Coping with / advice about death and bereavement Books

Book Synopsis The Daughter's Way investigates negotiations of female subjectivity in twentieth-century Canadian women's elegies with a special emphasis on the father's death as a literary and political watershed. The book examines the work of Dorothy Livesay, P.K. Page, Jay Macpherson, Margaret Atwood, Kristjana Gunnars, Lola Lemire Tostevin, Anne Carson, and Erin Mouré as elegiac daughteronomies - literary artifacts of mourning that grow from the poets' investigation into the function and limitations of elegiac convention. Some poets treat the father as a metaphor for socio-political power, while others explore more personal iterations of loss, but all the poets in The Daughter's Way seek to redefine daughterly duty in a contemporary context by challenging elegiac tradition through questions of genre and gender. Beginning with psychoanalytical theories of filiation, inheritance, and mourning as they are complicated by feminist challenges to theories of kinship and citizenship, The Daughter's Way debates the efficacy of the literary ""work of mourning"" in twentieth-century Canadian poetry. By investigating the way a daughter's filial piety performs and sometimes reconfigures such work, and situating melancholia as a creative force in women's elegies, the book considers how elegies inquire into the rhetoric of mourning as it is complicated by father-daughter kinship. Trade Review"The Daughter's Way is an original, absorbing, and long-overdue critical examination of the way Canadian female poets have written against the grain of the male elegiac tradition. MacDonald's scholarly conversation with these works is an important step in understanding the contrary energies of feminist remembrance." -- Sarah Henstra, Department of English, Ryerson University, author of The Counter-Memorial Impulse in Twentieth-Century English Fiction"'How women are to be--as bodies, as artists, and as elegists--is predicated on their ability to memorialize and inherit,' writes Tanis MacDonald in the introduction to The Daughter's Way. In the carefully theorized and beautifully written chapters that follow, she traces an arc of female paternal elegies with sensitivity and a keen critical and feminist intelligence. Erudite, insightful, nuanced, and continuously engaging, The Daughter's Way is a lucid crystallization of years of study, thought, and felt experience in and around elegies that casts a brilliant light on the texts and on their literary, personal, and social contexts. It is a significant contribution to Canadian literary and feminist studies and, indeed, to studies of the elegiac mode itself." -- D.M.R. Bentley, Department of English, University of Western Ontario, editor of Canadian PoetryTanis MacDonald's The Daughter's Way represents a new way of understanding Canadian women's poetic elegies. Ranging widely across twentieth- and twenty-first century Canadian women's texts, the study provides a compelling and precisely focused engagement with gender, genre, and nation. MacDonald (herself a poet) brings a rich understanding of the importance of poetic form. She produces insightful analyses in prose that is crystal clear and a pleasure to read, making readers engage with the evocative power of the "literary" all over again. -- Gabrielle Roy Prize jurors"An interesting and careful study." -- Wendy Robbins, University of New Brunswick -- HerizonsTable of Contents The Daughter's Way: Canadian Women's Paternal Elegies, by Tanis MacDonald Acknowledgements Part I: The Daughter's Way Introduction: Who Could Not Sing: Elegy and its (Female) Discontents Chapter One: Elegy and Authority: The Daughter's Way Part II: Daughters of Jove, Daughters of Job: Canadian Modernism's Bloody-Minded Women Chapter Two: Two Jove's Daughter: Dorothy Livesay's Elegiac Daughteronomy Chapter Three: ""So much militia routed in the man"": P.K. Page's Military Fathers Chapter Four: ""Absence, havoc"": Jay Macpherson's Rebellious Daughters Part III: Differently Conceived Nations: The Mourner's Journey Chapter Five: ""Do what you are good at"": Margaret Atwood's Authorizing Elegies Chapter Six: The Pilgrim and the Riddle: Anne Carson's ""The Anthropology of Water"" Chapter Seven: Gateway Politics, Grief Poetics: West Meets West in Kristjana Gunnars' Zero Hour Part IV: Furies and Filles de la Sagesse: Language and Difference at Century's End Chapter Eight: Signature, Inheritance, Inquiry: Lola Lemire Tostevin's Cartouches Chapter Nine: Elegy of Refusal: Erin Mouré's Furious Conclusion: From the Water Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisNavigating the challenging journey that families and friends of Alzheimer’s patients must endure, this heartfelt guide reveals how their struggle is as complex and drawn out as the illness itself. Confronting their natural but difficult process of grieving and mourning, the study covers the inevitable feelings of shock, sadness, anger, guilt, and relief, illustrating the initial reactions people commonly feel from the moment of the dementia’s onset. Healthy and productive ways to acknowledge and express these feelings are suggested along with 100 tips and activities that fulfill the emotional, spiritual, cognitive, physical, and social needs of those who care about someone afflicted with this debilitating disease. Special consideration is also shown for caregivers, whose grief is often complicated by the demanding physical attention that patients require.

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Book SynopsisBased on Alan Wolfelt’s six needs of mourning and written to pair with Companioning the Grieving Child, this thorough guide provides hundreds of hands-on activities tailored for grieving children in three age groups: preschool, elementary, and teens. Through the use of readings, games, discussion questions, and arts and crafts, caregivers can help grieving young people acknowledge the reality of the death, embrace the pain of the loss, remember the person who died, develop a new self-identity, search for meaning, and accept support. Sample activities include grief sock puppets, expression bead bracelets, the nurturing game, and writing an autobiographical poem. Activities are presented in an easy-to-follow format, and each has a goal, an objective, a sequential description of the activity, and a list of needed materials.

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Book SynopsisRecognizing that depression is a normal and natural component of grief, this compassionate guide helps mourners understand their depression, express it in healing ways, and know when they may be experiencing a more severe or clinical depression that would be eased by professional treatment. It proposes that grieving people do not necessarily need to be diagnosed with depression following the death of a loved one and guides them through exercises to express their depression in healthy ways. In a society where mourning and melancholia are often ignored, this book gives mourners the supported and reassurance necessary to understand and appreciate that their depression is a regular part of the grieving process.

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Book SynopsisWhen your family, neighborhood, city, or area of the country is affected by a natural disaster, it’s normal and necessary to feel grief and the traumatic experience of actually witnessing and surviving the event may be consuming you. This book will help you understand and embrace your difficult thoughts and feelings. It will be a compassionate companion to you as you move through shock and numbness and struggle with ongoing grief symptoms such as fear, guilt, and sadness. Some of the 100 ideas explain the basic principles of grief and mourning and how they apply in the aftermath of a natural disaster, while others offer immediate, here-and-now suggestions of things you can do today to express your grief and live with meaning in each moment.

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Book SynopsisWe don’t only experience grief after a loss—we often experience it before. If someone we love is seriously ill, or if we’re concerned about upcoming hardships of any kind, we naturally begin to grieve right now. This process of anticipatory grief is normal, but it can also be confusing and painful. Life is change, and change is hard. This book will help see you through.

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Book SynopsisIn China, girls are bad luck and are often drowned. But Angela and her sisters are lucky. They are born in America and allowed to live two lives in one world: eating dim sum and praying the rosary; studying hard at school and playing make believe with their dolls. With a Chinese father who loves consumerism and an American mother determined to give her daughters the opportunities she was denied, Angela and her sisters grow up celebrating both their Chinese heritage and their American culture. But when their father suddenly becomes ill, Angela begins to question the limits of luck and the power of prayer—and to wonder whether she will ever find the courage to be herself.Trade Review“A master of figurative language, Lam deftly describes her life in a multicultural family and the pressures they face from both their Chinese and American societies. Readers will enjoy the transformation of each dynamic member of the family and find themselves rooting for the protagonist again and again. This book celebrates the power of resilience and a young girl’s determination to chase her dreams. Lam left me wanting more.” —Amanda Zieba, author of Breaking the Surface and the Orphan Train Rider Series “In opening up Angela Lam's story one soon feels a settling down, a savoring of scenes similar to the placid detail of Van Gogh's 'Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries.' Hasty though I am by nature, I'm almost tempted to just settle into that prose-verging-upon poetic passage of time, of images.” —Geoff Wood, author of Living the Lectionary “Red Eggs and Good Luck is the kind of honest, beautifully written memoir that will have you staying up way too late turning pages.” —Jennifer Fulwiller, bestselling author of Something Other Than God “Do yourself a favor. Read [Red Eggs and Good Luck]. Get it for your book club (are you paying attention, mom?). Give it away as Christmas presents. If nothing else, get it from the library... If your experience is anything like mine, the only thing you won’t like about this moving, little gem, the only thing about it that will make you really angry is that it ends.” —Brian O'Neel, Editor-in-Chief, The North Coast Catholic

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Book SynopsisThis compelling memoir of one woman’s journey of enchantment, tragedy and romance unfolds against the backdrop of a stunning mountaintop in rural Virginia. Purchased on a lark for weekend camping by a clueless suburban couple, the mountain brings Marcia Mabee and her husband Tim surprising wildlife encounters, dramatic botanical discoveries, and a passion for conservation that leads to its dedication by the state as the Naked Mountain Natural Area Preserve. Naked Mountain veers in an unexpected direction when Marcia faces a life-threatening cancer diagnosis. Struggling with energy-sapping treatments, she continues to battle environmental threats to the beloved mountain where her ashes are to be spread. Just as her prognosis brightens, the story takes a darker turn, extinguishing the couple’s hopes for the future and throwing Marcia into the depths of despair. But in a surprising twist, she confronts the divergent forces of deep grief and new love to remake a life. Naked Mountain is an amazing personal journey that explores the joys of discovery, the uncertainties of life and the enduring bonds of marriage.Trade Review“Keep the Kleenex handy, for Mabee’s tribute to Tim’s love and life is so profound and poignantly rendered that it is impossible not to be moved to tears. Yet for all the tragedy that engulfed their lives, what endured was the mountain, and what sustained them was the serenity and beauty found within its hills.” —Booklist “…intensely personal and compelling. An honest depiction of a courageous, difficult journey.” —Kirkus Reviews “A highly engaging memoir, a fine blend of life’s images and passages. Her redeeming discovery of the Southeast's remote Blue Ridge outback enfolds a journey through joy and family tragedy. Marcia Mabee's pace doesn't falter, but she knows when to slow the story, for vivid details about both personal and natural history. Deeply felt, well told.” —Stephen Nash, 2015 winner, American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award for Virginia Climate Fever: How Global Warming Will Transform Our Cities, Shorelines, and Forests. “Conservationists, bird-lovers, healthcare advocates, and cancer patients will be touched and educated by this love story composed by a cancer survivor, a cancer caregiver, and a woman on a road to recovery.” —Susan Gubar, author of the Living with Cancer blog for The New York Times “A passionate conservationist, Mabee finds her commitment to survival of the endangered cruelly tested as she battles her way through ovarian cancer, only to have news of her hard-won remission upstaged by a shock bulletin: her husband has pancreatic cancer. As she navigates the onslaught of illness, death, and grief, Mabee offers a compelling portrait of love, tenacity, and resilience that will inspire both those who ail and those who mourn.” —Jill Smolowe, author of Four Funerals and a Wedding “Marcia Mabee is a professional working woman, wife, environmentalist, stepmother, entrepreneur, and cancer warrior. She provides an honest and raw account of both the successes and the limitations of cancer treatment. This is a book worth reading for anyone who has struggled with grief and personal challenges. I highly recommend it.” —Deborah K. Armstrong, M.D., Professor of Oncology, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center "What starts out as one man’s romantic gesture to impress the woman he loves, the purchase of a mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, eventually turns into a shared love of another kind. What emerges is an enormous challenge to preserve the unique botanical treasures of the land they acutely love and then the challenge to survive cancer. Mabee’s grit and resolve are a source of wonder, a haunting testament to the fortitude of the human spirit." —Barbara Donsky, author of Veronica’s Grave "This is a memoir of love, place and a chance to love again.” —Northern Virginia Magazine

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Book SynopsisWhen Miriam Weinstein’s good friend died unexpectedly, and other losses followed close behind, it led to a year of introspection and black outfits. All Set For Black, Thanks ditches the sanctimony to give us the help, and the laughs, that we actually need in times of mourning and grief. She explores such topics as how we keep our dead with us even as we learn to let them go; why we should not bring casseroles; how to write the Best Eulogy Ever. Part memoir, part how-to, this book will help you get through the rough bargain of human existence: none of us gets out of here alive, but we live as if the lives of our loved ones had no end.Trade Review“Who knew I’d find a collection of essays about death to be shockingly funny? I should have known—given the collection’s title, All Set for Black, Thanks, and the cover, which is a Vogue-ish drawing of some little-black-going-to-a-funeral dresses. But of course Miriam Weinstein’s new book is also touching, for the what-to-wear dilemmas she addresses are surrounded by evocative descriptions of how loved one’s react at life’s passing. These are intensely personal essays about death written by an introspective woman with a keen gift for outré and, dare I say ‘cheering,’ gab.” —Rebecca Coffey, author of Hysterical “With grace and keen wit Miriam Weinstein provides a survivor’s manual for all who face loss. Colleagues, friends, and loved ones die frequently in her account. This book is a love letter to them, as well as a guide to those left behind. Weinstein teaches us how to mourn as well as how to embrace the gift of life that is still ours.” —Daniel Jacobs, Director, Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies "All Set for Black, Thanks is an important contribution to grief literature. By nimbly straddling memoir and self-help, Miriam Weinstein reveals both the universal and personal road we all must travel when we lose someone we deeply loved.” —Allison Gilbert, author of Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive and Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents "All Set for Black, Thanks takes mourning out of the closet as we follow Miriam Weinstein through a year of funerals, shivas, casseroles and eulogies. We see loss and the rituals that surround it through her wry, resilient, wise lens, feeling almost guilty when we can't help laughing. Weinstein's little black dress allows you to be your true vulnerable self in the face of what we fear the most. Put it on! You'll be surprised.” —Sally Ryder Brady, Author, A Box of Darkness

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Book SynopsisLaraine Burrell gets the call to come back to England from the United States just in time to visit briefly with her father before he passes away. Following his death, she is overcome with grief, feeling that she has squandered the time she had with her father. Instead of staying close, she chose to travel the world and seek her own goals as a young woman, always thinking there would be time later on to tell her dad all the things she wanted to tell him—how much she loved him, and how he was her hero. Now, she realizes, it’s too late. Wanting to do something significant for her father to make up for her neglect, Burrell reflects on the fascinating life her father, a Royal Yachtsman, led—and decides that the one thing she can do for him is to tell his exceptional life story and make sure he is not forgotten. Our Grand Finale is the culmination of that effort—an exploration of both the author’s and her father’s unusual life experiences, and a reminder that “later” doesn’t always come.Trade Review2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Relationships (Non-Fiction) 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Book Cover Design (Nonfiction) 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Memoir "Burrell has enough vivid material for several books here: a lonely childhood, an exotic career, a difficult motherhood, and belated feelings of familial love and guilt. A curious and complex life story.” —Kirkus "Sometimes it takes losing someone we love to fully claim the love that was always there. In Our Grand Finale, Burrell thoughtfully honors the inner geography of family love." —Cheryl Rice, author of Where Have I Been All My Life? "It often takes a significant loss in our lives to wake us up to what truly matters. This memoir starts with a daughter’s experience of her father’s death and moves into an exploration of her own past as well as his. It weaves the story of both a precocious young child and of a father she loves but really doesn’t know. Burrell discovers, when going through her father’s treasured possessions, a greater understanding of her family and causes her to reflect on her own journey to adulthood. And what a trip it is." —Rita Gardner, author of Coconut Latitudes

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Book SynopsisIn The Trail to Tincup: Love Stories at Life’s End, a psychologist reckons with the loss of four family members within a span of two years. Hocker works backward into the lives of these people and forward into the values, perspective, and qualities they bestowed before and after leaving. Following the trail to their common gravesite in Tincup, Colorado, she remembers and recounts decisive stories and delves into artifacts, journals, and her own dreams. In the process the grip of grief begins to lessen, death braids its way into life, and life informs the losses with abiding connections. Gradually, she begins to find herself capable of imagining life without her sister and best friend. Toward the end of the book Hocker’s own near-death experience illuminates how familiarity with her individual mortality helps her live with joy, confidence, and openness.Trade Review“Yes, grief is personal, grief consumes, grief comes in uncontrollable waves, and grief fades, but everyone experiences grief at some point in their lives, and this book should be your guide. Hocker’s writing is inspiring, her reflections brave and wise.” —The Missoulian

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Book SynopsisLinda I. Meyers was twenty-eight and the mother of three little boys when her mother, after a lifetime of threats, killed herself. Staggered by conflicting feelings of relief and remorse, Linda believed that the best way to give meaning to her mother’s death was to make changes to her own life. Bolstered by the women’s movement of the seventies, she left her marriage, went to college, started a successful family acting business, and established a fulfilling career. Written with irony and humor and sprinkled with Yiddish, The Tell is one woman’s inspirational story of before and after, and ultimately of emancipation and purpose.Trade Review“In this vivid and immensely enjoyable memoir, we encounter the lost world of Jewish Brooklyn, crazy parents, a crazy husband, and a protagonist/narrator who can’t help being a good girl. Woody Allen and Ralph Lauren make appearances: somehow it all fits.” —Philip Lopate, essayist and film critic “The Tell is a compelling coming-of-age story told with grit, humor, and a fine sense of atmosphere. From growing up with a mobster father and an unstable mother to waiting in a Catskill bungalow colony for a phone call from the future Ralph Lauren (né Lifshitz), to becoming a psychoanalyst, Meyers covers a lot of ground in this vivid portrait of resilience.” —Mindy Greenstein, PhD, author of The House on Crash Corner and Lighter as We Go “With cutting humor and an ear for dialogue, Linda I. Meyers mines the crevices of family secrets to disclose some glittering gems as the narrator, a single mother of three, struggles to break free from a web of lies, guilt, and betrayal. A gripping read from a damn good writer.” —Mindy Lewis, author of Life Inside: A Memoir "With beautiful observations of human nature, The Tell serves as an appreciation of the complexity of family." —Foreword Reviews

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Book SynopsisLife—and death—may be hard; but joy is simple. Lannette Cornell Bloom, a typical, overworked nurse, wife, and mom of two, was forty-three when her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. She quit her job and dove headlong into the familiar role of caretaking. This choice—to slow down and be present for the hardest year of her life—resulted in an awakening. In unexpected moments, as childhood memories flooded into the present, Lannette glimpsed bits of magic that existed just beyond the pain. Without knowing it, she was experiencing a mindful dying process with her mother—and it was a journey that would change the way she lived the rest of her life. A touching and soulful memoir that gracefully uncovers the beauty that is often lost within the dying process, Memories in Dragonflies is a beautiful portrait of what it means to be human and a gentle reminder to enjoy every moment, because even the simplest ones bring lasting joy.Trade Review2020 Eric Hoffer Award 1st Runner Up in Self-Help 2020 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award Finalist 2019 Living Now Book Awards Gold Medal Winner in Caregiving 2019 Living Now Book Awards Silver Medal Winner in Grieving (Death/Dying) 2019 International Book Awards, Finalist, Spirituality: Inspirational “A lovely memory of life.” ―Nancy Fuller, Food Network Star and author of Farmhouse Rules “A relatable, tenderly observed account of the 'sacred joy' of tending to the dying.” ―Kirkus Reviews “Bloom has created an emotionally powerful story. The memories Bloom shares allow us to learn about the person her mother was and the person Bloom is; and we connect with both on a very human level. It should be required reading for nursing students.” ―Catherine M. Todero, PHD, RN, FAAN, Dean of Creighton University’s College of Nursing “In Memories in Dragonflies, Bloom takes us on a very personal and poignant journey. It is the author’s story of her mother and her experience helping her to die with dignity. Along the way her mother’s strength guides them both as they learn to comfort, love, and support each other every step along the way.” ―Iris Waichler, MSW, LCSW, author of Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents

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Book SynopsisLost Without the River is an elegantly wrought memoir of resilience, courage, and reinvention. A portrait of nature at its most beautiful and demanding, it is the story of a girl whose family struggled against Depression-era hardship and personal tragedy to carve out a small farm in rural South Dakota. The youngest of seven, Barbara wrestles against the expectations of her family, the strictures of the church, and the limits imposed by a male-dominated culture. Eager for adventure, she leaves the farm—first for the Peace Corps and ultimately for the unknown environs of Manhattan’s Upper East Side—but she never truly escapes. Lost Without the River demonstrates the emotional power that even the smallest place can exert, and the gravitational pull that calls a person back home.Trade Review2020 International Book Awards Finalist in Autobiography/Memoir 2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Grief/Grieving 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Autobiography/Memoir 2019 Readers' Favorite Awards Finalist in Nonfiction (Memoir) 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Memoir (Historical/Legacy Career) 2019 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Non-Fiction: Grief/Grieving “. . . this volume of reminiscences charts not just the stories of [Scoblic's] youth, but also the ways those things have shaped and weighed on her throughout her adulthood. The author’s prose is lyrical and highly observant . . .” —Kirkus Reviews “With its map of the family farm, its photograph of the Whetstone river, and its portrait gallery, Scoblic's memoir is both a microhistory of her tiny corner of South Dakota and an oral-history-toned chronicle of the Hoffbeck family from the 1920s onward . . . . Scoblic's picturesque language . . . keeps sentimentalism at bay . . .” —The New York Times “. . . Scoblic has captured something universal here . . . [she] mines the theme of the power of place, specifically the river that traced through their farm. None of the kids remained in South Dakota, and she rightly notes it takes ‘a great deal of emotional courage to return to that spot where we grew up,’ what with how the agricultural economy has foundered. Writing this memoir was no doubt an act of quiet courage, and Scoblic strikes that careful balance between objectivity and love that is essential to preserving such stories.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Her large farming family was always in flux, hardworking and bone weary, yet there is a quiet intimacy conveyed in the lean prose of Barbara Scoblic’s memoir, where simple gestures, like ironing blouses before a sister leaves for college, carry unspoken love and yearning.” —Elizabeth Garber, author of Implosion: A Memoir of an Architect's Daughter “There are some writers who can sing the song of even a small and remote place and through some magic transform it into a siren call. Barbara Scoblic is one of those writers!” —Lewis Frumkes, director of The Writing Center at Hunter College “Enter Barbara Scoblic's world, where opera reigns in the kitchen on Saturday afternoons, the winter is long, and loss is real. Her writing beautifully teases up the questions of life, love, and how much of a hold our past really has on us.” —Marion Roach Smith, author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life “Barbara Scoblic’s Lost Without the River is a virtual literary symphony fusing memoir, history, and geography. Her descriptions of South Dakota's farms, rivers, and glacial lakes are as vivid as her portraits of three generations of her family and their relationships. She may have achieved a modern classic.” —Sidney Offit, author of Memoir of the Bookie's Son

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1994, a freak lightning and thunder storm explodes on the southern coast of Maine, killing Nancy Bills’s husband and critically wounding her younger son. She promises her late husband that she will write their family’s story and bind it with a red ribbon of love and courage. In language alternately tender and gritty, The Red Ribbon documents the aftermath of Bills’s husband’s death. As a wife, she grieves and attempts to rebuild her life; as a mother, she strains to be the parent her young adult sons need. Then, one year later, she is faced with more loss—this time, the father whom she adores. After his death, other deaths, some anticipated and others unpredictable, follow. Meanwhile, the impending death of her aging mother is a particular challenge; Nancy struggles to be a good daughter, and on many visits to Montana, her home state, she tries to mend their painful history. Insightful, moving, and full of intelligence and humanity, The Red Ribbon is a story of surviving the many and often devastating lightning strikes of life, and a gift of compassion and wisdom for readers who are struggling with their own losses.Trade Review2019 Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Book Awards—Best Indie Biographies & Memoirs 2019 Foreword Indies Honorable Mention in Adult Non-Fiction: Grief/Grieving 2020 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award Finalist 2020 Eric Hoffer Award Honorable Mention in Memoir “Memoirs of loss and survival are rather common, but what sets this one apart is Bills’ extraordinary perceptiveness and writing talent. . . . A keeper of a book by a talented author.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “A must-read for anyone dealing with loss.” —Hollis Gillespie, best-selling author and award-winning syndicated humor columnist “I highly recommend this book; it is both heartbreaking and uplifting . . . a real tour de force!” —Christine Linnehan, MS, LCPC, FT, psychotherapist at Riverview Counseling and consultant for Center for Grieving Children “Achingly beautiful.” —Barbara Hesselman Kautz, MSN, RN, author of When I Die I’m Going to Heaven ‘Cause I Spent My Time in Hell: A Memoir of My Year as an Army Nurse in Vietnam “Nancy’s voice in The Red Ribbon is direct and beautifully sustained right through to the end, and her language, both fresh and arresting, documents the fragility such a blow inflicts; her work is infused with pain and grace moving into emotional country most fear to explore. She shares generously the truth of her experience, and the reader is stunned, brought to tears, and needs to be reminded to breathe. Her memoir is an amazing accomplishment offering help and hope to others suffering losses. Nancy’s memoir reveals a brave effort to stay focused and steady when facing an ultimate horror. The Red Ribbon is the product of a years-long struggle for meaning, the gradual construction of her myth, and a clear vision of an experience fully understood in the broader human context. It is a triple whammy.” —Walden S. Morton, editor of KALEIDOSCOPE and a finalist for the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance 2017 Maine Literary Award for Anthology

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Book SynopsisIn 1972, when she was a young, divorced, single mother, restless and idealistic, Elena Schwolsky made a decision that changed her life: leaving her eighteen-month-old son with his father, she joined hundreds of other young Americans on a work brigade in Cuba. They spent their days building cinderblock houses for workers and their nights partying and debating politics. The Cuban revolution was young, and so were they. At a moment of transition in Schwolsky’s life, Cuba represented hope and the power to change. Twenty years later, she is drawn back to this forbidden island, yearning to move out of grief following the death of her husband from AIDS and feeling burned out after spending ten years as a nurse on the frontlines of the epidemic. Back in Cuba, she experiences the chaotic bustle of a Havana most Americans never see—a city frozen in time yet constantly changing. She takes readers along with her through her humorous attempts to communicate in a new language and navigate this very different culture—through the leafy tranquility of the controversial AIDS Sanitorium and into the lives of the resilient, opinionated, and passionate Cubans who become her family and help her to heal.Trade Review2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Travel/Travel Guide 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Memoirs (Personal Issues/Health Struggles) 2020 Eric Hoffer Awards Montaigne Medal Finalist 2020 Eric Hoffer Award Honorable Mention in Memoir 2019 Foreword INDIES Finalist in Adult Nonfiction: Grief/Grieving

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Book SynopsisOn a glorious, if blisteringly hot, Saturday in August 2010, Margaret Thomson’s world is suddenly shattered by the incomprehensible news that her twenty-two-year-old son, a medic in the army, has taken his life. In a deep state of shock, Thomson and her husband immediately travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where their son Kieran was stationed, in an effort to assist their daughter-in-law. Upon their arrival, though, the couple find themselves plunged into a labyrinthine and, at times, seemingly bizarre world of military rules and regulations.Eventually, after the funeral and the memorial services are over, an even more challenging journey—emotionally as well as geographically—ensues, especially for Margaret, who, as a former journalist, is determined to find out more about the circumstances surrounding her son’s death, no matter how high the cost. As she enters her second year of grieving, Thomson receives an unexpected invitation from an unlikely source—the army, which she’s often blamed in many ways, whether fairly or not, for her son’s death. Seizing upon this opportunity, Thomson finds that her perspective is changed—literally—and that as a result the world does indeed look different now.Trade Review2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Gold Winner in Best New Voice: Nonfiction2021 International Book Awards Winner in Health: Death & Dying2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Best New Non-Fiction2021 CIBA Military & Front Lines Book Awards Winner2020 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Awards Finalist“An unflinchingly honest portrait of grief and survival that many fellow travelers will find comforting.”—Kirkus Reviews“A beautifully written and harrowing tale of a mother coming to terms with her son's devastating suicide. The World Looks Different Now offers comfort and companionship to other parents grieving this unbearable loss.” —Sarah Neustadter, PhD, author of Love You Like the Sky“Margaret Thomson has achieved the near-impossible by looking grief right in the eye and finding a story that illuminates us on the toughest topic there is. With grace, a light touch, and a great deal of truth, she moves us past the plot of her tale of loss and into a place of knowing.” —Marion Roach Smith, author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life “Margaret Thomson’s raw and intimate and eventually heartwarming story shows she has learned to survive. . . . I recommend The World Looks Different Now to other suicide survivors and parents who have lost their children by any means.”—Madeline Sharples, author of Leaving the Hall Light On“This is a powerful book—Thomson’s emotions crackle off the page. Survivors of suicide loss will find communion in her grief, and solace in her healing.”—Kelley Clink, author of A Different Kind of Same“In this timeless memoir of tragic loss and exploration, author Margaret Thomson pulls back the curtain on life-altering experiences with courage and determination so that what wasn’t seen . . . can be seen. Absolutely find a way to weave this riveting story into your life and heart.”—D.A. (Daisy) Hickman, author of The Silence of Morning: A Memoir of Time Undone

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Book SynopsisA decade after twelve-year-old Jessica loses her mother, Dianne, to cancer complications, she finds herself curious about Dianne’s mysterious youth. Armed with a journalism degree, Jessica sets out on a quest to find two of Dianne’s former lovers, an old ballroom dance partner and a Vietnam war hero, along with anyone else who can tell her about Dianne. The Butterfly Groove features Jessica’s journalistic approach complemented by reimagined portions of Dianne’s life. Part mystery, part coming-of-age story across decades, this memoir is a heartwarming exploration of how our pasts tell our truths, and how love survives us all.Trade Review“An intimate portrait of the abiding love between a mother and daughter.” —Simon Van Booy, bestselling author of The Illusion of Separateness “A powerful debut memoir weaving the lives of a mother and daughter. The Butterfly Groove offers a web of insights into unraveling the mysteries of being a motherless daughter. This book is a reminder that loved ones become even more alive after they are gone. Barraco remains nurtured by her mother’s wisdom, including the importance of commanding self-respect and smothering people with kindness. This book is a gem to be read in one sitting.” —Diana Raab, Ph.D., author of Lust and Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal “There are few relationships more enigmatic than that of mothers and daughters. In The Butterfly Groove, Jessica Barraco beautifully melds her investigative instincts with a storyteller’s flair to intimately reveal the links that exist between our past and our present selves. To read this book is to know the author’s heart—and to come one step closer to knowing our own ...” —John Valeri, Hartford Books Examiner “A beautiful blend of heart and journalism, The Butterfly Groove is an ethereal portrait of innocence, loss, and a young woman's unwavering curiosity surrounding her mother's past. Barraco's writing is witty and profound, and she has an undeniable skill for breathing new life into the most intimate of memories.” —Charlee Fam, author of Last Train to Babylon “With compassion and insight, Jessica Barraco relates her quest to discover all she can about her mother, who died young. Heartfelt, humorous, and perceptive.” —Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train

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Book SynopsisDizzy with grief after a shattering breakup, Kristen did what any sensible thirty-nine-year-old woman would do: she fled, abandoning her well-ordered life in metropolitan Boston and impulsively relocating to a college town in North Carolina to start anew with a freshly divorced southerner. Dismissing the neon signs that flashed Rebound Relationship, Kristen was charmed by the host of contrasts with her new beau. He loved hunting and country music, she loved yoga and NPR; he worried about nothing, she worried about everything. The luster of her new romance and small-town lifestyle soon—and predictably—faded, but by then a pregnancy test stick had lit up. As Kristen’s belly grew, so did her concern about the bond with her partner—and so did a fierce love for her unborn child. Ready or not, she was about to become a mother. And then, tragedy struck. Poignant and insightful, From the Lake House explores the echoes of rash decisions and ill-fated relationships, the barren and disorienting days an aching mother faces without her baby, and the mysterious healing that can take root while rebuilding a life gutted from loss.Trade Review“Over the course of this book, in well-structured, descriptive prose, Rademacher effectively leads readers through a gradually withering romantic relationship that culminates in a tragedy. . . . Some of the most painful sections of the book are her loving letters to the little girl whom she held for but an hour, and whom she named Carly. It soon becomes clear that these missives helped to lead her back from a precipice of despair, so that she could finally face her future. A poignant and painful remembrance with comforting messages for the grieving.”—Kirkus Reviews“From the Lake House is phenomenal in its realness and the calmness with which it is told. . . . This powerful and realistic memoir is a testament to how resilient a woman can be when she wants to survive and mend her heart.”—Readers’ Favorite 5-star review“A riveting, emotional, and candidly engaging read from first page to last, From the Lake House is an extraordinary story by an extraordinary woman.”—Midwest Book Review“Kristen Rademacher’s achingly honest memoir about her losses of place, partner, and much-anticipated baby daughter Carly resonates with courage and an abiding gratitude for the preciousness of life. A truly tender reflection about loss that illuminates the devastating experience of baby loss.”—Janel Atlas, writer and editor of They Were Still Born: Personal Stories about Stillbirth“From the Lake House is an intimate, inspiring story of surviving in a world where blessings and tragedy walk hand in hand. Written with tender honesty and luscious language, it is a joy to read, even amidst the pangs of heartache and loss. As a bereaved mother, I found myself nodding in agreement with so many of Rademacher’s experiences of life after the death of a child . . . This book is for memoir-lovers and anyone who finds themselves in a turbulent relationship or who has said goodbye to a dearly loved child . . . Rademacher champions solitude for its healing capacities and the wholeness birthed from dogged, hard-earned resiliency. Perceptive and endearing, it is a moving saga of motherhood.”—Alexis Marie Chute, award-winning author of Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing, and Pregnancy After Loss“In this beautifully written and poignant memoir, we learn that though people and dreams die, relationships don't. If we're attuned, the dead can transform our lives, offering enduring love and guidance—and hope.”—Carol Henderson, author of Losing Malcolm: A Mother's Journey Through Loss and Farther Along: The Writing Journey of Thirteen Bereaved Mothers“Any loss of a loved one is hard, but losing a pregnancy must be unimaginable and Kristen brought the sheer scope of the loss, feelings and the difficulties that she went through afterward into beautiful focus. I highly recommend this book if you like a good, touching memoir and are ready for a little bit of a cry.”—Toot’s Book Reviews“A deeply moving and absolutely heartbreaking tale of one woman’s struggle to cope with loss and change in her life and to keep moving forward. . . . This book almost felt like an exorcism for the author, in a really healthy way. Kristen’s writing was very beautiful and I felt for her on such a deep level while reading. . . . This is one to read if you love stories about overcoming life’s toughest circumstances and the enduring love of a mother.”—Bound4Escape book review

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Book SynopsisWhen Colleen Haggerty lost her leg in an accident during her senior year of high school, she could have retreated from life and let her disability become her defining quality—and no one would have blamed her for it. Instead, she went the opposite way. In the years following her accident, Haggerty explored her physical world with vigor, testing the limits of her body by joining a ski team, playing with a co-ed soccer team, and taking up kayaking and backpacking. She also tested the limits of her heart, pursuing love and passion with restless men. In A Leg to Stand On, Haggerty recounts her life as a disabled woman, from redefining herself as a young woman after tragedy—fierce and able, but haunted by hard choices and suppressed grief—to choosing marriage and motherhood. That choice comes at great cost to the physical freedom Haggerty has fought for, but ultimately she redemption, fulfillment, and self-acceptance in the bargain. No one will read this book without being inspired to accept their past and create the future they always wanted.Trade Review“A profoundly honest, soul-searching book about growth in the shadow of adversity, faith in the shadow of fear. Those who categorize Haggerty’s memoir as ‘overcoming disability’ have missed the point. This book is about the human spirit, about how we can dig into our reserves and not only accept what life hands us, but thrive because of it.” —Victoria Zackheim, novelist, playwright, anthologist “A heart-wrenching and inspiring contribution to the literature of loss and disability, A Leg to Stand On offers the visceral detail, black humor, and grit of a fine novel combined with all the vulnerability of the deepest, most honest memoirs. Colleen Haggerty captures the tender and defiant voice of the 17-year-old she was when she lost her leg in a terrifying auto accident. But the author manages to imbue that voice with the ferocity required of her as she found a way to accept and surmount her disability. Anyone who has ever confronted limitation will be inspired by Haggerty’s story.” —Amy Friedman, author of Desperado's Wife: A Memoir “In the midst of adolescence, when we are all trying to figure out who we are, Colleen Haggerty literally loses a part of herself when her leg is severed in a brutal accident. In the years following, her wounded body makes it impossible to ignore a deeper wound in her spirit. Without self-pity, she confronts her own misgivings and regrets as she moves through a difficult lesson in forgiveness, both of self and others. I was engaged and cheering for her every step of the way on this courageous journey toward wholeness.” —Hollye Dexter, author of Fire Season “A Leg to Stand On is a true shero's tale, not because its author was disabled and bravely carried on, but because she did something even more brave: she opened herself to the transformational power of loss. And in the way of the shero, she has brought back the details of her journey that we may share in the wisdom, growth, and grace that was hidden along the way. Yes, we see clearly here what it is to live without a leg, but more we see what it is to walk with our own becoming. That makes this book more than touching, informative, or inspiring... It makes it alchemical.” —Lyena Strelkoff,storyteller, performer, speaker, and coach “At seventeen, Colleen Haggerty faces the loss of her leg to a tragic and life-altering accident. The path to peace after that moment of trauma is not linear, not easy. When, after many years of trails, she finally finds her own brand of normal, Colleen becomes the mother she’s always wanted to be . . . and becomes an instrument of healing to the other person whose life was indelibly changed that fateful day in 1978 . . . A Leg to Stand On tells of a beautiful and heartbreaking journey of loss, love, long-awaited motherhood, and self-determined healing. I am inspired and heartened.” —Cami Ostman, author of Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents “Colleen Haggerty tells her poignant story with clarity, bravery and a healthy respect for the depth and texture of life's choices. A Leg to Stand On follows a young woman's journey through crashing loss--her leg at seventeen, two abortions and two difficult pregnancies, a long crisis of faith, to arrive at the place where she can share the truth in this courageous memoir.” —Laura Kalpakian, author

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