The Man I Never Met

For many years, Adam Schefter was a beat reporter covering the Denver Broncos. His career then took him to the newly launched NFL Network, and ultimately to ESPN. If you follow sports then you likely know him as "Schefty". He is known as an insider in many areas of the business, most notably as often being the first to report breaking news in the sports world.

As a single guy in Denver with no family in the area, Adam engrossed himself in his work and went wherever it took him. But something was always missing. Adam loved his job, but ultimately he hated his life. A new job brought Adam home to New York, closer to friends and family. All things considered, Adam was living a great life. But on the inside he was spiralling out of control. Adam was more alone than ever. After a series of failed relationships (and one failed marriage), Adam was desperate to get married and settle down. His life forever changed when he met Sharri Maio.

Sharri was broken, lost, and alone in the aftermath of 9/11. She had lost her husband, Joe, and and was now responsible for raising their son in a home that she and Joe had just recently moved into.

Adam's new wife was a 9/11 widow with a six year old son and three dogs. This book chronicles the difficulty Adam had adjusting to married life since he had been a bachelor for so long. He delves into the relationship with his new wife and son, the arrival of their daughter, and the everlasting memory of a man he never met. But this book is not really about Adam Schefter. This book is written to honor the memory of Joe Maio and preserve his legacy. Joe's spirit is always present in their lives. Adam talks candidly about their relationship and evedyday lives. He is transparent and honest about this heartbreaking story.

Eerie similarities between Adam and Joe, and other people that he mentions in the book, will give you chills. It serves as a reminder that this is a small world, and everyone has a story. This is the story of Joe Maio, and Adam, Sharri, Devon, Dylan, and everyone they have shared their lives with, and everyone that has been an influence in shaping their lives.

You will laugh and you will cry. You will feel the genuine emotions that Adam Schefter has poured into these pages. I highly recommend this book.

I received this as a free ARC from St. Martin's Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two confessions from the start: When I started this book, I only knew the author was from the sports world and the book was about Joe Maio who lost his life on 9/11/01. Second, the tragedy of the events of 9/11 affected me profoundly and I consider it the most devastating national event in my lifetime. So, I was rather unprepared for the story that unfolded as I devoured page after page of The Man I Never Met.

As author Adam Schefter (with Michael Rosenberg) states early on-- this isn't a book about September 11th, it is the story of September 12th and beyond. It is the story of living.

There are so many wonderful things in the book about strength, hope and survival that were unleashed as a result of those unimaginable tragic events. What moved me was the unconditional power of love and remembrance. Even more so-- author Adam Schefter's humility and honesty as he bears his soul in this touching memoir of the legacy of Joe Maio, the lives of his friends and family; and the powerful, yet difficult journey he (Schefter) and Sharri experienced and continue to experience as they build their lives 'after' is awe-inspiring.

While Schefter paints a wonderful tribute to Joe Maio, it is very much his own story as well. By the end, you've gotten to know two strong men-- though they never met-- that will forever be bound to one another, closer than brothers.

This is just one story of thousands-- families whose lives were forever changed. In reality, it is a story of us all. For anyone that has experienced great loss and struggled but found the courage and strength to move forward-- this is your tribute. We are all united, in grief and in the celebration of remembrance on this uncertain journey called life.

I gratefully received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly moving, and healing, book. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read and relive 911, but somehow this helped bring a bit of closure to me.