Empty Shoes by the Door: Living After My Son's Suicide, a Memoir

On the afternoon of December 23, 2011, Judi Merriam’s eighteen-year-old son, Jenson, took his own life—an act that blindsided everyone who knew him—changing her life and those of her family forever.

This is the story of Jenson’s life and death—and of Judi’s path to surviving without the physical presence of the kind, intelligent, and endlessly creative young man she never imagined she would outlive.

The suicide of a loved one can be devastating for those left behind and bring deep despair and...