Biography Review

If This Is Heaven, I Am Going to Be a Good Boy.: The Tommy Leonard Story
by Kathleen Cleary
ISBN-10: 0595356982
Review by Heather Froeschl

Biographies can be a hard sell in the book world. Typically, readers will pick up a book about Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan, Marilyn Monroe or Elvis, or some other such person, famous in name and career. "If This Is Heaven, I Am Going to Be a Good Boy" is about a regular guy, who just happens to be very well known. I'll bet that this biography is a hot seller even if only Tommy Leonard's friends and acquaintances buy it.

Honestly, I am not a runner and had never heard of Tommy nor even the race that he founded, The Falmouth Road Race. But I came away from reading about his life with a purr of contentment that there are still such giving and caring people out there. From his humble beginnings, through his struggle filled teens and into his adulthood, Tommy Leonard showed heart and strength. It is his generosity of self that surely endears him to everyone who meets him. His passion for running, and racing, and all of the camaraderie that accompanies those things, shows through his actions in garnering support for his fellows.

If everyone worked so hard at sharing their passions, as Tommy has with getting people to support running or even don a pair of running shoes themselves, the world would be a happier place. Also known as one of Boston's most personable bartenders, Tommy Leonard is a character to at least read about and smile if you can't meet him in person. For those who have, his biography is surely a joy and fitting tribute.

Kathleen Cleary has done a service in her writing of "If This is Heaven..." in that she shares the story of one of our hero's. Through extensive research and interviews she has gained the necessary facts to portray Tommy's life. It was undoubtedly through personal conversations with him and with those who know him that helped her to portray the heart of the man. Cleary tells a good story, and Leonard is the star character.