Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child (Revised Edition with a Chapter Written by Siblings)

by Ellen Mitchell

Overview

Meant to comfort and give direction to bereaved parents, Beyond Tears is written by nine mothers who have each lost a child. This revised edition includes a new chapter written from the perspective of surviving siblings.

The death of a child is that unimaginable loss no parent ever expects to face. In Beyond Tears, nine mothers share their individual stories of how to survive in the darkest hour. They candidly share with other bereaved parents what to expect in the first year and long beyond:

*Harmonious relationships can become strained
*There is a new definition of what one considers "normal"
*The question "how many children do you have?" can be devastating
*Mothers and fathers mourn and cope differently
*Surviving siblings grieve and suffer as well
*There simply is no answer to the question "why?"

This sharing in itself is a catharsis and because each of these mothers lost her child at least seven years ago, she is in a unique position to provide perspective on what newly bereaved parents can expect to feel. The mothers of Beyond Tears offer reassurance that the clouds of grief do lessen with time and that grieving parents will find a way to live, and even laugh again.

Contributors include Ellen Mitchell, Carol Barkin, Audrey Cohen, Lorenza Colletti, Barbara Eisenberg, Barbara Goldstein, Madelaine Perri Kasden, Phyllis Levine, Ariella Long, and Rita Volpe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312545192
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/03/2009
Series:	Revised
Edition description:	Second Edition, Revised
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	301,316
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

The book was written by Ellen Mitchell, who has a regular weekend column in Newsday, together with a group of nine mothers who each have lost a child: Carol Barkin, Audrey Cohen, Lorenza Colletti, Barbara Eisenberg, Barbara Goldstein, Madelaine Perri Kasden, Phyllis Levine, Ariella Long, and Rita Volpe.

Read an Excerpt

We are the closest of friends. We share the deepest intimacies of our lives. We wish we had never met.

In the weeks and months following the deaths of our children even as we were totally shrouded in grief, we somehow came to realize that if we were going to continue living…and some of us were not at all sure we wanted to continue living…we would need help.

Lorenza “When you lose a child you need someone who understands your pain, someone who has been there and knows you will never be the same.”

—from Beyond Tears

Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Introduction,
One - The Mourning After: The First Year,
MARC COLLETTI,
Two - We Are Not Alone,
BRIAN SCOTT EISENBERG,
Three - Intimacy,
HOWARD LAWRENCE GOLDSTEIN,
Four - Redefining Our Existence,
LISA BARKIN GOOTMAN,
Five - How We Cope,
ANDREA LEVINE,
Six - Holidays, Birthdays, Anniversaries,
MICHAEL LONG,
Seven - Love, Laughter, and Gratitude,
NEILL S. PERRI,
Eight - Until We Meet Again,
MICHAEL VOLPE,
Nine - The Fathers Speak,
Ten - The Siblings Speak,
Mothers of the Mourning After,
Acknowledgments,
Where We Are Now,
Author's Note,
Copyright Page,

Editorial Reviews

[An] eloquent volume… Bereaved parents will find comfort, sympathy and support in this powerful, honest sharing of one of life's most painful experiences.” —Publishers Weekly

“The thoughts and feelings related here are incredibly honest and courageous and would greatly assist any parent who has lost a child and feels alone. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“[Beyond Tears] lets readers know that there are folks out there who have been in their shoes, felt their feelings and learned to live life again.” —The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

From the Publisher