Justin Taylor’s Riding with the Ghost takes its title from a Jason Molina song of the same name, and explores Taylor's journey as he mourns and copes with the death of his father in much the same melancholy vibrancy and foggy revelation as the distant echo of Molina’s voice.

At the beginning of this memoir, Taylor introduces his complicated relationship with his father by informing us his father unsuccessfully tried to kill himself by throwing himself off of a parking garage, and was only successful in his second attempt later. The linear plot of this story on the surface is how Taylor and his sister worked through their father’s belongings, his difficulties, his various moves, and his emotional struggles after his divorce from their mother – all while Taylor hopped from state to state for work and tries his best to honor his marriage still in its infancy.

The true beauty of this piece lies in Taylor’s interior philosophical musings as he processes so many of life’s great reckonings in this short time period, however. This book is a deep reflection on every element of his life during this tragic and traumatic time in his relationship with his father. Taylor discusses his childhood, as he and his siblings feared the man that so captivated their love and attention. Taylor examines his relationship with his mother and siblings, his relationship with his wife, his relationship with his work as a writer. Taylor explores his (our) belief system, deeply, and its relationship with our culture and why we do what we do and what it has to do with death and the struggle to stay alive and engage in difficult times, even if we interact with it in a completely secular manner. And Taylor doesn’t just explore his relationship with his father’s death, but the deaths of David Berman, Jason Molina, and perhaps most importantly, the death of a student with whom Taylor had a very close relationship, Eli. Taylor also explores his professional and interpersonal relationship with the practice of teaching writing, and how relationships in the classroom can bloom into one of the closest and most meaningful intimate relationships a teacher and student can share.

This is an incredible book, and while my father is still very much alive, Taylor’s piece resonated with me deeply in my relationship with my late mother – who also suffered from Parkinson's, depression, divorce, suicide ideation, and a helpless failure to thrive over decades leading to her death. The Jewish life, the life as an educator, and my own super fandom of Berman, Pavement, and Molina made this memoir a gorgeous and deeply moving memoir for me. I don’t see this being a book for everyone, but it is a beautifully masculine mediation on work, family, education, relationships, religion, and death, and in Taylor’s hands, these subjects are handled candidly and expertly. He doesn’t attempt to have all of the answers in his writing, but it is his brilliant, concrete journey in prose and philosophy that make this an excellent reflection on this important era in his life.

I want to end with some lyrics from Riding With The Ghost by the late Jason Molina...

I'm running out of things/ I didn't even know I was using

And while you've been busy / Learning how to complain

I've been busy learning / How to make a change

In this thoughtfully written contemplative philosophical tribute, “Riding With The Ghost: A Memoir” (2020) author Justin Taylor delves into the physical and psychological meaning and decline of his late father Larry Taylor-- following the impact of his attempted suicide in a Nashville parking garage (2013). In addition, Taylor weaves a narrative of becoming a writer, fiction editor, and instructor for several MFA writing programs and workshops throughout the country. His writing has been featured in several notable publications, he is the author of “The Gospel of Anarchy: A Novel” (2011) and several short story collections. He lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon.

In recalling the father of his youth, Larry was fully engaged in the life of his two children: he coached on youth sports teams, took them camping, helped with homework and encouraged his son’s writing projects. If anyone in their circle needed help, Larry was likely to come to their aid. Years later, after Justin had married, it wasn’t as easy to comprehend his parent’s marriage, it’s unforeseen slow decent, ending in divorce. His mother was the family’s sole support for a decade, bravely trying to work through their lack of resources, she had married Larry as a teen. Taylor and his sister never noticed or missed Larry’s parents who rudely disowned their son for failing to loan them money! Larry’s struggle with his mental and physical health included a torturous diagnosis of Parkinson Disease.
As a writing instructor at The Pratt Institute (2011), Taylor wrote of the “pseudo-parent” of the student-teacher dynamic, also of his student and friend Eli Todd, who later died of a heroin overdose. Once, Taylor interviewed Jason Molina (1973-2013) of Ohia, who was greatly surprised that Taylor sought out meanings to his lyrics, (the title of this book is after a Molina song).

Taylor, his sister Melanie (an attorney) and his wife Amanda sorted through Larry’s belongings at his Florida condo, following his death on March 24, 2017, the “silver-lining illness narrative” was never necessary. All his father needed from them was understanding, compassion, and on occasion, a Target gift card. Although their worst fears were realized and he had sadly died alone-- it was a startling revelation to learn that all he had ever wanted and hoped for was for his children to find happiness and success. **With thanks to Random House via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

Outstanding. Heartbreaking, gorgeous. Unflinchingly honest. I’m going through my own dad’s battle with Alzheimer’s, and felt like a mirror was being held up to my inner thoughts, despite the situations being quite different.

This book is wonderful in so many ways that I appreciate. It’s straight forward, at times darkly humorous, messy and challenging. When the author was thirty his father drove to a Nashville airport and was going to commit suicide by jumping off of the parking garage there, but he left clues beforehand that the author was oblivious to, but that his sister noticed and rallied the family to intercede and prevent the father from dying. And from this simple start the author jumps back and forth through his life with his father and shows the many ways his father has shaped his life and the many ways they’ve let each other down. Like life, the book doesn’t paint a perfectly neat narrative, but you certainly feel like you know these people and that there is truth on every page.

I wish that I had Justin's skill for deep reading and for writing literary analysis and criticism; this book deserves to be reviewed by someone with Justin's skills and I am fully cognizant how lacking I am in that department. That gulf between us is one of the chief reasons, in fact, that I eagerly seek out his work. Justin has a way of opening my eyes to wonder in texts (and songs, and other media) that is thrilling.

When I heard that Justin would be turning that eye onto his father, and his own life, I was excited. It was as insightful as I expected, while roaming far outside the expected subject matter.

I read this book across two Saturdays, two weeks apart. In between I took a 30 hour cross-country road trip with my eldest son to back up his dorm room, move his things into storage, and then move him into an apartment in a far-off city where he has a summer internship. That's nothing like moving your father, or putting his things in storage, or spending a semester working away from your family, or a cross-country drive with your wife -- but it was hard not to see so much of it through the lens of what Justin wrote and to be thinking about my relationship as a father with my son and as a son with my own father. It made my approach to the trip more thoughtful and deliberate, for which I'm grateful.

I love Justin's digression into what it means to teach and the filial, parental role of the professor.

I don't know how to review this. Justin's prose is direct and smooth. He is insightful. He is clever in a way that makes you feel included rather than trumped. He knows what he's doing and calls himself out when the text risks dishonesty for coherence.

I don't know who needs to hear this but I think that anyone would benefit from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book shows how hard relationships can be, especially ones where mental illness is such an issue. What a relief that he was able to keep his father from dying by suicide.
It did like this book to an extent but I had trouble with the writing style and it didn't hold my interest as much as other memoirs.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

A raw and powerful memoir. Not an easy book to read, but this book digs into deep vulnerability and truth. Highly recommended.