Suicide Books - Page 6

Will's Choice: A Suicidal Teen, a Desperate Mother, and a Chronicle of Recovery

Gail Griffith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worthy of a Nobel Prize for Brilliance and Generosity 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Reading this book was one of the most affecting entertainment experiences I have ever had. I venture to say that not since the 12-hour 1973 TV documentary, 'An American Family', has there been -- in print or on video -- as fully realized a portrait of a family in crisis as is portrayed in this astonishing work. The story begins with the highest possible drama in recounting the near-fatal suicide attempt of an exceptionally bright, seemingly well-adjusted 17-year-old boy in the bedroom of the upper middle class D.C. home he shared with two loving and dedicated parents. In fact, at the time of his attempt, Will was actually being raised by four remarkable parents, as both his mother (author Gail Griffith with whom he was living when he overdosed on anti-depressant drugs intending to die) and his father (with whom he was also extremely close) had each acquired a second spouse; not only had the respective step-parents embraced Will as if he were their natural child, but the four adults had achieved unusual harmony amongst themselves, beautifully integrating their extended families. No post-divorce rancor or other trauma, no major drug or alcohol problems, few dark clouds of any kind appeared to have unleashed the violent storm that nearly destroyed a promising young man. Partial answers to the riddle of why Will crashed are suggested by Griffith's history of her own lengthy depression and hospitalization, as well as her painfully detailed portrait of Will's girlfriend, Megan, who was also suffering from severe depression as well as an addiction to cutting her skin with razor blades and knives. Indeed, Griffith, in securing the right to publish contemporaneous letters and diary notes from young Megan Mathews (interspersed with those of Will and many other family members) tells a story of a second deeply-troubled self-mutilating teen, who, like Will, eventually manages to regain her mental health; not only does the quality of Megan's writing add an excellent further dimension to Griffith's story, but I feel certain that the excerpts from Megan are our introduction to an uncommonly talented writer -- whose own books I eagerly look forward to reading. As Will rallies from a 2-day coma, his family confronts their fears that he might attempt a second try, as well as guilt and anger over the mystery of what led to the first attempt. Griffith ably stitches together the story of Will's earlier years and then recounts the intensive family effort to locate what proves to be a rare and remarkable institution, Montana Academy, which accepts Will and shepards his year-long recovery to where he regains a strong will to live and resume normal life in the 'real' world. Griffith pauses throughout her narrative to alert parents to what she learned from this excruciating experience -- how to foretell suicide threats, how to diagnose and deal with depressed children, how to work with psychiatrists and other doctors, how to evaluate and manage anti-depressant drugs, and many other insights into preserving family mental health. Virtually no names are fictionalized in this book, which adds to its authenticity and underlines the courage of the many family members, friends, and others who cooperated in this supremely generous offering -- which no parent should miss the opportunity to learn from.

Editorial Review:

On March 11, 2001, seventeen-year-old Will ingested a near-fatal dose of his antidepressant medication, an event that would forever change his life and the lives of his family. In Will's Choice, his mother, Gail Griffith, tells the story of her family's struggle to renew Will's interest in life and to regain their equilibrium in the aftermath.

Griffith intersperses her own finely wrought prose with dozens of letters and journal entries from family and friends, including many from Will himself. A memoir with a social conscience, Will's Choice lays bare the social and political challenges that American families face in combating this most mysterious and stigmatized of illnesses. In Gail Griffith, depressed teens have found themselves a formidable advocate, and in the evocative and fiercely compelling narrative of Will's Choice, we all discover the promise of a second chance.

SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR (Advances in Psychotherapy U Evidence-Based Practice) (Advances in Psychotherapy U Evidence-Based Practice)

Richard McKeon

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Editorial Review:

Almost one million people die worldwide by suicide each year, making it one of the leading causes of death throughout the lifespan. Suicide attempts outnumber deaths by suicide by a ratio of at least 25:1, those who attempt suicide are at high risk of later death by suicide, and suicide risk is one of the most frequent reasons for admissions to inpatient psychiatric units. Treatment of those at risk for suicide is thus a pressing priority. Research over the past two decades has led to the development of excellent empirically supported treatment methods. This book aims to increase clinicians' access to empirically supported interventions for suicidal behavior, with the hope that these methods will become the standard in clinical practice.

After Suicide: A Ray of Hope for Those Left Behind

E. Betsy Ross, Eleanora Betsy Ross

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Editorial Review:

Beginning with her own story of coping with her husband's suicide, Eleanora Betsy Ross takes the reader beyond the silence and shame often associated with suicide and shatters some of the most pervasive myths surrounding this common tragedy. By examining the dynamics of after-suicide bereavement and using dozens of real-life case histories, After Suicide offers hope for the survivors and helps them maintain their sanity and poise during this most difficult time.Backed by years of research and the author's extensive work with survivors and support groups, this book is a valuable guide to coping with a suicide for both survivors and those who work with them. Capped by a comprehensive resource guide, After Suicide stands as an important resource for anyone who has to deal with this loss.

On Suicide (Penguin Classics)

Émile Durkheim

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Editorial Review:

The landmark investigation into suicide and society—now in a new translation

Émile Durkheim, one of the fathers of modern sociology, was the first to suggest that suicide might be as much a response to society as an act of individual despair. When he looked at social, religious, or racial groups that had high incidences of suicide, he discovered that abnormally high or low levels of social integration increase the likelihood of suicide. More than a century after its initial publication, Durkheim’s groundbreaking work continues to fascinate and challenge those seeking to understand one of the least understandable of human acts.

Living When a Young Friend Commits Suicide

Earl A. Grollman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An excellent resource for young people facing peer suicide 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

October 4, 1999

Book Review - Colleen Sullivan

Living When a Young Friend Commits Suicide: Or Even Starts Talking About It Earl A. Grollman and Max Malikow ISBN: 0-8070-2503-8 Beacon Press

Suicide, especially in children and teens is a subject rarely discussed. Yet since 1980 the suicide rate among children 10 to 14 has nearly doubled, and in older teens is disproportionately high. For every young person who commits suicide, the lives of friends and companions are touched in a way different from that of surviving a natural death.

Living When A Young Friend Commits Suicide addresses the concerns and questions of the young people left behind, sensitively guiding them to understanding and acceptance. From the initial feelings and emotions to the difficult and hard- hitting questions of youth the authors offer sound advice and empathy.

When a friend has committed suicide your feelings are myriad. Shock, grief, sadness, guilt and anger are some of the emotions discussed in this book. Your questions are multiple, most importantly "Why?" and "Was it Really a Suicide?" Did your friend tell you of his suicide plans and swear you to secrecy? Are you carrying a burden of guilt because of it? You need help, understanding and support to face the immediate future and to learn how to cope. You may have heard misconceptions about suicide that you need straight answers for, or you may have religious questions. All of these are addressed in a forthright, easily read and understood manner in this book.

I highly recommend this book for any young person faced with learning to live again after the suicide of a friend. I also recommend it for the parents, counselors and teachers of youth who may be the bereaved young person's first line of defense in recovery.

Addendum: As an adult with Bipolar Affective Disorder suicide has touched my life several times, both in close friends and in my own effort to end my life. It is my observation that loss due to suicide must be dealt with at the time or it may affect a person's life months or even years later. I applaud the authors of this book for removing the secrecy and stigma of suicide and giving it the forthright attention it deserves. Congratulations! An excellent book.

Editorial Review:

In the last thirty years, the suicide rate among young people has tripled. In this book addressed to the young survivors of this epidemic, Earl A. Grollman, the internationally known lecturer, writer, and grief counselor, and Max Malikow, a sychotherapist and pastoral counselor, offer solace and guidance to adolescents who are confronted with someone of their own age who is contemplating or has committed suicide.

Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze

M.G. Sheftall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A finely balanced work that demystifies the 'Kamikaze'. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

M. G. Sheftall has produced a very finely balanced account of the Japanese suicide attack programs of World War II. This is a major feat, as the Tokko ('special attack') program is a field so larded with biased and poorly-researched work that a serious historical approach must require doubting or discounting a great deal of what has already been written.
Sheftall has done what any responsible historian should when dealing with such a recent set of events: he went and talked directly to those involved. Unlike accounts of the same events from the Allied side, however, this was something he could only achieve by first learning to speak Japanese, behaving correctly in the presence of very sensitive people and leaving his own agenda at the interview room door. Sheftall happily has a strong grasp of effective techniques for this work, and the result is a very good read presented in a style that mixes skilfully-wrought historical accounts with gentle first-person reportage somewhat reminiscent of Bill Bryson. Sheftall visits and describes the shrines and societies that today perpetuate the bonds forged among the wartime Tokko personnel - both the successful and the survivors - and manages neither to sneer nor fawn; he meets and travels with men who in their youth accepted self-willed extinction in defence of their homeland without once judging them or sensationalising their accounts, and he leaves at least this reader with such a clear picture of the Tokko program as to make one wonder why so much mystery and myth surrounded it for so long.
As Sheftall points out near the end of the book, twentieth-century history is simply not taught in Japanese schools. Japan nowadays is gradually shedding its MacArthurian post-war sackcloth, however, and in view of the actions and pronouncements of its neighbors it is understandably keen to reassert itself in the region before the balance of power tilts too far towards some very unwholesome regimes. A steady supply of dispassionate, balanced accounts of Japan's recent history will help reassure the world that it is not unaware of its dark past, but the shortage of serious native scholarship in such matters still means that these will have to come in large part from foreigners. With this great book, Sheftall steps up to join John Dower, Herbert Bix and the many others who are quietly helping Japan get its historical house in order.

Editorial Review:

A compelling chronicle of men whose greatest desire was to die as warriors-and the legacy that still haunts those whose destinies were never fulfilled.

In the last days of World War II, the Japanese unleashed a new breed of warrior-the Kamikaze, idealistic young men who believed there could be no greater glory than to sacrifice their lives in suicide attacks to defend their homeland. But what of those men who took the sacred oath to die-and lived? Soon after 9/11, ethnographer M.G. Sheftall was given unprecedented access to the cloistered community of Japan's last remaining Kamikaze corps survivors. The result is a poignant and unforgettable glimpse into the lives and mindsets of former Kamikaze pilots who never completed their final missions.

A Special Scar: The Experience of People Bereaved by Suicide

A. Wertheimer

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Editorial Review:

In a society where suicide is often viewed with fear or disapproval, it can be difficult for those personally affected by a suicide death to come to terms with their loss and seek help and support. A Special Scar looks in detail at the stigma surrounding suicide and offers practical help for survivors, relatives and friends of people who have taken their own life. Fifty bereaved people tell their own stories, showing us that, by not hiding the truth from themselves and others, they have been able to learn to live with the suicide, offering hope to others facing this traumatic loss. This new, revised edition includes new material on individual and group work with survivors of suicide.

The new material incorporates the latest research findings which have added significantly to our understanding of the impact of suicide. This new edition will continue to be an invaluable resource for survivors of suicide as well as for all those who are in contact with them, including police and coroner's officers, bereavement services, self-help organizations for survivors, mental health professionals, social workers, GPs, counselors and therapists.

...Or Not to Be: A Collection of Suicide Notes

Marc Etkind

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

"Or Not to Be" a.k.a. "Suicide is for Idiots" by Mark Etkind 2 out of 5 stars.
15 of 20 people found this review helpful.

If you are interested in a book of suicide notes, you obviously have your reasons. And this is one of the few books that deals with such a controversial subject in such a blunt manner. But don't let the title fool you; this is not merely a collection of suicide notes. It's heavily peppered with Mr. Etkind's opinionated, self-righteous preaching.

This wears on the reader's nerves quickly. At times Etkind ridicules suicide notes for being inadequate or incoherent. I quote (from page 1): "If someone could think clearly enough to leave a cogent note, that person would probably be able to recognize that suicide was a bad idea."

I'm sure we would all love to be spared the sophomoric, non-scientific statements and instead be allowed to form our own opinions based on what the book advertises: "a collection of suicide notes" (not "Etkind's beliefs on suicide"). Perhaps this book is ideal for someone who is desperately trying to escape the guilt of a loved one's suicide. It paints all suicidal people as confused, selfish souls who are 100% to blame for their tragic ends. How convenient that philosophy is for those left living.

My technical criticism of the book is this: the book is fragmented and insufficient. Full names are rarely given, thus preventing the reader from researching matters further. The suicide notes are frequently abbreviated or condensed. In the "Acknowledgements" section, we learn that Etkind merely snipped and pasted from other books. So what we have here is the Cliff's Notes version, interesting if you have an hour to kill on the subway or in a doctor's office but little more than that. Whatever you do, don't pay $53 for this 114-page paperback book. I found it for $10, and even that is a stretch.

Editorial Review:

The first book of its kind, . . . Or Not to Be offers rare insights into the lives--and deaths--of such luminaries as Vincent Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, Diane Arbus, Jim Jones, Anne Sexton, Hermann Goering, Kurt Cobain, and Yukio Mishima, via their last letters and suicide notes.

A Reason to Live

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This book is the only reason I am alive today. 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 11 people found this review helpful.

When my boyfriend committed suicide I felt I wasn't worth sticking around for. This book changed that feeling. I was lucky it did. About 6 months after his death I found out it was murder made to look like a suicide.

A Reason To Live 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

"A Reason To Live" not only helped save my life, it set in motion several major - albeit, gradual - positive changes. Melody's personal life experiences and insights involving pain, loss and survival gave me some much needed assurance that I was not alone in this world. I admire Melody's strength and courage. I've learned I can actually use pain to become a deeper, more creative, honest and loving person. This book is non-judgemental, insightful, and ultra-practical. Please make more copies available. Thank you!

Surviving Suicide: Help to Heal Your Heart--Life Stories from Those Left Behind

Heather Hays

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This book will touch your heart. 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This book is written by television news anchor, award winning journalist and former beauty queen Heather Hays. It includes her story, that of the author that lost her fiance of 10 years to suicide. She's been there, she knows the pain. Reading her account of the suicide that forever changed her life will bring tears to your eyes. But the book is not only about the author's journey back. It is so much more. As you read the accounts of literally dozens of other survivors you will be touched by the fragility of life and the need to lend support and love to those that have been left behind.

The survivors that tell their story in this book run the gamut - siblings left behind, friends, lovers, parents, children ... all left behind to deal with unimaginable pain. There is no point in sugarcoating this, you will feel the anguish and at times you'll have to put the book down to take a deep breath, or to weep. But you will pick it back up to see and feel the spirit and note the strength as survivors tell their stories. One by one they tell of the pain and despair. But that becomes the strength of the book because the contributors DO come back. They fight through the anger, pain and guilt and they do survive and in doing so, give hope to all of us.

A really touching, inspiring book, wtitten by a beautiful human being.

Editorial Review:

In Surviving Suicide, you will . . . • Read about a woman whose mother, husband, and son suicided. • Read the story of a terminally ill woman’s suicide. • Read the words of a little girl whose father put a gun to his head. The stories are heartbreaking, but Surviving Suicide offers hope. • Inspiration from those who have been where you are. • Simple day-to-day ways to move through your grief. • E-mail addresses so you can write to others left behind. Days after her fiancé’s suicide, award-winning journalist Heather Hays was back on television, hiding her pain from her viewers and herself. She is no longer hiding. In this book, Heather shares life-changing stories from people around the world who have also been left behind. Through them, you will learn lessons on love and loss to help guide you on your journey.