Review
"This extraordinary, well-written, near-poetic book provides us with the first-person accounts of parent, child, brother, sister, spouse, lover, and therapist as they struggle through the pain-laden conflicted months and years of bereavement after a suicide of a loved one." (Norman Farberow, co-founder, Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center)
"Suicide shipwrecks those it leaves behind, often disarticulating their hearts, minds, and lives. When Victoria Alexander's mother died of suicide, she says the shock thundered through every corner of her life. As a work of salvage, for herself and for others, she interviewed forty other suicide survivors and sets forth here some of their stories, showing us how people reassemble themselves and move forward after that tragedy." (John T. Maltsberger, president, American Association of Suicidology and lecturer in psychiatry, Harvard Medical School)
Book Description
Breathtaking stories of incredible power for anyone struggling to find the meaning in the suicidal death of a loved oneand for all readers seeking writing that moves and inspires.
After author Victoria Alexanders mother took her life, she spent the next ten years collecting stories from people, like herself, who have walked through one of lifes most difficult journeys. The result is a beautifully written book of powerful, spellbinding stories told by those who were left behindparents, children, spouses, lovers, friends, and colleagues. In the Wake of Suicide offers survivors the understanding, compassion, and hope they need to guide them on their own path in the wake of this most painful loss.
From the Inside Flap
Breathtaking stories of incredible power for anyone struggling to find the meaning in the suicidal death of a loved one?and for all readers seeking writing that moves and inspires.After author Victoria Alexander's mother took her life, she spent the next ten years collecting stories from people, like herself, who have walked through one of life's most difficult journeys. The result is a beautifully written book of powerful, spellbinding stories told by those who were left behind?parents, children, spouses, lovers, friAnds, and colleagues. In the Wake of Suicide offers survivors the understanding, compassion, and hope they need to guide them on their own path in the wake of this most painful loss.
About the Author
VICTORIA ALEXANDER is the co-founder of After Suicide, an organization that offers support groups, consultation, and counseling for survivors. She is on the staff of the New England Journal of Medicine.
In the Wake of Suicide: Stories of the People Left Behind ANNOTATION
"...after the author's mother took her own life, Alexander spent the next ten years collecting stories from other survivors...written by a staff member of the New England Journal of Medicine."
FROM THE PUBLISHER
After author Victoria Alexander's mother took her life, she spent the next ten years collecting stories from people, like herself, who have walked through one of life's most difficult journeys. The result is a beautifully written book of powerful, spellbinding stories told by those who were left behind - parents, children, spouses, lovers, friends, and colleagues. In the Wake of Suicide offers survivors the understanding, compassion, and hope they need to guide them on their own path in the wake of this most painful loss.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Family members, lovers, friends, and colleagues left behind after suicide tell their stories of grief and healing, offering survivors the understanding and compassion they need to guide them on their own path in the wake of this painful loss. Includes a list of associations for survivors of suicide. No index. First published in 1991 by Lexington Books. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.