by Susan Powers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2015
An essential book for those struggling with grief, and particularly those suffering from the loss of a loved one through...
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In this debut memoir and self-help guide, Powers examines the grieving process from firsthand experience, using the informative language of clinical psychology.
In 2001, the author, a psychologist, suffered two immense losses: her husband, Bob, died after a battle with kidney cancer, and her daughter, Chris, was the victim of a heroin overdose. Distraught, devastated, and lost, she turned to her background in clinical psychology for guidance. At the start of the book, she declares that “we must match the ruthlessness of grief with our own zealous action....I might have remained lost if I hadn’t given the process all of my attention and creative energy.” Thus, she deeply examines the titular concept of “ruthless grieving” by relating her own journey “through to the other side of loss.” She explains how the experience can be different for every person. For example, she says that her husband’s death was peaceful, surrounded by friends and family; several months of sickness prepared them all for his passing. She notes that there was time to tie up loose ends, work out paperwork, express love, and ponder spirituality together. By contrast, she says, the death of her daughter, less than three months later, was a horrifying shock. The author doesn’t shy away from divulging her own deep, complicated feelings about what she calls the “unheroic death” of her daughter, and devotes a good portion of the book to examining different ways of coping with losses brought on by addiction and suicide. Her story forges a continuous narrative through various aspects of therapy, creating an engaging yet informative read. The book’s rawness and truth is commendable and, at times, heartbreaking. It’s no easy feat to confront such torturous feelings head on, and Powers does so with love, valor, and unwavering perseverance. Although the book has a tendency to be redundant, it works overall, as the author encourages readers “to pick and choose sections of the book as your interest and needs develop.” Interactive questions and a “Twelve Steps of Grieving” guide are useful, clever tools to assist readers who wish to write about their own grieving process in order to better understand themselves.
An essential book for those struggling with grief, and particularly those suffering from the loss of a loved one through addiction.Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-50843-5
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Mystic Mermaid Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Susan Powers
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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