"An unapologetic and often deeply moving memoir"

• ASIN: ‎ B0CK81WZFL
• Publication date: ‎ October 1, 2023
• Language: ‎ English
• Genre:  Memoirs

The BookViral Review:

“Someone once told me that when it’s time to give back, we must do our duty”

Hunce Cleaver’s “The Fighting Cleavers” release comes amidst an ever-growing list of memoirs. Many of them offering sobering insights into life’s challenges but whilst many can be read with a degree of detachment it’s not so with Cleaver’s memoir which proves a vivid, evocative and moving read.

It’s a story of strength, resilience and faith that spans decades, and from Hunce Cleaver’s perspective tells of the sorrows and joys, hardships and successes of the Cleaver family. 

Drawing on deep-seated memories there is a lot of wit here and accounts of long nights spent drinking and fighting but don’t let that deter you. This is a read that benefits greatly from attention to detail with Hunce bringing his memories to life with extraordinary vividness and in doing so captures the mood of the moment as we come to know his brothers, Mom Joan, Dad Harry and the generation beyond.

Sometimes harrowing, often explicit, but always emotionally charged he achieves a genuine level of intimacy with his readers and it would be a hard heart that remained untouched by Cleaver’s life story. And whilst he doesn’t dwell on the extraordinary number of heart procedures the Cleaver men have collectively endured they remain powerfully poignant throughout.

In Gail Cleaver’s Prologue, she states “We are not writers, and this wasn’t meant to be a literary masterpiece” but Hunce is resolute and understated in his narration and it’s to his credit that his prose achieves a tone that doesn’t force his account upon readers. He isn’t writing a celebrity memoir hurtling towards resolution, he’s a man in the very real sense of the word. A man who knows his flaws, has lived life to the full and loved without remorse. A man who croons like Elvis and sings a mean Sinatra. A navy man, a champion boxer and a man inaugurated into the Yuma Slowpitch Hall of Fame. A strong man who despite loss and tragedy still embraces every moment and lives life to the full.

An unapologetic and  often deeply moving memoir The Fighting Cleavers is not a read to be quickly forgotten and is highly recommended.