Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived

by Laurence Shames, Peter Barton (I), Peter Barton

Book Overview

Some people are born to lead and destined to teach by the example of living life to the fullest, and facing death with uncommon honesty and courage. Peter Barton was that kind of person. Driven by the ideals that sparked a generation, he became an overachieving Everyman, a risk-taker who showed others what was possible. Then, in the prime of his life--hugely successful, happily married, and the father of three children--Peter faced the greatest of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006073731X
• ISBN13: 9780060737313
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

An aspiring read

This book is one of my all time favorites. Peter Barton achieved more in a few decades than most people could hope for in a life time. This is an excellent read that will help put things in perspective; allow you to think more about your own life and what you've accomplished. Barton was not afraid to take chances and tells excellent stories of when he failed and succeeded. He is a true risk taker that had great success. Barton comes right out and says...'I wrote this book for one reason, so my kids could grow up and know who their father was'. It was a great stress reliever to read this book and help think about the important things in life. The way Barton lived life with so much optimism and enthusiasm; you can't help but bring those same characteristics into your own life after you read this. This book is filled with so much wisdom and intelligence that you will realize Barton was a tremendously gifted man. More than anything Barton will help you appreciate the simple things in life we all take for granted every day. He lived a unique life and I was honored he shared it with us. One of the few books I will continue to read in my own life.

Peter Barton's Honest and Courageous Story

Peter Barton spent his all-too-brief, brilliant life like a gambling addict let loose in a casino. He didn't taste experience --- he devoured it in great chomps and gulps of adventure, leaps in imagination, success in business ventures, and deep family commitment.He played away his early years as an anti-war hippie, experiencing to the fullest extent the joys and freedoms of the 1970s. But by the time he reached that life altering, ominous "over thirty" hurdle, he began to think seriously about his future. He took a reality check, buckled down at Harvard Business School, and projected his enormous intellectual and physical energies into the world of ideas. As a visionary on the threshold of the cable television era, Barton co-founded Liberty Media, which pioneered with the Discovery Channel, Fox Sports, The Learning Channel, Black Entertainment Television, and STARZ.Along the way to his meteoric success, Barton met and married his wife and started a family. Once he knew they were financially secure, having made some profitable stock market investments, he felt free to explore new horizons and stepped down as President of Liberty Media. Barton was about to launch a whole new career in the fledgling Internet sphere when life's ultimate reality check arrived via cell phone in the middle of a meeting with Yahoo executives in Silicon Valley. It was Barton's doctor calling from Denver. He had been ignoring a vague but persistent stomachache and had gone in for some tests. He remembers the call this way:"'I need you to come to my office to discuss this with me. You have cancer.' Just like that. That terse, that quick; that casual. I don't remember getting up, but suddenly I'm standing. The Yahoo board of directors is staring at me. Maybe they understand that something bad has happened; maybe they're just wondering what could possibly be more important than going head to head with AOL."Life is suddenly brought into sharp focus for Barton.NOT FADE AWAY is narrated by Barton in collaboration with mystery writer and novelist Laurence Shames. It is a diary, a memoir and a biography. Shames, who didn't know Barton personally but was introduced to him by a mutual friend, says that Barton's first intent was to leave something of himself for his three children, ages 14, 11 and 9.But as the relationship between the two men intensified during the last months of Barton's life, the idea behind the book grew to become much more. Shames saw the enormous humor and deep affection Barton felt for not just his family but for life, and he wanted to bring the depth of feeling that Barton was experiencing to the public --- not only his exuberance for life but his growing insights into himself as the inevitable drew near. NOT FADE AWAY isn't a sad story or one filled with angst and foreboding. It is a story that deals with love, success, friendships, business relationships, war protests, the simple joys of parenting and the simple-minded joys of college pranks.Barton jams wit

I bow to this story.

One thing that attracted me to this autobiography was, the way that Peter Barton Embraced his life not only when he was healthy, but as well as when he was diagnosed with cancer. The way he describes the terrible side of cancer, and how it can easily put a person into an enormous depression. However, he chose to fight it and face up to it. He admits freely the fact that he was scared at times, but also grateful at others. Finally, his story will make you realise how wonderful life can be, even when the road gets tough. Unfortunately, Peter Barton is no longer among us, but I am sure that his story will show you, just how much he respected and loved every moment of his life. It is an honour for me to recommend this book to anyone who is looking for inspirational writing.

Insight at the end of life

Peter Barton was my son-in-law and continually surprised me by always seeing the "big" picture while I (like most of us) wallowed in the details of life. He wrote it with Laurence Shames after learning of an impending, untimely death.He was an extraodinarily creative person, always able to see the context of every situation. Life rewarded him well financially but, most of all, with an uncanny sense of where we fit in the course of our lives. This book is filled with large-scale insights, many of which will be useful to each of us. Even knowing him, I found the book a worthwhile read. I personally grew from the "read," as I'm sure you will. It may reset your values as well as your expectations regarding living.Laurence Shames is skillful not only with words but also with conveying ideas. His book reads very well.

A life-changing book

It's hard to describe the mixture of emotions that accompany reading this masterful book by Laurence Shames and Peter Barton. It was Barton's knowledge of his impending death that was the impetus for the book. Barely fifty, with young children, a happy marriage and tons of money, Barton chose to face his mortality through leaving a memoir. Shames became Barton's collaborator, co-author, interpreter and ultimately friend. There are moments of humor, heartbreaking sadness and revelation. It would be impossible to read this book without evaluating your own feelings toward life and death, family, friends, happiness and setting the right priorities for yourself. It's a brave and beautiful book that shouldn't be missed.