The Grieving Parent's Book of Hope: How to Survive the Loss of Your Child

by Norma Sawyers-Kurz

Overview

THE GRIEVING PARENT'S BOOK OF HOPE: HOW TO SURVIVE THE LOSS OF YOUR CHILD, is a comprehensive and compassionate journey down the road of grief. The book is written from the intimate firsthand experience of a mother who has lost a child and holds the reader in a continual warm embrace. What makes this book unique, therefore, is that it is written by someone who has experienced what you are now experiencing, the death of a child. Although competent doctors, psychiatrists, and others have written many books about the grieving process, this book has been written by someone who understands how you feel. The suggestions provided in this book are organized into ten chapters that roughly parallel what experts call the stages of grief, as follows: (1) Surviving Shock and Denial; (2) Surviving Emotional Suffering; (3) Surviving Depression; (4) Surviving Panic; (5) Surviving Guilt; (6) Surviving Anger; (7) Surviving physical Aspects of Grief; (8) Surviving Life Changes; (9) Engaging in Meaningful Activity; and (10) Affirming Reality

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780963003188
Publisher:	Dogwood Publishing
Publication date:	02/15/2014
Pages:	134
Sales rank:	521,885
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

Norma Sawyers-Kurz has written books for grieving parents from the perspective of personal experience. In 1982 her 15-year-old daughter Karen was riding on a motorcycle with a friend when they were struck by a truck. Karen died as a result of injuries received in the accident. Norma was devastated, paralyzed by disbelief and shock. Life isn't supposed to be like this; normally children bury their parents, not the other way around. After years of working through the grief process, she decided to reach out to other grieving parents to share how she survived the most difficult period of her life. Her books help bereaved parents to move from the experience of shock and denial to that of affirming reality. She emphasizes patience, prayer, and the support of loving family and friends. Norma has also written books from the outlook of those struggling for answers to life questions. In confronting her own grief, she had to ask the fundamental questions that plague many people, such as: Is it wrong to doubt and question? Why does God allow evil and suffering? For those who are struggling with these very real issues, she provides a starting point from which they may continue to grow. It is obvious that Norma has done considerable research for her books, as she quotes numerous other authors who have written books on subjects of both grief and real life questions. Published work by Norma includes three other books, a contribution to an anthology, JESUS, HOW WE SEE HIM, and articles in Christian magazines and journals. She is a graduate of American Christian College, Oklahoma City, where she received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. She is a grandmother of three and lives with her husband John and her dog Lady Diana in Southwest Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

2014-09-04
Christian-based self-help for parents coping with the death of a child.Sawyers-Kurz (50 Ways to Cope with the Loss of Your Child, 2009, etc.) speaks from experience when asserting that the loss of a child is the most "horrible ordeal a parent can suffer": Her teenage daughter was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1982. In her introductory and closing chapters, Sawyers-Kurz relates the events of the tragedy and conveys the depth of her grief, even 32 years later, with sincerity and compassion. She also describes stumbling upon the religious writings of C.S. Lewis and, through his influence, accepting "Christ as my Lord and Savior" shortly after her daughter's death. In the main chapters, Sawyers-Kurz shifts from personal narrative to matter-of-fact guidebook providing parents with "appropriate ways for coping with grief." Drawing roughly (and not explicitly) on Kubler-Ross' five stages of grief, Sawyers-Kurz offers advice on denial, emotional suffering, isolation, depression, panic, guilt, anger, physical aspects of grief and various forms of acceptance. This is vast terrain to cover in a 133-page book—perhaps too vast. The tone in these chapters tends to be formal, often stilted, and the advice leans toward being general, even patronizing: "A way to combat the melancholy nature of memories is to make a positive experience out of your recollections"; "Your health can be adversely affected if you neglect to have dental and physical check-ups when needed." Sawyers-Kurz seems more at ease when discussing faith. Indeed, she concludes each chapter by reiterating the reprieve she found in God and suggesting that other parents might find the same. At times, these elements read as tangential, slipped in so as not to override nonreligious advice in the book or appear too preachy. But Christianity is clearly the author's passion, and she raises, albeit briefly, important points about a possible crisis and renewal of faith following the death of a loved one. These glimpses into more weighty subject matter—as well as Sawyers-Kurz's skill with memoir—suggest the book might work best as a personal exploration of faith and grieving.Spread too thin to achieve its goal.

Kirkus Reviews