Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye

Noel, Brook

Notes:

Now there is a hand to hold…

Each year about eight million Americans suffer the death of a close family member. The list of high visibility disasters, human suffering and sudden loss in long and will continue to grow. From TWA Flight 800 to Egypt Air 990, from Oklahoma City to Columbine, daily we face incomprehensible loss. Outside the publicized tragedies there are many families and individuals that are suffering behind closed doors in our neighborhoods, in our own homes, in hospital waiting rooms. Now for those who face the challenges of sudden death, there is a hand to hold written by two women who have experience sudden loss.

In a book that will touch, comfort, uplift and console, authors Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D. explore sudden death and its role in the cycle of life. Tapping the personal histories of both authors and numerous interviews, I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye shows grieving readers how to endure, survive and grow from the pain and turmoil surrounding human loss.

Reviews

“I highly recommend this book, not only to the bereaved, but to friends and counselors as well.”

Helen Fitzgerald, author of The Grieving Child, The Mourning Handbook, and The Grieving Teen

“This book, by women who have done their homework on grief… can hold a hand and comfort a soul through grief ‘s wilderness. Oustanding references of where to see other help.”

George C. Kandle, Pastoral Psychologist

“Finally, you have found a friend who can not only explain what has just occurred, but can take you by the hand and lead you to a place of healing and personal growth. Whether you are dealing with the loss of a family member, a close personal associate or a friend, this guide can help you survive and cope, but even more importantly… heal.”

The Rebecca Review

“For those dealing with the loss of a loved one, or for those who want to help someone who is, this is a highly recommended read.”

Midwest Book Review

Amazon

Buy this book now. One day, you or someone you love deeply will need it. By giving the book to someone who needs it, you will be able to help them when they need it most. By owning the book yourself, you will be able to anticipate the needs of the freshly bereaved. I will be giving this book frequently. This book came a year after my loved one’s death, and it was still a huge help. It’s a breath of fresh air in the grief genre. How I wish I’d had it when I was going through the first weeks and months. Even this far out, it has helped me immeasurably. I have lost most of my family in the last 20 years. I lost my spouse last year.
PLEASE. Get and read this book, and give copies to the newly bereaved. They will thank you, no, BLESS you for it.

Barnes & Noble

Thank you for your words of wisdom and compassion. I would recommend this book to everyone, whether you are grieving or not. One day you may need it for yourself or someone close to you. This is a well written guidebook to carry anyone through the experience of losing a close loved one suddenly. It contains sections dealing with specific losses such as: a spouse or partner, a sibling, suicide, mass death (such as terrorism), fallen heroes, and others. Each section is thoughtful and helpful. It also has a wonderful portion of the book carrying the reader step by step through the immediate aftermath of sudden death. The back couple chapters are dealing with additional resources and activities to help with grief work. This book helps to not feel like your going crazy and to let it come out how you need it to. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who has suddenly lost a loved one, it lets you know your not alone and to feel alright about how you feel at any particular time. Grief is a very individual experience that nobody except the person inside your head will ever understand. These authors have written a resource to help you find your way through that deep, dark forest into the light again.

GoodReads

I’ve struggled for months with what appeared to be a mid-life crisis. In researching how to get through it, I tracked the source down to delayed grief. I lost my brother in 1995 and my dad in 2000 in very similar auto accidents. I don’t think I ever grieved them properly and it surfaced in my forties. This book is one of the ones I found to address my particular situation.

This is a well written guidebook to carry anyone through the experience of losing a close loved one suddenly. It contains sections dealing with specific losses such as: a spouse or partner, a sibling, suicide, mass death (such as terrorism), fallen heroes, and others. Each section is thoughtful and helpful. It also has a wonderful portion of the book carrying the reader step by step through the immediate aftermath of sudden death. The back couple chapters are dealing with additional resources and activities to help with grief work.

The authors of this book have both dealt with sudden death themselves. Part of what I found most useful was reading the sections they wrote about their personal situations. I’m still working on the back exercises. I think that will take a while. I wish I’d had this book in 1995 when I lost my brother. Even though my grief was delayed by decades, I am still finding it helpful. Grief is a very individual experience that nobody except the person inside your head will ever understand. These authors have written a resource to help you find your way through that deep, dark forest into the light again. I recommend it to anyone who’s experienced a sudden death. I’ll keep my copy when I’m finished to hand on to the first person I know who needs it. It helps.