The Grieving Garden

"When the unthinkable happens, most of us long for a community of people who understand what we're going through. When that unthinkable event is the death of a child, we look for reassurance that we can still go on to lead meaningful lives. This book provides such a community, in the candid conversations of others who've been there. Though they pull no punches, the ultimate effect is life-affirming. I recommend it highly to all bereaved parents and to anyone who cares about them."--Eleanor Coppola, artist, filmmaker, writer, Notes on a Life, and bereaved mother

"If you have never lost a child, pray that it never happens to you. If you have, The Grieving Garden touches on the pertinent questions and issues. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Each person must find the way that makes sense and works for them, in a situation that makes no sense. Losing a child is nine parts unthinkably horrible, and one part gift. The secret to surviving it is finding the gift. One is never the same, but one has the choice of becoming bigger, deeper, more. The Grieving Garden lights the path to surviving and becoming more."--Danielle Steel

Every year, some two million parents in the US suffer the death of a son or daughter. The unnatural sequence of the child's preceding the parent in death creates a wrenching loss and overwhelming emotional and spiritual disorientation. Most of these bereaved parents find relief from their isolation only in the company of others like themselves.  The Grieving Garden offers support, understanding, and, ultimately, comfort and hope from those who have sowed the same tears over the death of a child.

The Grieving Garden is a ground-breaking book that invites bereaved parents into personal conversations with a diverse group of fathers and mothers who share the same loss. The text is free of distracting and heavy-handed editorializing, "expert" opinion, or unwanted advice. Instead, readers are welcomed into a community of common understanding—one they may enter at will, at their own pace, for reassurance and hope.

Press Review/Article

Xpress Reviews--First Look at New Books by Antoinette M. Brinkman, M.L.S.