Coping with / advice about death and bereavement Books

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Book SynopsisHope Is a Bright Star is the story of a mother’s journey from shock and fear at her young daughter’s cancer diagnosis to anguish and despair at her death just a year later—and, finally, to peace and acceptance of her new life.When thirteen-year-old Elizabeth is diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, Faith is in awe of her courageous child, who faces her plight straight on and inspires all who meet her. Despite an army of medical professionals who provide innovative care for Elizabeth, she dies, and Faith and her surviving daughter, Olivia, are thrown into a maelstrom of grief. They find unexpected comfort in the arms of their family, friends, and community—but Faith faces another shock when she has her own cancer diagnosis while navigating the uncharted waters of a life she never expected. In time, Faith discovers moments and places of comfort and peace, and she slowly changes from a mother in despair to a woman with hope for the future. At turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, Hope Is a Bright Star reveals how abiding love can heal a family.Trade Review2022 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Grief2021 CIBA Journey Book Awards Finalist2021 Nonfiction Authors Association Book Awards Gold Winner2021 Living Now Book Awards Gold Winner in Digital Media2021 Firebird Book Awards Winner in Cancer2021 Firebird Book Awards Winner in Memoir2021 Firebird Book Awards Winner in Parenting & Family“A strong, poignant addition to the genre; best for fellow travelers.”—Kirkus Reviews“Faith encapsulates the strength of humanity, the real essence of a life well-lived, and the power of the human mind to overcome adversity and rise stronger, enlightened, and aware of your real purpose on earth. Elizabeth and Faith’s story is going to help others find the strength to find light when everything seems engulfed in darkness. This is a highly recommended read.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review“From the very beginning of the book, the reader is swept up into all the emotions that author Faith Wilcox pours onto each page. The depth of grief and heartbreaking loss is present throughout, but it is tempered by the strength of love and its enduring and amazing ability to heal even the deepest, most unfathomable pain—the loss of a child. Readers who have suffered such a loss will find the author's emotional struggles familiar and raw, but the message of hope and survival in the face of such tragedy may help guide them through their own journey from darkness into light.”—Nonfiction Authors Association Book Awards“Beautifully written, insightful, and unsentimental, Hope Is a Bright Star reminds us that love, loss, and life's unexpected turns reveal an intelligence blessing all of us and this world.”—Maria Housden, author of Hannah’s Gift and Unraveled“Hope Is A Bright Star, a memoir by Faith Fuller Wilcox, is a raw, honest and beautiful reflection on loss, love, and healing. In 2000, Faith's thirteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a malignant tumor of the bone that would ultimately end her life. Wilcox invites us into her journey, allowing us to feel with her and to glimpse the profound impact that such a diagnosis and loss can have on a mother and on a family. As readers, we witness a young girl’s courage in the face of a life-threatening illness, a mother’s grief, and, finally, a family’s resilience as they piece their lives back together and move forward, finding meaning where they can, holding on to hope despite devastating loss. Reading this intimate account was a privilege and an inspiration; it shows us all that it is possible to survive and even eventually thrive when faced with life's greatest challenges.”—Annie Brewster, Internist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, Founder of Health Story Collaborative“A tender and honest recounting of one bereaved mother’s halting steps through the dark of grief back toward the light of human connection. Hope Is A Bright Star offers us compelling evidence of the redemptive power of love to restore meaning to a world ruptured by loss and a compass for those on the journey through the reaches of grief, pointing us back home.”—Pat O'Malley, MD, Medical Director Pediatric Palliative Care, MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC)“This memoir takes us from the devastation of a grieving mother’s loss, through the painful and light-filled paths that lead to her healing. The clarity and simplicity of her prose immersed me in a story that will resonate with anyone who has suffered loss, a story that moves through death to embrace life.”—The Reverend Cathy H. George, Associate Dean, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale

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Book SynopsisOur Divide: Two Sides of Locked in Syndrome is the story of the other side—the side of the young, pregnant wife of a man who, at age twenty-seven, is struck down by an obstruction in the brain stem, leaving him with a rare neurological disorder called locked-in syndrome. Like Jean-Dominique Bauby of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Cleve is rendered mute and paralyzed by the syndrome—but unlike Bauby, he is unable to move at all, unable to sit up in a wheelchair or communicate by blinking an eye.Our Divide is a beautifully written, honest account of the experience of watching a loved one suffer. Harrison delivers both a peek into the world of a unique other and an intimate view of one young woman’s grieving process. A heartbreaking story that’s at once a grief, a coming-of-age, and a survival narrative, this genuine, honest portrayal of one woman’s mistakes and courage while learning how to take responsibility and create a life for herself will sweep readers away.Trade Review“Our Divide is a spellbinding story of the tragic, harrowing start to young woman’s adulthood, told with exquisite detail and an honesty that had me by the throat. From the first page, Harrison pulled me into mosquito-ravaged summers and icy winters of Northern Minnesota, as she struggled to find her way through unspeakable trauma and unbearable loneliness.” —Marj Charlier, author of The Rebel Nun “In Our Divide one gets the feeling that author LaDonna Harrison has literally exhumed her past, bringing to the reader the heart, soul, and blood of a young woman weaving through her chaotic life. Harrison’s earnestness and openness threads her story with a passion, confusion, and desperate need to not just survive but ultimately and remarkably to turn her life around with success.” —Ken Luber, author of The Sun Jumpers and Match to the Heart “Our Divide is a deeply personal memoir about LaDonna's life as a young woman, who is thrust into adulthood by an unhealthy attraction to a violent man. She writes candidly about their brief but passionate romance, her pregnancy, his devastating illness, and her search for self and purpose. I felt a personal connection to this story, the attraction to a powerful man and the conflicting emotions, as well as the feelings of waiting and hoping for a loved one to recover from a devastating illness. LaDonna’s skills as a writer give you the feeling that you’re walking that journey with her.” —Mary Aalgaard, Play off the Page blog “LaDonna Harrison bares heart and soul in this beautifully written and compassionate memoir that digs deep. A story of love and survival through unimaginable hardship.” —Cyrus Nowrasteh, director of The Stoning of Soraya M. and The Young Messiah

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Book SynopsisWhat do we do when life ends? How do we honor the past while moving into an unimaginable, uncertain future? This tender, bracingly honest memoir explores how Jenny, a young widow, navigates the sudden loss of Tris, her beloved spouse of eighteen years.With Tris gone, Jenny suddenly finds herself a single mom to a teen daughter and adult stepson. The newly splintered family finds ways to celebrate “milestone firsts” —including birthdays and other holidays that, without Tris, now feel hollow and bittersweet. Jenny finds herself drawn to new people, including other widows and psychic mediums, and becoming open to different kinds of connections based on sharing and spirituality. She also embarks on a halting quest for new romantic love. Initially, as she endures awkward first dates and unpleasant interactions with self-proclaimed “nice guys,” she resists her new reality —but over time, she finds someone unexpectedly comforting, blending the pain of loss with the pleasure of closeness. For readers who have also lost a loved one, The Good Widow offers both a comforting guide to grief and a form of companionship; for everyone, it’s a beautiful example of how even after death, love endures.

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Book SynopsisAfter losing her husband, George—her one and only since high school prom—to cancer, fifty-year-old Debbie Weiss found herself opening a new chapter of life that she didn’t know how to start.Initially, she binge-watched Netflix and drank Manhattans. Then she became a dating monster—starting with J-Date and then moving on to multiple other sites. Soon, Debbie was averaging two dates a day; in the blink of an eye, she’d gone from respectable widow to the girl you’d do in your Trans Am but wouldn’t take to the prom. At one point, she was actually dating four guys at once, including a politician who refused to let Debbie meet his family because they’d met online. But as she juggled these many men, she began to feel that midlife dating was less an earnest romantic endeavor and more a battle of the sexes . . . and the line in the sand was how much women were willing to tolerate.Fed up, Debbie went offline. Only then, without the distraction of dating to keep her busy, did she finally, truly grieve her loss—and as she did, she also realized that she needed to forgive herself, both for George’s death and for losing her identity in their marriage. Equal parts poignant and punchy, Available As Is is a darkly humorous account of seeking love—but finding yourself.Trade Review“This is a deeply personal story but one that Weiss shares with a beguiling openness and wit. A sharply written, heartfelt dating account that proves both enriching and amusing.”—Kirkus Reviews“Overall, Available As Is sets out a stunning and bittersweet journey of self-discovery that is elevated above your average memoir by a rare breed of emotional honesty and the magic of a gifted wordsmith laying out the lessons learned along the way.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review“A sudden widow at fifty, Debbie Weiss captures the absurdity of modern dating as a grown up. With unexpected humor and much-welcome hope, Available As Is is a deeply moving story of trying to build a new life after loss.”—Allison Gilbert, author of Listen, World! and Passed and Present“With unflinching honesty, Weiss lays out her road from loving marriage, to grieving widow, to dating again. Eye-opening to some and painfully relatable to others, Available As Is is brave, authentic, and exceedingly validating for others working to find love in these disconnected times.” —Ann Garvin, USA Today best-selling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work“Scorchingly honest, romantic, funny, desperate, and heartbreaking, Debbie Weiss’s memoir Available As is may be the widow’s story of the millennium. Read it and weep. Read it and rejoice.”—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean“A brave, honest look into the trials and tribulations of dating as a middle-aged widowed person. Weiss’s debut memoir is at once poignant and entertaining, and ultimately helps us to realize that the most important relationship we'll ever have is the one we have with ourselves.”—Jenny Lisk, author of Future Widow and host of The Widowed Parent Podcast

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Book SynopsisYou are riding an emotional rollercoaster that literally takes your breath away. One minute you are feeling “okay” but then a wave of grief hits without warning and you are ready to drop to your knees. You are trying your best to manage day-to-day, but many days it is a chore to just keep going. Imagine stepping off this rollercoaster onto stable ground. In How Do I Survive? 7 Steps for Living After Child Loss, Patricia Sheveland shares how to create balance and healing in your grief. You will learn: what an effective support system looks like and how critical it is to choose the right people to be your “tribe”; simple activities to regain your physical energy, bringing peace and calm when you are feeling emotionally out of control; how abandonment, guilt, and anger can create imbalance in your emotional & physical wellbeing, and what steps you can take to release any lingering negative emotions; and the importance of ceremony and regularly honoring your child.

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