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JWR Update from Geneviève Rinzler

11/16/2020

17 Comments

 
​Hi Everyone,
 
I am Genevieve Rinzler, Jonathan’s wife, and I wanted to reach out to Jonathan’s readers, some of whom have heard that he is experiencing health issues.
 
This past summer, Jonathan had been feeling particularly exhausted; he was losing his appetite and consequently quite a lot of weight. Near the end of August, he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. 
 
As you can imagine, or may know from personal experience, it has been quite an emotional and scary journey for our daughters, our respective families, our close friends and myself.  We didn’t think it was fair to burden Jonathan’s readers with such a dire diagnosis but, at the same time, it didn’t feel quite right not to talk about it. Finally it was Jonathan’s dear friend Brandon Alinger who suggested to us that extending the circle of people in the know to all of JWR’s readers was the right thing to do.
 
Jonathan’s condition is serious and still precarious, but he has improved since the August health assessment. As of November 15th, he has already received 4 rounds of chemotherapy.  We are confident that he is in good hands with the medical team at Kaiser and UCSF.
 
There are more details on the Caring Bridge site, where my brother-in-law Ben Rinzler — who has suddenly been promoted to scribe, chauffeur, and assistant to the wife/nurse (many hats and no pay!) — has been posting almost daily updates. The site is going to be open to all. 
 
I want to thank you all for the love that you have expressed over the years to JWR by letting him know how much you enjoyed his books.  For those who want to reach out, be certain that Jonathan will be uplifted to hear from you.
 
For those who want to help I’ll share this:
 
JWR’s writings about the creative process of movie-making has brought him a lot of joy. But All Up is even closer to his heart, a book about the genesis of the space age. It’s written as fiction, but it’s largely based on true stories, delivered in an exciting read. It’s the “making-of” book for the most outstanding scientific accomplishment of the last century. 
 
All Up is the story of how an unlikely web of horrible wars, crazy research, epic failures, fabulous means, and the dreamers—always the dreamers—all came together, over half a century, to allow humanity to break the bondage of gravity and travel beyond our planet. 
 
Our present century has its own visionaries who are going to help humans land on another planet — to make the dream of the giants who preceded them happen.  If our current progress is the manifestation of past generations’ collective dreams and desires, then its genesis matters to us. We would be wise to learn about it, to be sure that we take part in the next phase of this dream…
 
So at this point, you should all know where I am going with this: 
If you want to help and have something fun to read, for yourself or as a gift to a friend/loved one, I suggest purchasing All Up!
 
Younger folks will hopefully be inspired to live their life with a deeper understanding about how our species is often propelled toward great positive change while in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. 
 
And older people who remember watching the moon landing will be surprised to read about the series of coincidences and seemingly unrelated events that contributed to the birth of the Space Age. JWR connects the dots and molds history into a thrilling new tale! 
 
Finally, personally, I loved the book! 
 
Thank you so much for your support for all of these years.
 - Geneviève
  
Caring Bridge site:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jonathanrinzler

17 Comments
Kevin
11/19/2020 08:36:54 am

Dear Mr. Rinzler,

A quick note to say that your books have brought me more enjoyment than I could possibly convey. I can't wait to dive into All Up! and The Making of Aliens this fall.

Very sorry to learn of your health issues. Sending all good thoughts to you and your family.

Best,
Kevin

Reply
Jonathan Rinzler
11/22/2020 07:53:37 am

Hi Kevin, I hope you enjoy diving into both books, but most of all ALL UP--hope you enjoy that one. Thanks for your kind words, JWr

Reply
Kevin
1/2/2021 04:46:18 pm

I’ve just finished “The Making of Aliens” (loved it) and have started on All Up! which I’m enjoying a great deal.

But before I forget, I just wanted to mention how much I appreciate all the extra little details you manage to squeeze into the photo captions in your “Making of” books. It really adds a whole other level of enjoyment to these things.

A very happy New Year to you and your family.

Kevin

Jonathan Rinzler link
1/3/2021 09:26:56 am

Hi Kevin, Thanks for the update. I'm always glad to hear someone is enjoying ALL UP. I hope it keeps you entertained till the end. (If it does, please a review on Amazon.) And glad you enjoyed Aliens! best wishes and happy new year, JWR

Matt
11/21/2020 05:12:59 pm

Mr Rinzler and family,
I'm so sorry to hear about your illness. This year has truly been the worst, but I have seen the best of people rise above it. I'm sure you will too. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I've thoroughly enjoyed your books and blog posts over the years. Hopefully someday we can meet in person (like we all used to do) and talk about Christopher Lee. All the best
Matt

Reply
Jonathan Rinzler
11/22/2020 07:55:43 am

Hi Matt, Christopher Lee was a pleasure to talk to on set. I look forward to meeting you one day, too. I'm sure we'll all get through this. Thanks for your kind words, all best, Jwr

Reply
Daniel link
11/21/2020 09:57:08 pm

Dear Mr. Rinzler,

So sorry to hear of your ailment. My family and I have enjoyed many of your books- just recently picked up the Aliens book, which is one of your very best! You have given so much hard work to bring us fans these amazing books, but more importantly your passion for art has inspired many to learn and create art of their own. We are praying for you and your family.

Sincerely,
Dan

Reply
Jonathan Rinzler
11/22/2020 07:57:44 am

Dear Dan, Thank you for your prayers and kind words. I'm very glad to hear you and your family have enjoyed my books over the years. If you read ALL UP, I hope you enjoy it, too. best wishes, Jwr

Reply
Sascha link
11/24/2020 02:40:14 pm

Dear Mr. Rinzler,

I am very sorry to hear about your illness and want to express my deepest sympathies for you and your family. I want you to know how much it meant to me to learn about the making of movies through your writing and how much deeper I fell in love with Star Wars because of it. I can't wait to read All Up which I recently got as a birthday present. It was a pleasure to see you live Nürnberg, Germany two years ago and hear you talk about it all in person. Your passion and dedication for your work came through with every word. My grandfather also went through radiation therapy this year because of prostate cancer, I know about the pain and the emotional toll it takes on everyone. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts.

All the best,
Sascha

Reply
Jonathan Rinzler
11/29/2020 10:36:19 am

Dear Sascha, Thanks so much for writing. I'm glad that you enjoyed my books on Star Wars -- and I'm thrilled that you will soon be reading ALL UP! Please let me know how you like it. Meanwhile I hope to return one day day to Nürnberg--if they invite me again, it would be great. And I sincerely hope your grandfather is improving. I'm between chemo rounds and doing okay for now. best wishes, Jonathan

Reply
Darrell link
1/1/2021 06:34:06 pm

Jonathan; my thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife. Your hours of work on your film books (and love for the subject matter) pays off each and every time i read them. Keep a stiff upper lip and know your readers are with you.

Reply
Jonathan Rinzler link
1/2/2021 10:12:48 am

Thanks, Darrell. I plan on sticking around for another couple of decades... Have a great new Year. all best, JWR

Reply
Nick
4/29/2021 12:03:27 am

Discover an amazing new author, dive into the Amazon page to decide which book to purchase next, notice an unusual blog link, clink, oh good god no.

Just another anonymous person pulling for you.

Reply
bill chayes
8/8/2021 07:14:43 pm

Dear Genevieve...We just found out about Jonothan. I had spoken to him about a month or so ago and then could not contact him and I feared the worst. I'm so so sad and distraught. I just found out you were contacting people through Twitter which I don't have...only his cell number which isn't being answered. Please please send us a way to contact you. If you are having a memorial I will certainly be there. We just want to let you know how much we loved him and will miss him terribly. He was really such a wonderful friend to me.
We miss you very much...so many wonderful memories. Please contact me Genevieve. Billchayes71@gmail.com (707)782-8131 or text to (707)338-3574.

With love,

Bill and Michelle

Reply
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