Abstract

Written by a mother who lost her 21 year old son to suicide, this book deals with the themes of suicide loss through the lens of the author's personal grief. Addressing the process of post-traumatic growth, this memoir provides the bereaved with therapy exercises and creative activities to help them come to terms with their loss.

Although it deals directly with losing a child, much of the book pertains to grief generally, especially complicated grief after a sudden death, and thus provides comfort to any reader who has lost a close one to suicide or anyone interested in young people struggling with mental health. Organised thematically, it addresses the many issues and stages involved in the grieving process and ends each chapter with a variety of beneficial yoga, breathing and therapy activities. This allows readers to dip in and out of the book, and go at their own pace - replicating the fact that grief is not a linear journey but an iterative one that goes back and forth. This book is a lifeline for anyone struggling to process loss.

Auerbach faces down her demons after her father's suicide (when she was 26) and her 21-year-old son Noah's suicide (three years ago) to offer survivors this wide-ranging set of extremely helpful tools - conventional therapeutic aids, journaling, faith, yoga and meditation exercises, and thoughtful introspection - for better coping and healing after suicide loss.
William Feigelman, Ph.D., author
Auerbach's intimate, heart-wrenching story of a mother's grief normalizes the grief experience for other suicide loss survivors and creates awareness regarding complicated grief after sudden death. As you read and experience the searing pain, you are led in the end to the promise of renewal--and to a celebration of life.
Iris Bolton, author and Director Emeritus, The Link Counseling Center and the National Resource Center for Suicide Prevention & Aftercare
This book is the eloquent story of one mother's efforts to find her way after the death of her son by suicide, from raw numbness to slow sense-making. Unlike most suicide loss survivor narratives, it is helpfully organized around themes and issues that survivors will inevitably encounter, such as the bodily impact of suicide loss and guilt and responsibility. Who should read this book? Anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide; any parent who has lost a child (to any cause); anyone who wishes to support a suicide loss survivor; and above all, any and every mother who has lost a child to suicide. It will help you navigate your own painful journey towards peace.
John R. Jordan, Ph.D., psychologist, trainer, international authority on suicide loss, and co-author
Susan Auerbach is a suicide loss survivor, trained in suicide awareness, gate-keeper crisis intervention and bereavement group facilitation. She is also a Professor of Education at California State University, Northridge.
What is so special about Auerbach's moving memoir about the suicide of her remarkable son Noah is how he comes across so alive and present. Auerbach is searingly honest, and her observations and practical advice offer hope and comfort to others who are on their own personal journeys of mourning the suicide of their loved ones, especially those with recent loss.
Carla Fine, author