'America's preeminent fiction writer' New Yorker 'A raw, propulsive tale of love and grief' Mail on Sunday Michaela and her husband have moved to the starkly beautiful but uncanny landscape of New Mexico, to take residency at a distinguished academic institute. But then Gerard is stricken with a mysterious illness, initially misdiagnosed, and soon their life begins to resemble a nightmare. At thirty-seven, Michaela faces the terrifying prospect of widowhood - and the loss of Gerard, whose identity has greatly shaped her own. In vividly depicted scenes of escalating suspense, Michaela cares desperately for Gerard in his final days, and then careens through the chaos of the days after he is gone. Her love for her husband, however fierce and selfless, has not been enough to save him and his death is beyond her comprehension. A love that refuses to be surrendered at death - is this the blessing of a unique married love, or a curse that must be exorcized? Breathe is an exploration of haunting, a horror story about the raw madness of grief, and an intense, heart-wrenching love story that grapples with the philosophical questions most fundamental to our existence.

A Bridge of Hope tells the heart-wrenching story of the loss of Camilla Neff's first full-term baby girl, Serena Nadine, who died unexpectedly during delivery. With compassion and empathy for grieving parents everywhere, Neff describes the raw emotions and anguish that she faced. She shares the deeply personal journey of wading through the layers of grief and pain that engulfed her, to learning to live again in a new reality after her world was shattered. The journey of grief, especially in losing a child, can be lonely and feel utterly hopeless. Neff's greatest desire for bereaved mothers is that her experience will give them hope that it is possible to live a fruitful life beyond the catastrophic. Are you walking through a deep tunnel that is so dark that you feel suffocated by the intensity of the blackness? Do you feel like there's a hole in your heart, one that no temporary joy, no empathy or intended comfort can ever fill? Do you wonder how you will survive just one more day, one more hour, even one more moment, with such debilitating pain of heart, agony of soul and torment of mind?If you experienced significant loss and live with these emotions every day, then A Bridge of Hope may be the conduit for healing that you've been longing for.

LET NOT THE WAVES OF THE SEA is Simon Stephenson's account of his journey following the loss of his brother in the Indian Ocean tsunami. If it is a story of grief, it is also a story of hope and of the unexpected places where healing can be found. Simon's journey takes him from Edinburgh in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, to Downing Street in London, to Thailand and the island where his brother died, to the scene of an ancient tsunami on the north-west coast of the United States, and to the town where he and his brother's favourite childhood film was made. Along the way there is heartbreak, dengue fever, Greek mythology, and hard physical labour in the tropical heat, but there is also memory, redemption and humour as well.

From the joy of naming a child or blessing a home to the sadness of ending a marriage or the dignity of a simple funeral, here are the words and settings needed to value and commemorate life's transitions and milestones. "Rituals for Life, Love, and Loss" provides rituals and meditations for today's world, for times of celebration and commitment, for new beginnings, and for periods of grief. Dorothy McRae-McMahon, internationally renowned for her work with ritual, has created meaningful ceremonies for all people, regardless of their faith. Presented in three parts -- Celebrations, Changes, and Letting Go -- these rituals are comprised of simple, direct language and include guidance for what to say, suggestions for music, and ideas for group participation and incorporating symbolic objects. "Rituals for Life, Love, and Loss" is for everyone who wishes to mark and honor those significant occasions along life's journey.

Winner of the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Award, and nominated for the PEN/JR Ackerley prize. The powerful memoir of a Mullaghmore bombing survivor, as dramatised in THE CROWN ___________________________________ On the August bank holiday weekend in 1979, 14-year-old Timothy Knatchbull went on a boat trip off the shore of Mullaghmore in County Sligo, Ireland, with many members of his family. By noon, an IRA bomb had destroyed the boat, leaving four dead. The author survived, but his grandparents, a family friend, and his 14-year-old twin brother did not. Lord Mountbatten, his grandfather - and uncle to the Duke of Edinburgh - was the target, and became one of the IRA's most high-profile assassinations. In telling this story for the first time, Knatchbull is not only revisiting the terrible events he and his family lived through, but also writing an intensely personal account of human triumph over tragedy. It is a story of recovery, not just from physical wounds but deep emotional trauma. Knatchbull and his parents were too badly injured to attend the funerals of those killed, a sadness that intensified their profound sense of loss. Taking place in Ireland at the height of the Troubles, it gives a compelling insight into that period of Irish history. But more importantly it brings home that although tragedy can strike at any moment, the human spirit is able to forgive, to heal and to move on. It will resonate with readers the world over. ___________________________________ 'From a Clear Blue Sky is a minute by minute story of what happened that day, and what happened afterwards. It is a proper four-hanky bawler, and the exactitude of the story is what makes it so moving ... He provides a convincing account of the extent to which he has been able to accept, forgive and move on. His narrative power is such that the reader can't always share his equanimity. It is a book that is as saddening as it is sad - but much more angering than it is angry' Daily Mail 'This is an extremely moving book. Beyond providing a phenomenally detailed evocation of his own family's trauma, Knatchbull has lots of wise things to say about how we survive horrors - of all kinds - in our lives. He writes with great tenderness and an admirable lack of sentimentality' Zoe Heller 'Affecting and intimate' Mail on Sunday 'Testament to a remarkable, benevolent soul ... With this public love letter he has found a way to say goodbye' The Sunday Times

Alone in the Shadows of GriefThis book is meant for anyone who has lost a brother or sister to suicide - the forgotten mourners - and those who want to provide them support. Any loss is difficult, but a loss to suicide is heightened because of the helplessness and confusion surrounding it. A sibling loss to suicide is even more unique because the sibling(s) left behind are often forgotten - mourning the loss of their brother or sister alone in the shadows of their grief.This book discusses some of the challenges sibling survivors of suicide will face, both individually and as a family unit, including: -- What can I expect during the grieving process as a sibling survivor of suicide?-- How can I set boundaries to take care of myself?-- Will my relationship with my parents change? -- How do I answer questions about my now-departed sibling?-- Who am I without my sibling?-- What can I do to get through the holidays and anniversaries?-- How do I keep my brother or sister alive in my life, without him or her physically present?These questions and more are answered directly from the author's experiences following the loss of her eighteen year-old brother to suicide in November 2001. Hopefully, these experiences will give sibling survivors of suicide a bit of strength, hope, and peace in navigating the long road to healing ahead.

Grief is a passion to endure. People can be stricken with it, victims of it, stuck in it. Or they can meet it, get through it, and become quiet victors through the active, honest, and courageous process of grieving.

After experiencing the loss of her first-born son, Melissa Dalton-Bradford thrust herself into literature searching for those who have experienced similar, devastating loss. What she found was comfort and guidance to help her overcome the pain of losing a loved one and the faith to face her own life without him. In "On Loss and Living Onward," she has compiled the best resources that will guide the living through the process of grief.
Superbly written essays by author and bereaved mother accompany each of five sections: Life at Death; Love at Death; Living After Death; Learning From Death; Life, Love and Light Over Death. Quotes are from across history, geography and the philosophical spectrum. A substantial bibliography and suggested readings list is included.

Ruthlessly honest memoir of a widow's pain in coming to terms with the death of her husband. This haunting memoir of grief recounts the death from cancer of Nick Clarke, much-loved BBC radio presenter of THE WORLD AT ONE - and the aftermath - from his widow Barbara's point of view. With painful honesty, Barbara lays open her ambivalent feelings about the illness as it progressed, and her instinctive fear that this would be the end. As he got sicker, her fear grew, until he died an unfeasibly short time after his diagnosis. Barbara chronicles in unflinching prose her life after his death. A howl of anguish and anger, she describes how many of her friends and colleagues don't call, and don't offer support - how alone she is, and how she struggles to explain the unexplainable to her young twin sons. She has a breakdown, and a short-lived relationship (met with condemnation from some of her friends), but knows the process of dealing with her grief is barely beginning. A ruthlessly honest dissection of a widow's pain, this book is also a love story - an uncomfortably raw, utterly compelling memoir which ends without resolution; its author still fighting to come to terms with the hand life has dealt her.

St Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807-1867) is renowned as a writer on the spiritual life in general. What is less well known is that throughout most of his adult life he struggled with chronic illness and disability. Thus his own life experience disposed him to reflect on the meaning of suffering for human existence and how through it we might find "a harbor for our hope." The saint frequently returns to these themes in many of his letters, newly translated into English and excerpted, adapted and presented here in thematic subject groups. For the translator these writings provided a source of consolation and encouragement during her husband's lengthy illness and eventual death. They will equally benefit all who suffer physical or spiritual pain, however great or small, and reveal how the love of God may be experienced in its midst.

A moving and lyrical memoir about life, love and loss, from a true giant of Gaelic games. In a frenetic seven-year spell at the outset of his senior managerial career, Mickey Harte led Tyrone to four Ulster Championships and three All-Irelands. It was a run that shifted football's balance of power, changed the way the game would be played for over a generation, and cemented his reputation as one of the most transformative figures in GAA history. Then, in January 2011, the visitation of a shocking tragedy changed everything: Mickey's daughter Michaela was murdered while on honeymoon in Mauritius, and the Harte family, grief-stricken, awoke to find themselves at the centre of an international news story. Devotion, the product of a collaboration between Mickey and author Brendan Coffey, is many things. The story of a family's decade-long struggle to come to terms with an almost unimaginable loss. A meditation on the ways in which faith, community, and sport can sustain us in our most difficult moments. And, finally, a portrait of one of Irish sport's true icons, as he brings one legendary era to a close and steels himself for a final assault on the history books

We all tell ourselves stories about who we are. Many of these stories are self-critical and disempowering. Through the practice of self-compassion, we can rewrite these stories and become more authentic and powerful versions of ourselves-transforming not only our own lives but also the lives of those around us. In short and personal pieces, Marianne Ingheim tells the story of how the practice of self-compassion has changed her life in ways big and small, helping her unlearn harsh self-criticism, survive multiple tragedies, and live more authentically. In the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis and her husband's suicide, she discovers the power of self-compassionate storytelling and finds belonging within herself-and in doing so, she learns how to manage anxiety and stress, how to be authentic in relationships, and how to let go of comparison and be truly creative. Through stories and journaling prompts, Out of Love: Finding Your Way Back to Self-Compassion aims to inspire readers to unlearn the self-critical patterns holding them hostage-and begin to live a happier, more courageous life.

Jade's heart-breaking diary of her fight against terminal cancer and her final precious months with her beloved family. In August 2008 Jade Goody received the shattering news that she had cervical cancer. She was only 27 years old. But with her usual strength of character, Jade was determined to beat the disease and carry on with life as normal with her two little boys Bobby and Freddy. Neither the chemotherapy, which left her weak and bald, or the hysterectomy that crushed her dreams of having a little girl, could break Jade's sunny personality or her fierce refusal to be a victim. But in February 2009, Jade received the tragic news that any mother dreads to hear: she was going to be torn from her beloved sons. The cancer had spread and was untreatable. Fully updated with new material from her family, Forever In My Heart is Jade's final 'love letter' to her two little boys. Covering her initial diagnosis while appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in India, their emotional last Christmas as a family, her magical wedding to her partner Jack Tweed and her dying wish to see be christened with her boys, Jade's heart-breaking diary of her final months is set against a backdrop of flashbacks to her difficult early years, her rise to fame in the Big Brother house and those moments of joy and laughter as the nation's darling. It is the powerful story of a young mother's brave fight against a terminal disease, her unique humour, her determination to provide for her sons and her fierce desire to leave a legacy which might prevent other young women being torn from their families in the prime of life. A percentage of profits from the book will be donated to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

IVP Readers' Choice Award Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel theology of providence-essential kenosis-that emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful response to one of the perennial challenges to Christian faith.

On September 11th 2001, 32-year-old Elizabeth Turner was working at Channel 4 when news broke of the attacks on the World Trade Centre. Surrounded by TV screens, like her colleagues, she watched as the horror unfolded. But for Elizabeth, the atrocities were all the more painful - her husband Simon was at a meeting in the restaurant at the top of the towers as the planes crashed into them. Elizabeth was seven months pregnant with their first child. As the destruction unfolded, and Simon did not call, Elizabeth's world crumbled, and she spiralled into an abyss of grief more painful than most of us can imagine. This immensely moving memoir packs a powerful emotional punch, and hooks the reader from the first page. The author eloquently describes how she had to hit rock bottom before she could start rebuilding a life for herself and her young son William. That she was able to recover at all is testament to the power of the human spirit. But more than this, Elizabeth has forged a completely new life and career and is now living what she calls her 'ultimate life'. Her story offers hope that there is a way through the worst experiences - not with quick-fix solutions but by moving deep within yourself to bring about complete healing and recovery.

At Close of Day is the author's thoughts and meditations about old-age, aging and the end of a life, together with memories of a general nature to give a stirring depiction of the author’s life of almost eighty years. The series of autobiographical books that started with ’n Duitser aan die Kaap, Merksteen and Die laaste Afrikaanse boek is concluded with this work.

It is a highly personal book about old-age, the process of writing and self-determination with commentary about aging and being old in a modern society, and was updated for the last time on 26 April 2017, a few days before his death. He gives practical hints and information about the possible and probable end of his life. The element of farewell and acceptance are obvious throughout the text. He realizes that old age becomes the main theme of his thoughts and his daily life.

The references and quotations are poignant and speak of someone who made his reading world his living word. In the end he explains his liberating decision about his planned suicide.

In THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Elizabeth Alexander finds herself at an existential crossroads after the sudden death of her husband. Reflecting with gratitude on the exquisite beauty of the intimacy they shared, grappling with the resulting void, and finding solace in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander channels her poetic sensibilities into rich, lucid prose that universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD is both an endlessly compelling memoir and a deeply felt meditation on the blessings of love, family, art, and community. For those who have loved and lost, or for anyone who cares about what matters most, this book is required reading.

*THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER* What are the things we live for? What matters most in life when your time is short? This brave, frank and heartbreaking book shows what it means to die before your time; how to take charge of your life and fill it with wonder, hope and joy even in the face of tragedy. Ambitious and talented, Kate Gross worked at Number 10 Downing Street for two British Prime Ministers whilst only in her twenties. At thirty, she was CEO of a charity working with fragile democracies in Africa. She had married 'the best looking man I've ever kissed' - and given birth to twin boys in 2008. The future was bright. But aged 34, Kate was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. After a two-year battle with the disease, Kate died peacefully at home on Christmas morning, just ten minutes before her sons awoke to open their stockings. She began to write as a gift to herself, a reminder that she could create even as her body began to self-destruct. Written for those she loves,her book is not a conventional cancer memoir; nor is it filled with medical jargon or misery. Instead, it is Kate's powerful attempt to make sense of the woman who emerged in the strange, lucid final chunk of her life. Her book aspires to give hope and purpose to the lives of her readers even as her own life drew to its close. Kate should have been granted decades to say all that she says in these pages. Denied the chance to bore her children and grandchildren with stories when she became fat and old, she offers us all her thoughts on how to live; on the wonder to be found in the everyday; the importance of friendship and love; what it means to die before your time and how to fill your life with hope and joy even in the face of tragedy.