Yes, I get free books in the mail. The one by Patriots' linebacker Tedy Bruschi ("Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery and My Return to the NFL," co-written by Michael Holley) came in the mail last Wednesday and I sat down the next night at 9 o'clock to read it, concluding the task shortly before 1 a.m.

Since I don't want this column to read like a free plug for the book - which is what all authors want when they send a free book to a writer, and they get anyway - I'm hopeful that the opinions and reactions you are about to read will be honest, gut-reaction responses, as opposed to a carefully-crafted traditional review. So in the interests of full disclosure, I actually wrote many of these thoughts after I finished the book, and have only put them into readable English since.

Here goes:

1. It's a good read.

Admittedly, I can ramp up my reading pace to "ludicrous speed," but I found that this book is simple enough for most people with a reasonable level of education to follow, although the medical terms will leave some in the dust. The structure isn't entirely chronological, at least at the start, and when it kicks into full chronological mode, it's necessary to tell the story. Repetition is held to a minimum and the writing shows considerable care has been taken to present it in a believable first-person narrative as being in Bruschi's voice.

Whether Holley worked off interview notes, recordings or a manuscript by Bruschi, he did a good job of making it read like a grammatically-correct conversation between author and reader. I'm sure it helped considerably that Bruschi is also probably one of the more erudite and well-spoken linebackers you'll ever find.

2. Too much football?

By the time I reached Page 184, the concluding page of the chapter about Bruschi's return to action against Buffalo, there were tears forming in my eyes. They stayed there through the following chapter, in which Bruschi shared a few e-mails, letters and comments from people who had experienced strokes, either themselves or family members, and were inspired by the way he faced his challenge.

The book could have ended there and been thoroughly successful, but there are three more chapters and 60 more pages in which Bruschi recounts in condensed form the last two seasons since his return.

I'm really not sure why those are there. It's almost as if he and Holley decided that there wasn't enough "football" in the book to keep hardcore sports fans entertained, so they had to add some.

Personally, I think those final chapters dilute the impact of the really important story of how a stroke victim was able to face the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual challenges of his circumstance, overcome them, and understand the importance of the example he was setting.

3. It's not a tell-all.

If you're looking for Bruschi to tell secrets from the locker room or go into excruciatingly detailed depth about his personal life in the book, you've come to the wrong place. The book has enough personal detail to give you the general idea of what was going on in the Bruschi household during the height of the challenges faced by Tedy, wife Heidi and their children, without giving you the "too much information" feeling.

As for the portrayal of the Patriots' organization, there are a few moments when it's clear that Bruschi is walking on egg shells. It's obvious that Bruschi has no desire to bite the hand that feeds him - nor should he have much reason, because team owner Robert Kraft was supportive, particularly when it appeared that Bruschi would have to retire and a job was created for him in the organization. But there are passages when it becomes clear that Kraft had to take a cover-your-corporate-butt approach to Bruschi's comeback, fearing the legal ramifications that would ensue should the player suffer another stroke or worse during the effort.

Whether it was Kraft's initial reluctance to sign off on the comeback, his insistence that Bruschi see other specialists to confirm his doctor's findings, or the wording of a press release distributed by the team in Denver announcing Bruschi's intention to return, it's pretty clear to me that Bruschi felt Kraft's support was waning that as the comeback became a more tangible reality.

Particularly in the case of the Denver press release, Bruschi felt the ownership was shifting responsibility away from the organization and placing it solely on Bruschi's shoulders as a means of covering the corporate rear end. Welcome to the NFL, kid.

But beyond that, Bruschi expresses a lot of love for Kraft and Bill Belichick in the book, and no one should expect anything less.

4. Media madness.

Bruschi also mentions that he became obsessed with media coverage of his stroke and recovery, and that he clearly did not like the direction it took. I have to agree with some of his points. The TV stations' vans camped on his North Attleboro street and the helicopters hovering above his house were reprehensible. Most of the print people covering the team acted far more responsibly and sensitively.

Bruschi also referred to the speculative columns and the negative reactions of columnists (of which I was one) and broadcast commentators to his intention to return, and my respectfully-intended response to Bruschi would be, "You helped to create the monster, big fella."

Bruschi never shared with us any of the details of his recovery as it was taking place - and when he finally did, most of us in the media corps knew it would only be to the Boston Globe, because that's how things are with the Patriots. That he chose Jackie MacMullan as the vehicle for his revelations was a good thing, because there's no one better in the business than Jackie to handle a story like that.

To that point, none of us knew how positive the tests and examinations had been. All we knew was that Bruschi had had a stroke, he had been clearly impaired at the time it happened (obvious when he walked out of Mass. General holding wife Heidi's hand to keep his balance), and now he's talking about playing football again? For those of us who have had stroke victims in our families, such as the stroke that preceded my father's death in 2001, the thought of Bruschi playing football without a full understanding of the depth of his recovery was ludicrous.

No doubt, Bruschi was very fortunate that his stroke wasn't more severe. The stroke suffered by my father, then 81, was far more devastating - I remember the look in his eyes of helplessness at his inability to communicate, almost embarrassment, as if he was somehow letting me down by not being able to talk to me - and that was my only frame of reference when it came to a stroke victim.

Now, I fully understand what Bruschi felt during his recovery, when he was cautioned by his doctors against picking up his young sons and carrying them to bed. The victim feels he is victimizing those who love him, even though that couldn't be further from the truth.

But at the time all this was happening, a lack of information contributed to what Bruschi saw as a lack of understanding. Many of us wrote columns wondering why Bruschi, with three Super Bowl rings, a lovely wife and three young boys, felt the need to risk his life by coming back.

A little help from the media relations side would have made those commentaries more valid, but we never got it. So the media ends up looking bad - but, had someone involved in the situation been a little more forthcoming, we could have been far more effective in allaying our own fears, as well as the fears of Bruschi's adoring public, about his plans to return.

The problem is, no one believes that not everyone in the media would stab his or her own mother in the back to get an exclusive. The aggressiveness of some in this media market cast an unfortunate blanket over everyone in this instance, but given the facts, I'm convinced now that it was a distinction that would have been nearly impossible for Tedy and Heidi to make as they were living the nightmare.

I'm also convinced that they could have used more help in that area from those who are trained to give it.

5. Conclusion.

It's not my place to tell you to buy this book, but I will suggest that you read it for the message of hope contained within. Bruschi makes it clear that not every stroke has to be a death sentence if medical attention is sought at the first signs of trouble.

Not every stroke victim will be as fortunate as Bruschi, and he recognizes that. But the proper information and a message of hope can be powerful tools in any recovery - whether it's the recovery of an iconic football player who made it back to the field against all odds, or a beloved family member for whom the ultimate victory would be recovering the ability to say "I love you" to his or her children.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com