In My Brother, My Keeper, Phil Cooke has written an inspiring account of how his brother, J. P. Blase Cooke, faced his ordeal with cancer.

The story of Blase’s rise from rags to riches is reminiscent of the Horatio Alger stories, but the success of that part of his life pales when compared to the courage and inspiration he displays when confronted with a life-ending disease.

The author started out with the idea of making a family history in honor of his brother, and he did a fine job to that end, but the way he blended the history of the family and Blase’s never-ending optimism in this account explains why the book is much more than a family history.

No doubt the book will be a treasured item in the Cooke family and among all his friends and associates, but the real value of the book is the blueprint it provides for other people facing death (especially with cancer) on how to deal with cancer and still retain dignity and hope.  The disease took Blasé’s life but, even to the end, it was not able to take away his spirit.

The book also offers us an excellent example of brotherly love at its finest.  The author is to be congratulated on taking a tragic event and finding a way to use it for positive results for others.