Healing Through Words:
September Staff Picks

"Updated third edition offers sensitive advice and genuine understanding for teens coping with grief and loss. The death of a friend is a wrenching event for anyone at any age and can spark feelings that range from sadness to guilt to anxiety. Teenagers especially need help coping with grief and loss. This sensitive book answers questions grieving teens often have, like 'How should I be acting?' 'How long will this last?' and 'What if I can't handle my grief on my own?'"

"Suicide has touched the lives of nearly half of all Americans, yet it is rarely talked about openly. In her highly acclaimed book, Susan Blauner--a survivor of multiple suicide attempts--offers guidance and hope for those contemplating ending their lives and for their loved ones. In a direct, nonjudgmental, and loving voice, she offers affirmations and suggestions for those experiencing life-ending thoughts, and for their friends and family. With an introduction by Bernie Siegel, M.D., this important, timely book has now been updated with a revised resources section, and a new chapter on the author's experiences since the book's initial publication."

"'Soulful, achingly honest . . . A potent addition to the literature on drug addiction and recovery.'--Kirkus Reviews (starred). While his wife and two-year-old daughter watched TV in the living room, David Poses was in the kitchen, measuring the distance from his index finger to his armpit. He needed to be sure he could pull the trigger with a shotgun barrel in his mouth. Twenty-six inches. Thirty-two years old. More than a decade in a double life fueled by depression and heroin. In his groundbreaking memoir, The Weight of Air, David chronicles his struggle to overcome mental illness and addiction."

"Beloved for her complete authenticity, raw honesty, and lovable humor, Tiffany Jenkins is the human voice of the opioid epidemic. This is her gripping true story, from her life as an addict, 20 felony charges, and six months in a Florida prison to her eventual sobriety and new life as a mom, wife, and inspiration to millions."

"The remarkable true story of one woman's journey back from the brink. Newly widowed and faced with a deadly brain tumour, she was given two years to live. She wanted more... When her six-year-old daughter found her collapsed on the kitchen floor, Rachel had no idea how much her life was about to change. A brain scan revealed a dark shadowy mass, a huge abnormal growth of tissue that, whilst benign, was still growing and would surely kill her. It was too big to operate on. It needed to be 'managed', and Rachel had, at best, two years to live. Refusing to accept the bleak prognosis, Rachel was determined to stay alive. This gripping and inspiring memoir about overcoming tragedy and trauma charts one tenacious woman's incredible fight to find light in the darkest of journeys."