Download or read book How I Lost My Mother written by Leslie Swartz and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2021-03-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How I Lost My Mother is a deeply felt account of the relationship between a mother and son, and an exploration of what care for the dying means in contemporary society The book is emotionally complex – funny, sad and angry – but above all, heartfelt and honest. It speaks boldly of challenges faced by all of us, challenges which are often not spoken about and hidden, but which deserve urgent attention. This is first and foremost a work of the heart, a reflection on what relationships mean and should mean. There is much in the book about relationships of care and exploitation in southern Africa, and about white Jewish identity in an African context. But despite the specific and absorbing references to places and contexts, the book offers a broader, more universal view. All parents of adult children, and all adults who have parents alive, or have lost their parents, will find much in this book to make them laugh, cry, think and feel.
Download or read book Grieving the Death of a Mother written by Harold Ivan Smith and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2024-07-16 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by a grief counselor and educator, this book is for those who have loved and lost their mother. Losing a mother is a difficult transition in life. No matter the status of the relationship, grieving the loss is a process--one that sometimes begins before the physical loss has occurred. Drawing on his own experience of loss, as well as on the experiences of others, Harold Ivan Smith guides readers through their grief, from the process of dying through the acts of remembering and honoring a mother after her death. This book provides a way forward. By shifting the grief process from something to rush through, Smith encourages readers to embrace their grief as a natural response to loss and to give themselves time to work through the sadness, pain, memories, and reality of living without their mom. All of us will experience the loss of our mother at some point. A mother's last breath inevitably changes us. Through wise counsel, Smith speaks gently to people who have gone through this loss and helps those yet to face it. This edition includes a new foreword from the author.
Download or read book The Long Goodbye written by Meghan O'Rourke and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-04-14 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Anguished, beautifully written... The Long Goodbye is an elegiac depiction of drama as old as life." -- The New York Times Book Review From one of America's foremost young literary voices, a transcendent portrait of the unbearable anguish of grief and the enduring power of familial love. What does it mean to mourn today, in a culture that has largely set aside rituals that acknowledge grief? After her mother died of cancer at the age of fifty-five, Meghan O'Rourke found that nothing had prepared her for the intensity of her sorrow. In the first anguished days, she began to create a record of her interior life as a mourner, trying to capture the paradox of grief-its monumental agony and microscopic intimacies-an endeavor that ultimately bloomed into a profound look at how caring for her mother during her illness changed and strengthened their bond. O'Rourke's story is one of a life gone off the rails, of how watching her mother's illness-and separating from her husband-left her fundamentally altered. But it is also one of resilience, as she observes her family persevere even in the face of immeasurable loss. With lyricism and unswerving candor, The Long Goodbye conveys the fleeting moments of joy that make up a life, and the way memory can lead us out of the jagged darkness of loss. Effortlessly blending research and reflection, the personal and the universal, it is not only an exceptional memoir, but a necessary one.
Download or read book Hill Women written by Cassie Chambers and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After rising from poverty to earn two Ivy League degrees, an Appalachian lawyer pays tribute to the strong “hill women” who raised and inspired her, and whose values have the potential to rejuvenate a struggling region. “Destined to be compared to Hillbilly Elegy and Educated.”—BookPage (starred review) “A gritty, warm love letter to Appalachian communities and the resourceful women who lead them.”—Slate Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County, Kentucky, is one of the poorest places in the country. Buildings are crumbling as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women find creative ways to subsist in the hills. Through the women who raised her, Cassie Chambers traces her path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Chambers’s Granny was a child bride who rose before dawn every morning to raise seven children. Granny’s daughter, Ruth—the hardest-working tobacco farmer in the county—stayed on the family farm, while Wilma—the sixth child—became the first in the family to graduate from high school. Married at nineteen and pregnant with Cassie a few months later, Wilma beat the odds to finish college. She raised her daughter to think she could move mountains, like the ones that kept her safe but also isolated from the larger world. Cassie would spend much of her childhood with Granny and Ruth in the hills of Owsley County. With her “hill women” values guiding her, she went on to graduate from Harvard Law. But while the Ivy League gave her opportunities, its privileged world felt far from her reality, and she moved home to help rural Kentucky women by providing free legal services. Appalachian women face issues from domestic violence to the opioid crisis, but they are also keeping their towns together in the face of a system that continually fails them. With nuance and heart, Chambers breaks down the myth of the hillbilly and illuminates a region whose poor communities, especially women, can lead it into the future.
Download or read book Grief Works written by Julia Samuel and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-01-16 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An honest, practical, as well as emotional guide to working through the processing of mourning” (Vogue.com), Grief Works is a lifeline for all of us dealing with loss and a handbook to help others—from the “expected” death of a parent to the sudden and unexpected death of a child or spouse. Death affects us all. Yet it is still the last taboo in our society, and grief is still profoundly misunderstood. Julia Samuel, a grief psychotherapist, has spent twenty-five years working with the bereaved and understanding the full repercussions of loss. In Grief Works, Samuel shares case studies from those who have experienced great love and great loss—and survived. People need to understand that grief is a process that has to be worked through, and Samuel shows if we do the work, we can begin to heal. “As a guide for the newly grieving, Grief Works succeeds on many levels, and the author’s compassionate storytelling skills provide even broader appeal…and consistently hit an authentically inspiring note” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). “Illuminating” (The New York Times), intimate, warm, and helpful, Samuel is a caring and deeply experienced guide through the shadowy and mutable land of grief, and her book is as invaluable to those who are grieving as it is to those around them. She adroitly unpacks the psychological tangles of grief in a voice that is compassionate, grounded, real, and observant of those in mourning. Divided into case histories grouped by who has died—a partner, a parent, a sibling, a child, as well section dealing with terminal illness and suicide—Grief Works shows us how to live and learn from great loss. This important book is “essential for anyone who has ever experienced grief or wanted to comfort a bereaved friend” (Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones’s Diary).
Download or read book Motherless Daughters written by Hope Edelman and published by Da Capo Lifelong Books. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic New York Times bestseller that has helped millions of women cope with and heal from the grief of losing their mothers Although a mother's mortality is inevitable no book has discussed the profound lasting and far reaching effects of this loss until Motherless Daughters, which became an instant classic. More than twenty years later, it is still the go-to book that women of all ages look to for comfort, help, and understanding when their mother dies. Building on interviews with hundreds of mother loss survivors, Edelman's personal story of losing her mother, and recent research in grief and psychology, Motherless Daughters reveals the shared experiences and core identity issues of motherless women: Why the absence of a nurturing hand shapes a woman's identity throughout her lifespan How present day relationships are defined by past losses How a woman can resolve past conflicts and move toward acceptance and healing Why grief really is not a linear passage but an ongoing cyclical journey How the legacy of mother loss shifts with the passage of time
Download or read book Crossing the River written by Carol Smith and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful exploration of grief and resilience following the death of the author's son that combines memoir, reportage, and lessons in how to heal Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Helen Macdonald found solace in training a wild goshawk. Cheryl Strayed found strength in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. For Carol Smith, a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist struggling with the sudden death of her seven-year-old son, Christopher, the way to cross the river of sorrow was through work. In Crossing the River, Smith recounts how she faced down her crippling loss through reporting a series of profiles of people coping with their own intense challenges, whether a life-altering accident, injury, or diagnosis. These were stories of survival and transformation, of people facing devastating situations that changed them in unexpected ways. Smith deftly mixes the stories of these individuals and their families with her own account of how they helped her heal. General John Shalikashvili, once the most powerful member of the American military, taught Carol how to face fear with discipline and endurance. Seth, a young boy with a rare and incurable illness, shed light on the totality of her son's experiences, and in turn helps readers see that the value of a life is not measured in days. Crossing the River is a beautiful and profoundly moving book, an unforgettable journey through grief toward hope, and a valuable, illuminating read for anyone coping with loss.
Download or read book Healing After the Loss of Your Mother written by Elaine Mallon and published by . This book was released on 2018-12-19 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elaine Mallon is not an expert on grief. She's someone who lost her mother suddenly and unexpectedly. She knows the magnitude of this heartbreak firsthand. Devastated and unprepared for how life-changing and painful processing the loss would be, she found herself wondering: "Where's the manual?" and "How do I do this?"Like a compassionate friend, Mallon captures the raw, universal pain of losing your mother with empathy, honesty and eloquence. She tenderly walks the reader through each step of the grieving process, offering straightforward answers to many common questions and addressing fears faced by those grieving, as well. This is a must-read, essential guidebook for anyone uncertain about what to do or where to turn after their mother's loss.For those hoping to help a loved one through grief, this book also offers direction on how to comfort someone who is grieving by explaining what they are going through and how to be most helpful to them.If you've lost your mother, please know this: If you're grieving, you're healing - and you are not alone.
Download or read book Modern Loss written by Rebecca Soffer and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-01-23 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspired by the website that the New York Times hailed as "redefining mourning," this book is a fresh and irreverent examination into navigating grief and resilience in the age of social media, offering comfort and community for coping with the mess of loss through candid original essays from a variety of voices, accompanied by gorgeous two-color illustrations and wry infographics. At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it’s clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let’s face it: most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We’re awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit. Enter Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner, who can help us do better. Each having lost parents as young adults, they co-founded Modern Loss, responding to a need to change the dialogue around the messy experience of grief. Now, in this wise and often funny book, they offer the insights of the Modern Loss community to help us cry, laugh, grieve, identify, and—above all—empathize. Soffer and Birkner, along with forty guest contributors including Lucy Kalanithi, singer Amanda Palmer, and CNN’s Brian Stelter, reveal their own stories on a wide range of topics including triggers, sex, secrets, and inheritance. Accompanied by beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and witty "how to" cartoons, each contribution provides a unique perspective on loss as well as a remarkable life-affirming message. Brutally honest and inspiring, Modern Loss invites us to talk intimately and humorously about grief, helping us confront the humanity (and mortality) we all share. Beginners welcome.
Download or read book The AfterGrief written by Hope Edelman and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2020 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A validating new approach to the long-term grieving process that explains why we feel "stuck," why that's normal, and how shifting our perception of grief can help us grow--from the New York Times bestselling author of Motherless Daughters "This is perhaps one of the most important books about grief ever written. It finally dispels the myth that we are all supposed to get over the death of a loved one."--Claire Bidwell Smith, author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief Aren't you over it yet? Anyone who has experienced a major loss in their past knows this question. We've spent years fielding versions of it, both explicit and implied, from family, colleagues, acquaintances, and friends. We recognize the subtle cues--the slight eyebrow lift, the soft, startled "Oh! That long ago?"--from those who wonder how an event so far in the past can still occupy so much precious mental and emotional real estate. Because of the common but false assumption that grief should be time-limited, too many of us believe we're grieving "wrong" when sadness suddenly resurges sometimes months or even years after a loss. The AfterGrief explains that the death of a loved one isn't something most of us get over, get past, put down, or move beyond. Grief is not an emotion to pass through on the way to "feeling better." Instead, grief is in constant motion; it is tidal, easily and often reactivated by memories and sensory events, and is re-triggered as we experience life transitions, anniversaries, and other losses. Whether we want it to or not, grief gets folded into our developing identities, where it informs our thoughts, hopes, expectations, behaviors, and fears, and we inevitably carry it forward into everything that follows. Drawing on her own encounters with the ripple effects of early loss, as well as on interviews with dozens of researchers, therapists, and regular people who've been bereaved, New York Times bestselling author Hope Edelman offers profound advice for reassessing loss and adjusting the stories we tell ourselves about its impact on our identities. With guidance for reframing a story of loss, finding equilibrium within it, and even experiencing renewed growth and purpose in its wake, she demonstrates that though grief is a lifelong process, it doesn't have to be a lifelong struggle.
Download or read book You Are the Mother of All Mothers written by Angela Miller and published by Conran Octopus. This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every loss mama deserves to be reminded she is the mother of all mothers.
Download or read book The Dead Moms Club written by Kate Spencer and published by Seal Press. This book was released on 2017-11-21 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kate Spencer lost her mom to cancer when she was 27. In The Dead Moms Club, she walks readers through her experience of stumbling through grief and loss, and helps them to get through it, too. This isn't a weepy, sentimental story, but rather a frank, up-front look at what it means to go through gruesome grief and come out on the other side. An empathetic read, The Dead Moms Club covers how losing her mother changed nearly everything in her life: both men and women readers who have lost parents or experienced grief of this magnitude will be comforted and consoled. Spencer even concludes each chapter with a cheeky but useful tip for readers (like the "It's None of Your Business Card" to copy and hand out to nosy strangers asking about your passed loved one).
Download or read book From A Grieving Mother s Heart written by Terri Ann Leidich and published by BQB Publishing. This book was released on 2010-09-08 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Terri Ann Leidich's twenty-year-old son was suddenly killed in a vehicle accident, she was thrown into the roller coaster agony of grief. Adapted from the journal she kept through the experience of her horrendous loss, this book is a roadmap for parents who have lost children, as well as for those who are on the sidelines, watching the agony of someone they care about and not knowing what to do or how to help. Terri Ann's ability to put emotions and experiences into words that everyone can understand and relate to can shine as a beacon of hope and understanding during a time of excruciating pain.
Download or read book A Mother Loss Workbook written by Diane Hambrook and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 1997-10-07 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To tell you how to use this workbook would be like giving you instructions on how to grieve. Impossible. The only thing we know for sure is that no two people will approach this work in the same way. If there's one thing you should remember as you begin this process, it is this: You are not alone. With that knowledge, you've already begun to heal. --from A Mother Loss Workbook Inspired by Hope Edelman's bestselling Motherless Daughters, authors Diane Hambrook and Gail Eisenberg have created a sensitive,m accessible workbook for women suffering the wounds of early mother loss. A Mother Loss Workbook is designed to help the ,motherless daughter tell the story she needs to tell--her story. Its varied exercises, open-ended questions, writing topics, and activities, drawn from Hambrook's years of work with motherless daughters, provide both careful direction and generous room for self-expression. This book is a safe place where no one will judge a woman, where the work she must do can be done in her own time, at her own pace, and at any stage of mourning. A Mother Loss Workbook is an ideal supplement for personal therapy and support groups, but it is an important--and perhaps the only--tool for women just starting their journey or who are hesitant to go public with their feelings. Whether a woman uses it privately or shares it with a group, no matter how long its been since her mother died, A Mother Loss Workbook will guide her toward fully understanding her loss and taking charge of her future.
Download or read book It s Grief written by Edy Nathan and published by . This book was released on 2018-06-14 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's Grief examines the emotional and devastating impact of loss and trauma. An eclectic approach, Edy combines cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, Jungian theory, and tools that lead to a journey of self-discovery including how to integrate grief into life. The book offers a step-by-step guide and a theoretical discussion of grief.
Download or read book Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died written by Ty Alexander and published by Mango Media Inc.. This book was released on 2017-08-27 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coping With Loss The grieving process: Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey is one of the top bloggers today. She has a tremendous personal connection with her readers. This is never more apparent than when she speaks about her mother. The pain of loss is universal. Yet, we all grieve differently. For Alexander, the grieving process is one that she lives with day-to-day. Learning from her pain, Alexander connects with her readers on a deeply emotional level in her debut book, Things I Wish I Knew before My Mom Died: Coping with Loss Every Day. From grief counseling to sharing insightful true stories, Alexander offers comfort, reassurance, and hope in the face of sorrow. Coping with loss: In her early 20’s reality smacked Ty in the face. She was ill equipped to deal with the emotional and intellectual rollercoaster of dealing with her mom’s illness. Through her own trial and error, she found a way to be a caregiver, patient advocate, researcher, and a grieving daughter. She wrote Things I Wish I Knew before My Mom Died: Coping with Loss Every Day to help others find the “best” way to cope and move on, however one personally decides what that means. Mourning and remembrance: In the chapters of this soul-touching book, mourners will find meaning and wisdom in grieving and the love that will always remain. Each chapter is a study and lesson in coping with loss: • Chapter 1: We’ve been duped, everyone dies! • Chapter 2: The truth about my moderately dysfunctional family • Chapter 3: The Art Of Losing • Chapter 4: The how of grieving • Chapter 5: How to be obsessively grateful • Chapter 6: Dear Mama
Download or read book The Year My Mother Died written by Sherry Scott and published by Author House. This book was released on 2011-05-31 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE YEAR MY MOTHER DIED is unique in that other memoir authors, even those who focus on a relatives death, cannot offer the perspective of a physician specifically trained in palliative/hospice care. Scotts unique response to her own mothers death makes her realize that her familiarity with death does not determine her path through grief. Scott portrays a year-long journey, punctuated by nostalgia and quirky behavior, and ultimately offers hope to those who grieve. Through humor and reflection, she finds a way to honor her mothers profound contribution to her life.
