A patient whose wife had just died asked the critical question: "There are guides to money, marriage, parenting, and living better. Why can't I find a guide to grief?" Dr. Marilyn K. Gilbert, the psychologist who pioneered the "Good Grief" programs for understanding the impact of loss following death, listened intently. And now, finally, we have the result. Voices Left Behind is Dr. Gilbert's sensitive, insightful, and totally engrossing guide to grief and the impact death and loss can have on those who are often called "survivors." This very moving book is filled with the poignant stories of those who have been "left behind." They are people we all know; wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, siblings, friends, and neighbors. These stories, told in their own words, are powerful and, very often, comforting. We meet Dot who tearfully confesses, "I hate being called a widow," and Henry, who quietly admits after his wife's seven-year losing battle with Alzheimer's disease that "Living with Frances was like living with a silent ghost." Amy, a young military wife, faces a different kind of loss and grief. "They call it PTSD. All I know is nothing's right in our lives anymore." And nine-year-old Beth whose beloved grandfather just died, only wants Grandpa Walter to give her a sign that he got to Heaven O.K. Through these stories, we are able to view grief and loss in a new way. Although there is no predictable time line in the process of grief, "Voices" provides us with new insight and hope. And, most amazing of all, it gives each of us the permission we need to realize we, too, can heal from the wounds of grief.
