I've probably bought a dozen or so of Brecher's book since I stumbled across it years ago. I've given away copies, and I still hold out hope of finding one autographed. I even contacted the author by phone several years ago. I was going to be in his city, and I wanted to see if he'd have a cup of coffee with me. He graciously declined with other appointments. "Too Sad To Sing" contains beautiful, almost poetic, prose.

Addition to the above review:

I occasionally have a touch of guilt claiming a book that is as short as this one and that is filled with a plethora of photographs as one of my Goodreads annual number. The photographs in "Too Sad" are of postcards that Brecher has sent, received, and/or collected over the years. I first read "Too Sad" in the late 90's as I began my own extensive traveling. For the next decade, I sent copious numbers of postcards to friends, each chosen with their personality in mind. One such individual loves baseball, so I sent her postcards of baseball stadiums, teams, and players from the majors to the very minor teams. Another friend was fascinated by libraries, and she received cards from libraries around the world.

I posted a review of Brecher's book earlier this year, but I loaned my copy (paperback) to a friend, and finally I told her to keep it. I recently acquired another copy (hardback) in pristine condition, and this one will not be loaned, and it will be kept to be passed down to my daughters. I got this first edition for $1.00. It's original cost in 1988 was $22.95. The used bookshop had a penciled cost on the first page of $12.50. Alas, it had been placed on the orphan table after having been passed over by people not realizing the genuine beauty of the writing, and I decided I needed yet another copy after having purchased and given away more than a dozen over the years.

Upon receipt, however, I was compelled to read the 118 pages again. I'm not sure why I'm drawn over and over again to Brecher's book. One reviewer, Paula M. Zieselman in "The Library Journal," says of it:

"...his book's hopscotch style and blatant superficiality are as irritating as the whining tone that permeates the whole regardless of the adventure or exciting incident being recalled. In some cases, the reader is left wondering about the resolution of an anecdote. Brecher does himself and his audience a disservice with this bare bones treatment: what is needed is several pounds of flesh. An inconsequential bit of fluff; not recommended."

It is a book of postcards from various places, why wouldn't it have a "hopscotch" style? I traveled to 35 countries and 43 states, and a collection of my postcards would by it's very nature be "hopscotch." What she calls "irritating and whining" I see as a man in search of himself. Brecher writes that he is still looking for "a card that bears the likeness of someone very much like myself and has this legend on the back: 'Do not be deceived by the sadness in this young man's face. He is just beginning to understand that what dies with him is precisely what is now there to sustain him.'" (118) The very title of the book alerts the reader that there will be a sadness to the collection.

Finally, Ms. Zieselman complains that "the reader is left wondering about the resolution of an anecdote." To this reviewer that is part of the intrigue of the book. A postcard by its nature leaves events and adventures without resolution. Over the years, I have stumbled across dozens of postcards that I have collected. The cards are snippets of a person's history, and I have no historical context in which to place them, but many of them haunt me for their lack of resolution and context. One I treasure shows a lone figure in front of the Eiffel Tower at what appears to be dusk or dawn. The message reads, "We'll work this out. I wish you'd come to Paris with me." Work what out? Who would turn down a trip to Paris? Did they work it out? I think I like the mystery more than the resolution.

I love this beautifaly written memoir. The postcard theme is whimsical and fascinating as well as adding interesting visuals. Wish he would write more!