The Death of Santini : The Story of a Father and His Son

**In this powerful and intimate memoir, the beloved bestselling author of __The Prince of Tides__ and his father, the inspiration for __The Great Santini__, find some common ground at long last.**Pat Conroy’s father, Donald Patrick Conroy, was a towering figure in his son’s life. The Marine Corps fighter pilot was often brutal, cruel, and violent; as Pat says, “I hated my father long before I knew there was an English word for ‘hate.’” As the oldest of seven children who were dragged from military base to military base across the South, Pat bore witness to the toll his father’s behavior took on his siblings, and especially on his mother, Peg. She was Pat’s lifeline to a better world—that of books and culture. But eventually, despite repeated confrontations with his father, Pat managed to claw his way toward a life he could have only imagined as a child. Pat’s great success as a writer has always been intimately linked with the exploration of his family history. While the publication of __The Great Santini__ brought Pat much acclaim, the rift it caused with his father brought even more attention. Their long-simmering conflict burst into the open, fracturing an already battered family. But as Pat tenderly chronicles here, even the oldest of wounds can heal. In the final years of Don Conroy’s life, he and his son reached a rapprochement of sorts. Quite unexpectedly, the Santini who had freely doled out physical abuse to his wife and children refocused his ire on those who had turned on Pat over the years. He defended his son’s honor. __The Death of Santini__ is at once a heart-wrenching account of personal and family struggle and a poignant lesson in how the ties of blood can both strangle and offer succor. It is an act of reckoning, an exorcism of demons, but one whose ultimate conclusion is that love can soften even the meanest of men, lending significance to one of the most-often quoted lines from Pat’s bestselling novel __The Prince of Tides__: “In families there are no crimes beyond forgiveness.” In this powerful and intimate memoir, the beloved bestselling author of The Prince of Tides and his father, the inspiration for The Great Santini , find some common ground at long last. Pat Conroy’s father, Donald Patrick Conroy, was a towering figure in his son’s life. The Marine Corps fighter pilot was often brutal, cruel, and violent; as Pat says, “I hated my father long before I knew there was an English word for ‘hate.’” As the oldest of seven children who were dragged from military base to military base across the South, Pat bore witness to the toll his father’s behavior took on his siblings, and especially on his mother, Peg. She was Pat’s lifeline to a better world—that of books and culture. But eventually, despite repeated confrontations with his father, Pat managed to claw his way toward a life he could have only imagined as a child. Pat’s great success as a writer has always been intimately linked with the exploration of his family history. While the publication of The Great Santini brought Pat much acclaim, the rift it caused with his father brought even more attention. Their long-simmering conflict burst into the open, fracturing an already battered family. But as Pat tenderly chronicles here, even the oldest of wounds can heal. In the final years of Don Conroy’s life, he and his son reached a rapprochement of sorts. Quite unexpectedly, the Santini who had freely doled out physical abuse to his wife and children refocused his ire on those who had turned on Pat over the years. He defended his son’s honor. The Death of Santini is at once a heart-wrenching account of personal and family struggle and a poignant lesson in how the ties of blood can both strangle and offer succor. It is an act of reckoning, an exorcism of demons, but one whose ultimate conclusion is that love can soften even the meanest of men, lending significance to one of the most-often quoted lines from Pat’s bestselling novel The Prince of Tides : “In families there are no crimes beyond forgiveness.” NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A brilliant storyteller, a master of sarcasm, and a hallucinatory stylist whose obsession with the impress of the past on the present binds him to Southern literary tradition.”—The Boston Globe Pat Conroy's great success as a writer has always been intimately linked with the exploration of his family history. As the oldest of seven children who were dragged from military base to military base across the South, Pat bore witness to the often cruel and violent behavior of his father, Marine Corps fighter pilot Donald Patrick Conroy. While the publication of The Great Santini brought Pat much acclaim, the rift it caused brought even more attention, fracturing an already battered family. But as Pat tenderly chronicles here, even the oldest of wounds can heal. In the final years of Don Conroy's life, the Santini unexpectedly refocused his ire to defend his son's honor. The Death of Santini is a heart-wrenching act of reckoning whose ultimate conclusion is that love can soften even the meanest of men, lending significance to the oft-quoted line from Pat's novel The Prince of Tides: “In families there are no crimes beyond forgiveness.” Praise for The Death of Santini “A painful, lyrical, addictive read that [Pat Conroy's] fans won't want to miss.”—People “Conroy's conviction pulls you fleetly through the book, as does the potency of his bond with his family, no matter their sins.”—The New York Times Book Review “Vital, large-hearted and often raucously funny.”—The Washington Post “Conroy writes athletically and beautifully, slicing through painful memories like a point guard splitting the defense.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune A Memoir By The Bestselling Author Of The Prince Of Tides About His Father--the Inspiration For The Great Santini--and A Reaffirmation That Love Can Conquer Even The Meanest Of Men. While The Publication Of The Great Santini Brought Conroy Much Acclaim, The Rift It Caused With His Father Brought Even More Attention. Their Long-simmering Conflict Burst Into The Open, Fracturing An Already Battered Family. But In The Final Days Of Don Conroy's Life, The Santini Who Had Freely Doled Out Physical Abuse To His Wife And Children Refocused His Ire On Those Who Had Turned On Pat Over The Years. A Poignant Lesson On How The Ties Of Blood Can Both Strangle And Offer Succor. Prologue -- The Promise -- Fun And Games At The Citadel -- Daufuskie Island -- The Writing Of The Great Santini -- Publication Of The Great Santini -- On The Set Of The Great Santini -- Two Premieres -- Stanny -- Piedmont -- Peg Conroy Egan -- Trim To Rome, Georgia -- Gnome -- Tom's Breakdown -- The End To It All -- Tom's Leap, Carol Ann's Ball Of Tears -- Losing Carol Ann -- Escape From San Francisco -- Don And The Chicago Irish -- The Arcs -- Hurrah For The Next Man To Die -- The God Of Last Things -- Epilogue: Pat Conroy's Eulogy For The Great Santini. Pat Conroy. A work of autobiographical fiction chronicles the author's efforts to reconcile with his harsh fighter pilot father, who inspired "The Great Santini," recounting how at the end of his father's life, he defended the author from his critics while helping to heal family estrangements