancer in the beginning of the book. Cancer that has advanced and left him with an estimated three months to live. Glenn has a wife who is then seven months pregnant with his son. Glenn begins the wild ride of how one spends the last three months of their life and what their priorities are.
Glenn is not necessarily a likable character and I found myself as angry at his behavior as he was at his disease. He does not sugarcoat his experience and he seems to think that good manners boil down to a waste of time and time is something he has just about run out of.
Glenn's writing style reminds me of James Frey, (A Million Little Pieces), and that is a compliment...I could care less whether James fudged or changed or downright lied about things...I found his writing brilliant.
Glenn writes in the same clean honest style which is shown brilliantly in a passage about not wanting to be a "cancer patient" anymore.
I don't want to be on Oprah.
I don't want to be a feature in People Magazine and have a picture of My Family on the Beach, and a picture of My Son jumping on the Bed.
I don't want to be a story.
I don't want to be part of a support group.
I don't want to have a good cry.
I don't want ME time.
I don't want to TALK to Others Like Me.
I don't want a Coffee Klatch.
I don't want to Keep a Diary.
I don't want to do a Fun Run.
I don't want to Wear a Ribbon.
I don't want to Wear a Bonnet or a T-Shirt.
I don't want people to clap when I cross the Finish Line at some Fucking Fundraiser.
I don't want to start a Website of my Battle.
I don't want a website with a Flower Patterned Background.
I don't want to write Updates.
I don't want a Guest Book where Friends can Wish Me Well.
I don't want people to cook for me.
I don't want to write Thank You Notes.
I don't want people to be Concerned.
I don't want people to look at me THAT WAY.
I don't want my picture on the front of some Brochure.
I don't want a Foundation in My Name.
I don't want an Engraved Stone in some Goddamn Park.
I don't want to Battle Cancer with Courage.
FUCK THAT.
"Battling" is Vietnam.
"Courage" is Normandy.
Cancer is just fucking unfortunate.
He maintains this sort of pragmatism throughout his memoir while he is fortunate enough to know someone who can gain him purchase into an experimental clinical trial in the UK. Glenn manages to alienate people in the US, Canada, and the UK while he obtains treatment that many are unable to receive.
I like the clean, crisp Dragnet style of prose that is "Just the facts, Ma'am" and is absent of fluff and weighty descriptions.
One of the things I love about books in general is discovering why the Author chose the title. Some are straightforward: The House at Pooh Corner, Under the Dome, or The Time Traveler's Wife...We are not left wondering what it means. With Rodeo in Joliet we have not a hint of where that might come from but are drawn to the play on words just the same. I am not going to reveal why Glenn chose this title but I think the title in itself deserves to be lauded.
Love Glenn or hate him...it doesn't matter...I think you'll appreciate his story and walk away with more of an understanding of everyone you know who doesn't want to be a cancer patient anymore.
http://www.notthenewyorktimesbookrevi...
September 25, 2012
Disclaimer: biased review. I worked with Glenn at the 24 hour print lab he talks about in this book, & attended many of his benefit gigs,...
Having said that, this literati snob is blown away by this book. Glenn takes you through the real life story of a NYC stand up comedian who runs a charity for the deathly ill, & ends up with terminal cancer himself. He's diagnosed a few weeks before the birth of his first son & is told he has three months to live. Naturally, a story as trauma filled as that is heart stopping by itself, but the peripheral stories speak highly of the human condition as well. Like the homeless, the city full of assholes, the family members, the doctors, the other patients,... it pulls you in every direction at once, runs the entire full spectrum of emotion, & illustrates how interconnected we are as a species. When one of us hurts, really we all are hurting.
The writing style is razor sharp, economical as Hemingway, punchy as Palaniuk, & poetic as Poppy Z. Brite. And there's only one person as funny as Glenn Rockowitz, & that's mother fucking Glenn Rockowitz.
Personally, I find this book to be much needed shock therapy for the soul. Nothing short of an actual near death experience is going to snap you out of your bubble shrouded routine & wake you up to how valuable the life you are wasting is. With every page, I find myself re-examining my place in society, my relationships, my feelings about myself. I can't say that about too many other books.
This book is destined to be a literary classic, & shall be remembered as one of the greatest novels written in modern history. But like everything else in Glenn's world, the book will sell millions & he'll become world famous long after he's dead. ;)
Having said that, this literati snob is blown away by this book. Glenn takes you through the real life story of a NYC stand up comedian who runs a charity for the deathly ill, & ends up with terminal cancer himself. He's diagnosed a few weeks before the birth of his first son & is told he has three months to live. Naturally, a story as trauma filled as that is heart stopping by itself, but the peripheral stories speak highly of the human condition as well. Like the homeless, the city full of assholes, the family members, the doctors, the other patients,... it pulls you in every direction at once, runs the entire full spectrum of emotion, & illustrates how interconnected we are as a species. When one of us hurts, really we all are hurting.
The writing style is razor sharp, economical as Hemingway, punchy as Palaniuk, & poetic as Poppy Z. Brite. And there's only one person as funny as Glenn Rockowitz, & that's mother fucking Glenn Rockowitz.
Personally, I find this book to be much needed shock therapy for the soul. Nothing short of an actual near death experience is going to snap you out of your bubble shrouded routine & wake you up to how valuable the life you are wasting is. With every page, I find myself re-examining my place in society, my relationships, my feelings about myself. I can't say that about too many other books.
This book is destined to be a literary classic, & shall be remembered as one of the greatest novels written in modern history. But like everything else in Glenn's world, the book will sell millions & he'll become world famous long after he's dead. ;)
September 20, 2016
The book Rodeo in Joliet was amazing at some parts I wanted to stop reading. As long as you keep going the better it is at the beginning it was entreating. I wanted to stop reading when Glenn got really mad and said stuff that he probably shouldn't have said and it could be hard on some readers. It is a Memoir which the way the text was put together i didn't like but it made it seem like it was such a quick read. As a person who usually hates to read and only does when he has to for school really liked to read it and all I really like is suspenseful reading. and like one that you just keep saying one more chapter. The book was all in all great and a great and easy quick read and people who don't like to read would probably want to read this. That's all.
May 26, 2009
This is a powerful memoir about contending with serious illness. If you have ever been sick, or are close to someone who has been, you should read this book. If you are a healthcare provider you should ABSOLUTELY read this book. It is beautifully written - it took off for me at about page 20 and I powered through it very fast. The writer has a caustic wit, but is also open hearted - so you will be moved to tears on one page and likely be provoked into snorting laughter on the next. I highly recommend.
June 7, 2009
WOW! I started reading this book just a day or two ago, and I am now finished. For those who know me and my current 'schedule', this speaks volumes. I love the writing style - raw, full of thoughts, thoughts that are obviously real and not sugar-coated. It is a sad subject (cancer), but one that is all-too-common for all of us. I'm not going to ruin the ending, but I had tears streaming down my face toward the end. I highly recommend this book.
February 13, 2010
Fantastic. Raw. Compelling. Heart wrenching.
I read this from cover-to-cover without putting it down. Even though my heart was breaking every time I turned the page, I could not put it down!
As a parent, wife, and daughter, I could relate to the terror and disbelief and anger that Glenn felt both when given his own diagnosis and when learning about his father's diagnosis. I highly recommend this book.
I read this from cover-to-cover without putting it down. Even though my heart was breaking every time I turned the page, I could not put it down!
As a parent, wife, and daughter, I could relate to the terror and disbelief and anger that Glenn felt both when given his own diagnosis and when learning about his father's diagnosis. I highly recommend this book.
April 26, 2010
Met the author Glenn at an event at a bookstore in Edmonds. I knew I would love the book and I did. This is a beautiful, heart wrenching and very real memoir about his battle with cancer. I read it in two days. Couldn't put it down. I am going to tell everyone I know to read this book. So, read this book.
February 9, 2011
I won't say I've stalled reading this amazingly insightful book, I just have to take the honest, raw and sometimes "too close to home" truth in smaller doses. Many passages remind me of what my husband must have been going through in treatment if he'd only had the words and delivery masterfully conveyed by Glenn.
June 28, 2009
Unconventional, raw and brutally honest. I appreciated the author's twisted humor throughout the book as a way to cope with his gut-wrenching fear. I hope the publishers don't make him polish it in any way.
July 19, 2009
Glen gives new meaning to the word brave.
He took my heart, wrung it out, and filled it back up again, no easy feat. Unlike anything I've ever read.
He took my heart, wrung it out, and filled it back up again, no easy feat. Unlike anything I've ever read.
February 8, 2011
heartbreaking
April 5, 2019
FAVORITE, personally
I got to read Mr Rockowitz's story after going through my own bout with cancer and so much appreciated his flat out honesty in this truly vulnerable and fucking hilarious story. Laughing and crying while reading is a rare treat. He has a truthfulness in his tale that made me so grateful. Perhaps because as a comedian he had already put himself out on stage allowing whatever may come.
Such a gift to then be able to interview him about this book.
Realizing it has been 8 years since I read it I now recognize it influenced my life in many ways.
Can not wait to read the sequel.
Beautiful blessed life to you dear man.
I got to read Mr Rockowitz's story after going through my own bout with cancer and so much appreciated his flat out honesty in this truly vulnerable and fucking hilarious story. Laughing and crying while reading is a rare treat. He has a truthfulness in his tale that made me so grateful. Perhaps because as a comedian he had already put himself out on stage allowing whatever may come.
Such a gift to then be able to interview him about this book.
Realizing it has been 8 years since I read it I now recognize it influenced my life in many ways.
Can not wait to read the sequel.
Beautiful blessed life to you dear man.
August 20, 2021
I loved it! I'm not a fast reader so it can take months to finish a book with life's many distractions; however, I knocked this out in two weeks for book club. It was engaging and moved swiftly as we followed Glenn on his journey.
I'm not one to over-analyze a book or film as I simple engage them for enjoyment, enlightenment, or both, so I'll just say that it's definitely worth a read.
I'm not one to over-analyze a book or film as I simple engage them for enjoyment, enlightenment, or both, so I'll just say that it's definitely worth a read.
January 26, 2022
emotional and raw
This book is so intensely raw it hurt my heart, bent my brain, and yet I was still laughing. There’s a special reason this author is still alive. He has more to give to this world. And for that, I’m grateful.
This book is so intensely raw it hurt my heart, bent my brain, and yet I was still laughing. There’s a special reason this author is still alive. He has more to give to this world. And for that, I’m grateful.
April 10, 2018
My next door neighbor is the author so I'm not a biased reader. Knowing his struggles and reading about it in his words is powerful. He's also a very funny man so it is entertaining.
June 19, 2022
I will never forget this story.
January 17, 2023
An emotionally tough book to read, but excellent for people who want to better understand what it’s like for a loved one fighting cancer.
August 29, 2010
i loved this book. i loved the honesty, the truth, and the pain. i put it on my to-read list nearly a year ago and have finally read it. i find it interesting that i read it the same week i made my nana's famous cinnamon roll recipe for the first time since she died five years ago. from cancer.
it reminds me to never let a loved one sit through chemo alone. never. we are only here for such a short time and these precious moments are to be savored. i knew that it was important to go with my nana, because i didn't want her to be alone, but after feeling the tension and sadness of the green mile i get it.
on a lighter note, i like that glenn rockowitz never indents, uses lowercase letters all over the place, and that he does share why his book is titled as it is. it may have took nearly 300 pages, but it's there. trust me.
read this book. it's a tear-jerking memoir that will leave you with a better understanding of the inner monologue of the loved ones we have lost, or have lived through, this terrible disease.
it reminds me to never let a loved one sit through chemo alone. never. we are only here for such a short time and these precious moments are to be savored. i knew that it was important to go with my nana, because i didn't want her to be alone, but after feeling the tension and sadness of the green mile i get it.
on a lighter note, i like that glenn rockowitz never indents, uses lowercase letters all over the place, and that he does share why his book is titled as it is. it may have took nearly 300 pages, but it's there. trust me.
read this book. it's a tear-jerking memoir that will leave you with a better understanding of the inner monologue of the loved ones we have lost, or have lived through, this terrible disease.
November 25, 2012
Brilliant. Moving. Smart. Funny. I wish I could force everyone I know to read this book! It certainly makes you evaluate your own life and relationships and reminds you how short our lives truly are. The writing style is sharp and intentional and makes you feel every word. I was in love with every chapter.
November 21, 2015
I was predisposed to like this book because I heard the author interviewed and was fascinated to learn more about his story. I think he does an excellent job of telling the gut-wrenching truth about what he had to face and how he did it. He went through all shades of hell with his diagnosis of terminal can are and his sheer force of will to fight it. Amazing.
September 16, 2013
This book is amazing. The short paragraphs and present tense create a urgent tone and sense of immediacy. (It also reads *very* quickly.) I loved Rockowitz's avoidance and hatred of polite platitudes about cancer, illness, and death. An excellent view into the mind of a cancer patient.
Want to read
March 28, 2010Saw this (and met the author) at a book fair today and it looks *amazing.*
Want to read
April 13, 2010The author is from Seattle...
August 15, 2011
one of the best books i've read this summer! extremely touching and really gives one insight to what caner patients go through. love the form the was written in!
January 5, 2014
I feel that anything I write here would do this story injustice. Read this book and it will affect you in some way.
March 29, 2013
Everyone should read this
June 10, 2015
This is one of the most honest, funny, and raw cancer memoir books out there. Glenn writes like he's sitting next to you opening up and letting you inside. Read this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews