June 4, 2007
In this solid, heartfelt guide to grief and tragedy, author and singer-songwriter Collins (Morning, Noon, and Night) culls from her own experience (the suicide of her 33-year-old son in 1992) and the experiences of others a set of tools to help "dig your way out of tragedy and loss": truth (tell it), trust (allow it), therapy (get it), treasure (your loved and lost), treat (your body and mind), thrive (without drugs or alcohol) and transcend. Conceptualized as a way to better navigate Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's stages of grief, Collins's seven T's aren't chronological steps, but "a kind of mantra" in seven parts that's durable enough to assist readers for a lifetime ("Time will heal us, yes, but...love does not end"). Through the T's, Collins deals honestly with the demons of loss-guilt, isolation, hopelessness, depression, violence, etc.
May 15, 2007
Drawing on her own suffering following her son's suicide and the experiences of hundreds of others who have lived through the tragic deaths of loved ones, singer/songwriter and author Collins (Singing Lessons ) offers a path through the fire of pain. She uses the device of seven "T's" to organize her message, advising readers to tell the truth, allow themselves to trust, get therapy, continue to treasure their loved one, keep trying to thrive, treat themselves with loving kindness, and transcend by living a life of joy, abundance, and forgiveness. Her message is from the heart and will resonate with everyone who has experienced a terrible loss. Recommended for all libraries.
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2007
Many mourning the loss of a family member or friend to suicide will find solace and practical steps for recovery in Collins new book. Her son, Clark, whose difficulties included alcohol and drug addiction, took his life in 1992 despite almost seven years of sobriety. The shock and devastation Collins experienced has resulted in several self-help titles. Here she outlines seven steps to healing: truth (tell it no matter how difficult); trust (allow those around you to provide support); therapy (get it, whether via meditation, art, or traditional talk therapy); treasure (cherish the memories of your loved ones no matter the painful manner of their deaths); thrive (look ahead without self-medicating with alcohol and drugs); treat (love and nurture yourself); and transcend (live life to the fullest with empathy and forgiveness). Often simplifying griefs overwhelmingly complex challenges to a finite number of steps helps sufferers take that first, all-important one. Collins treatise can provide that support.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)