The Death of a Parent: Reflections for Adults Mourning the Loss of a Father or Mother

Rating:
Summary: A Personal Story
Review: Delle's collection of stories has softly touched my soul. This is truly a book that must be read at least twice to allow the messages to be fully opened. Her ability to capture the essences of families and friends has helped me address the personalities in my life and to recognize situations beyond my control. Her stories combined with Father Kenneally's reflections have raised my conscience on multiple levels.

As my father is going through chemotherapy and we together are preparing him for his journey, this book has been a gift, placed in my hands at the right time by divine hands

Rating:
Summary: Consolation for Grieving Adults
Review: Faith would shed light into our lives in the darkest moments of the death of a parent, providing relief and consolation to the believer. But most adults would need an extended process of grieving in order to deal with the emotions and feelings connected with the loss of a parent. This book provides an aid to such adults. It contains eight sections dealing with a variety of emotions and situations consequent upon the loss of a parent, relating to grief, loss and pain. Each section is rich with vividly narrated stories and a concluding meditation. These authentic stories of death, loss and grief with colorful details, from the artistic pen of Delle Chatman, make this book a treasure house of consolation for grieving adults.

Rating:
Summary: Light. Everywhere.
Review: In the realm of the many excellent books for grieving, the phrase, "if you've read one, you've read them all" often applies. It is rare to come across one that surprises you. Delle Chatman, an artist, educator and screen writer has written such a book, entitled The Death of a Parent: Reflections for Adults Mourning the Loss of a Father or Mother. First of all, the book is entertaining. That's the first unexpected element. Grief books do not usually entertain. Second, the book is innovative; unusual in it's format of fictitious stories, followed by wise, warm and beautifully to-the-point follow up meditations by Rev. William Kenneally. Third, the language in the stories is authentic and colorful, superbly written in a style in keeping with the way real people converse and think... bringing in a literary quality that is refreshingly free of platitudes or redundant self-help talk. Reading this book is like taking a journey. The reader gets taken into the lives and conversations of fictitious people who feel like people you know- which is saying a lot for the talent and skill of Delle Chatman as an emerging voice in a first book. When Chatman writes in the introduction, A Test of Faith, in the very first sentence, "I hate the title of this book," the reader knows that this writer is going to be genuine. But here again lies yet another unexpected and much appreciated element- the upbeat nature of the book. Chatman writes poignantly about the death of her own beloved parents, very much in touch with the reality of sorrow... yet she has a unique way of seeming to rise with and through the grief and pain; she brings in an understanding of the legacy of faith from generation to generation as she writes of her own six year old daughter, Ramona. The intimacy is there along with an expanded way of looking at and expressing grief through a spirituality that is natural, alive, vivid and free of the wooden language grief books sometimes contain. In an essay entitled They Never Stop Being Our Parents, Chatman begins, "Light. Everywhere." Those two words capture the essence of this shining book, one of the richest and unexpected finds to date for anyone mourning the loss of a parent and searching for solace in a language that heals and delights.

Rating:
Summary: A Personal Story
Review: In the realm of the many excellent books for grieving, the phrase, "if you've read one, you've read them all" often applies. It is rare to come across one that surprises you. Delle Chatman, an artist, educator and screen writer has written such a book, entitled The Death of a Parent: Reflections for Adults Mourning the Loss of a Father or Mother. First of all, the book is entertaining. That's the first unexpected element. Grief books do not usually entertain. Second, the book is innovative; unusual in it's format of fictitious stories, followed by wise, warm and beautifully to-the-point follow up meditations by Rev. William Kenneally. Third, the language in the stories is authentic and colorful, superbly written in a style in keeping with the way real people converse and think... bringing in a literary quality that is refreshingly free of platitudes or redundant self-help talk. Reading this book is like taking a journey. The reader gets taken into the lives and conversations of fictitious people who feel like people you know- which is saying a lot for the talent and skill of Delle Chatman as an emerging voice in a first book. When Chatman writes in the introduction, A Test of Faith, in the very first sentence, "I hate the title of this book," the reader knows that this writer is going to be genuine. But here again lies yet another unexpected and much appreciated element- the upbeat nature of the book. Chatman writes poignantly about the death of her own beloved parents, very much in touch with the reality of sorrow... yet she has a unique way of seeming to rise with and through the grief and pain; she brings in an understanding of the legacy of faith from generation to generation as she writes of her own six year old daughter, Ramona. The intimacy is there along with an expanded way of looking at and expressing grief through a spirituality that is natural, alive, vivid and free of the wooden language grief books sometimes contain. In an essay entitled They Never Stop Being Our Parents, Chatman begins, "Light. Everywhere." Those two words capture the essence of this shining book, one of the richest and unexpected finds to date for anyone mourning the loss of a parent and searching for solace in a language that heals and delights.