An approachable and informative book about the grief process.
Grey draws on more than 20 years of working with grieving families in a book that aims to help readers learn how to cope with the death of a loved one.
The author, a bereavement coordinator and hospice chaplain, notes early on in this book that grief comes in all shapes and sizes; its causes and effects can vary, depending on different factors, such as the age at which one experiences death, or the length of the relationship that one had with the deceased. This book aims to create a complete approach to healing by helping readers define and identify their grief, and then offering them different steps to succeed at crossing that “bridge of desolation [that] is shrouded in mists of uncertainty.” The inclusion of relevant, relatable stories of Grey’s clients’ grief journeys is a highlight; for example, he presents the story of Juanita, whose mother died when Juanita was relatively young, and of Joan, who lost her life partner after 50 years of being together. The book reveals how the two women’s different experiences shaped their reactions; because of her early loss, Juanita was unable to allow herself to emotionally invest in other relationships because she feared further loss, whereas Joan, despite her emotional struggles, saw fewer social effects. Interestingly, Juanita found it difficult to show up to grief group counseling, while Joan attended two different counseling groups in attempt to maintain her emotional health. By showing grief through the lives of real people, Grey makes it easy for readers to relate to and identify with specific concepts and apply them to their own lives. Similarly, when he adds excerpts from well-known novels (the works of Leo Tolstoy; Charlotte’s Web; the Winnie-the-Pooh stories) to explain grief-related topics, such as fragmentation anxiety, and other psychological obstacles, it makes the ideas more digestible and the lessons easier to grasp.
An approachable and informative book about the grief process.Pub Date: April 9, 2021
ISBN: 979-8734695197
Page Count: 281
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A harrowing memoir of grief and love.
An indelible portrait of a mother’s courage.
Award-winning novelist McCann and Foley, mother of murdered journalist James Wright Foley (1973-2014), offer a powerful recounting of the unspeakable tragedy and its aftermath. In August 2014, after being held hostage for two years, Jim was beheaded by Islamic Group terrorists. He had been taken hostage once before, in Libya, but that time was released after 44 days. Undaunted, he went to Syria “determined to bear witness to the horrific bombings and gassings of innocent civilians by the Assad regime.” After he was taken hostage, the Foley family, to their deepening dismay, discovered that the U.S. refused unequivocally to negotiate for hostages’ release, and the Foleys were threatened with prosecution if they tried to raise ransom money on their own. Meanwhile, though, through “an incredibly circuitous route,” several European governments managed to free their own hostages. “They insinuated themselves carefully into the communications system,” the authors write, “got under the umbrella of the emails, and forged their own secret methods that included a network of agents and ambassadors and, yes, even spies.” Foley vents her anger toward the many government officials who claimed they were powerless to help. “The plain fact of the matter is that we don’t care as much for our aid workers or our volunteer ambulance drivers or our journalists as we do for our military,” the authors assert. Foley and her family founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to advocate for the freedom of those taken hostage or detained abroad, and she takes hope from recent legislation, most recently by Biden’s executive order, in support of hostages. Hoping for “answers to help her in the wider work against hostage-taking,” Foley met with one of the terrorists involved in her son’s murder—unsettling encounters that bracket the striking narrative.
A harrowing memoir of grief and love.Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9798985882452
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Etruscan Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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