Grief Biography

The Van Meters would consider themselves an interesting family of five, each one adventurously pursuing life in a unique way but connected always by love. But then, something happened to change all of their lives. On March 16, 2008, one of them decided to leave the earthly family. In this book, Corinne Van Meter takes us on a journey through her adjustments and realizations after her twenty-six year-old daughter, Vicki, took her own life.

On the very day that Nancy Sharp delivered premature twins, she learned that her husband's brain cancer had returned after 18 months in remission. Less than three years later, at the age of 37, she became a widow. But while many in that situation would crumble, Nancy had an innate ability to hold life and death in the same moment. She learned to "see beyond the frame's edge". In Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living, Nancy shares her unforgettable journey - one that offers enlightened understanding for living life to the fullest. 

Sarah Sak's son, Anthony Walgate, was murdered by gay serial killer Stephen Port after they met on dating app Grindr. Stephen Port was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey in November 2016. The case received extensive press coverage not only because of the horrific nature of the crimes but also because the police refused to investigate Anthony's death despite three more bodies being found in near identical circumstances. It was not until Scotland Yard's crime squad took over that Stephen Port was arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Felix takes us through his life growing up in South West London and describes how his story is forever punctuated and given meaning by cricket. Through his own exploits as a slow left arm spinner of 'lovely loopy stuff', to the tragic illness of his mother, life with The Maccabees and his cricket redemption, Felix touches on both the comedic and the tragic in equal measure. Throughout, there's the ever-present roller coaster of following the England cricket team.

A catalyst for change can take many forms. For author Erin Burrell, that life-altering moment began with a jarring knock at the door. A solemn detective delivered the news that a loved one had died. The grief and heart-splitting loss sent her groping for answers. In her search, she was drawn toward an unexpected path - towards the metaphysical. After reading several books about psychic mediums, Erin wondered if she too might be able to connect with her deceased loved one.

In 2015 former England football star Rio Ferdinand suddenly and tragically lost his wife and soul mate, Rebecca, age 34, to cancer. It was a profound shock, and Rio found himself struggling to cope not just with the pain of his grief but also with his new role as both mum and dad to their three young children. Rio's BBC1 documentary Being Mum and Dad touched everyone who watched it and won huge praise for the honesty and bravery he showed in talking about his emotions and experiences.

In the summer of 2000, David Hlavsa and his wife Lisa Holtby embarked on a pilgrimage. After trying for three years to conceive a child and suffering through the monthly cycle of hope and disappointment, they decided to walk the Camino de Santiago, a joint enterprise - and an act of faith - they hoped would strengthen their marriage and prepare them for parenthood.

In the aftermath of a heartbreaking tragedy, a scholar and writer uses Dante's Divine Comedy to shepherd him through the dark wood of grief and mourning - a rich and emotionally resonant memoir of suffering, hope, love, and the power of literature to inspire and heal the most devastating loss.

Parenting can be a struggle, especially parenting a disabled child. In this flawlessly crafted memoir, Kramar describes championing her son, diagnosed with Sotos syndrome, through his short life. She examines the experience of loving and losing a child and reminds us that there is a way forward through the grief. Kramar’s memoir offers guidance, wisdom, and inspiration - an amazing story of redemption and hope.

The Price of Admission takes us on a journey with Liz from loss into renewed life. Raw, unflinchingly honest, and surprisingly funny, Liz writes from a universally understood place of struggle, whether that is the deep darkness of grief or the hazy, yet joyful, dimness of demanding everyday lives spent caring for ourselves and our families.

Close Enough to Perfect is the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of Chris and Al Noyes, married for 28 years until tragedy hit on a commercial airline flight. The story speaks of soul mates, happy places, mental illness, adventure, and sorrow. Christine Noyes has chosen to share a very personal and private journey with her audience, and this memoir does it in such a beautifully penned way that it feels like the listener is a party to the story from a very close friend indeed, told with deep emotion and a splash of bourbon.

When the Conley family lost both a husband and son to suicide, Carey and her daughter, Laurel, were blasted out of a comfortable reality. They struggled to cope with profound grief and the burden of the losses. Questions that could never be answered haunted them, and the tragedies forced a major shift in their lives. 

It is an uncomfortable truth that the path to joy often leads through valleys shadowed by grief. Janna Barber was a preacher’s kid. She grew up surrounded by a cloud of believers that taught her to ignore and suppress such negative emotions. She graduated high school, went to college, found a husband, and started a family. That was when she found herself suffering through a profound sadness. Depression, multiple miscarriages, and an inexplicable anger weighed her down as she trudged through those shadows, searching for a light she could not find.

I lost my dad five years ago, and have been chronicling my journey from the start, from loss to grief to, unfortunately for me, depression. I've tried my absolute best to put my thoughts and feelings onto paper for this process, with the hope that someone, somewhere, can find value in it. It's been a tough old road; there's no denying that. And my search for a meaningful way forward has led me to writing this book. I hope it can help those who need it.

Learning to Dance in the Rain II, by Shelby Wagner, is a compelling and inspirational story of loss and grief which encourages healing and activity as the means to progress beyond the grief and return to a life of balance and well-being. The author’s 78 years of life experiences are carefully woven into informative discussions about multiple topics of interest including quality decision-making, self-awareness, and lifestyle comparisons so that listeners can determine what they want to be “when they grow up". 

Life for Autumn Toelle-Jackson started out on a happy and ordinary timeline. When she entered her thirties, however, tragedy made up for lost time. Over the span of a few short years, she endured several miscarriages and the loss of her husband, a dear cousin, and child. But one small cross-section of a life doesn't do justice to the amount of love, resilience, growth, and blessings a person experiences after such titanic losses.

Truth, Huxley will learn, requires the loss of everything that keeps her from it. Starting over on a small farm on the plains of Kansas, she will find a vast wilderness to cross, one where beauty will triumph over defeat and love overcome death, where the colors of promise and eternity are unveiled, illuminating further each small step on the way to the ecstasy of understanding. It will be ridiculously hard at times. But there, she will be reminded of who she is and where she is going. We are not such as dreams are made of. But sometimes dreams can lead us home.

In Permission to Thrive, Susan traces her extraordinary journey, which begins when her healthy 14-year-old daughter dies suddenly from a brain tumor, and the family's decision - on the worst day of their lives - to donate Laura's organs, saving the life of a women with whom the Miller family would eventually cultivate an exceptional relationship.

In March 2017, Niamh Fitzpatrick’s life fell apart overnight. Her beloved sister, Dara, was killed in a helicopter crash. Soon afterwards, Niamh’s marriage ended, and she feared she would lose her home. Life as she knew it was gone forever, and the grief was overwhelming. A psychologist for many years, Niamh’s job is to help clients through the toughest times in their lives.