Suicide Books

In this too true-to-life memoirs, Warren pulls people by the hand through a life full of mishap and mistake, with a few special prizes in between. She talks without reservation about a myriad of sordid and innocent sexual encounters in her quest for the perfect imperfect man. She goes across the country and through a number of occupations to discover that life is not about the destination. It's not even about the journey. It just is.
What makes Sex Before Suicide special is the unabashed voice it uses. The author runs over embarrassing moments without hesitation, and illustrates her flaws in grand detail. Yet, unusually, it's not desperate or self-important. It comes out with something so very key to the value of a good autobiography - appreciation. It comes across with the humor and honesty of A Working Stiff's Manifesto but with a heart and a special, lofty goal; though no one is sure just what that goal is.
Sex Before Suicide has all the elements of the literature of our times - forthright self-deprecation weighed with honest and cautious reflection, and a remarkable admiration of the world that so carelessly trumpets and treads those within it. A great and addictive read to be enjoyed by everyone living in the real adult world of unreasonably hyperbolic reality.

Unlike some of the men in these stories with short attention spans, I read SBS in four hours! I LOVED this book. I found myself laughing out loud. I couldn't put the book down - HAD to finish it in one sitting. Lori takes you on a journey that most will recognize. My 19-year old daughter is reading it now and I want her to share it with her girlfriends. It's almost like a right of passage from one generation to the next. AND the common thread is "You don't need a man to define who you are." Sorry guys!

SKC

The best word for SOUL NOTES is "validating."
As a Psychotherapist, I tend to see life through the lense of my clients' lives. One of the insights Dr. Rankin receives is that the time of death is predetermined. I knew of one young woman who tried to take her life by driving 180 miles an hour into a brick wall and walked away without a scratch. Other people successfully overdose on a handful of pills. Outcomes of suicide in my thirty plus years of experience seem predetermined.
I will recommend SOUL NOTES to my clients who are dealing with deaths of loved ones of any kind. Trudy's personal account of her own heart -wrench mourning and search for a deeper meaning of loss offers something that I cannot give, for I have never grieved. My mother's death from Alzheimer's disease in my thirties and my father's death from old age in my fifties were experienced as normal life cycle events. I still feel their presence close by--not as clearly as the "intuitive" in SOUL NOTES; I just know my parents have not left me. This was my other validation from Dr. Rankin's book.
I am a person who somehow missed the Western indoctrinations on distinctions between life and death. Dr. Rankin uses both traditional and non-traditional sources to challenge the great divide between our time on earth and the here-after. She shares her personal experiences to expand confining definitions. Some people will find her stories difficult to believe. Others will find them comforting and possible portholes to their own experiences.
As a therapist, Dr. Rankin's "visits" and "pieces of her compositions" add to the collection of stories from my own clients.

A SOULFUL JOURNEY

Dr. Trudy Corry Rankin in her book Soul Notes Of A Composition tells the story of how she served as the Librarian for the notes that would ultimately become this book. The notes were the compilation of pieces and experiences given to her and would explain and describe The World between the Two Worlds of God, life and death. Soul prayers, meditation, journaling, sandplay, poetry, support from others and the sharing by Intutives would all contribute to this Soulful Journey of the grieving process.

This book helps the reader to understand the disease of Bipolar Disorder. It is a personal account of the effects of Bipolar Disorder on the life of a family. Dr. Rankin shares the impact of her son's decision to commit suicide, in the midst of attempting to manage this disease. Her son, Corry was a talented musician and artist.

A core element of this book emphasizes that those making the transition from life to Life fall into the arms of the loving God, and are available for those who mourn. It offers comfort to families of loved ones who have shared similar experiences by affirming this confidence of God's love and care from the moment of their beloved's transition.

As a psychotherapist who works with patients with bipolar disorder and their families, I highly recommend this book. Families who are grieving following any loss will find this book helpful. It is written for all of us, as there is not anyone who has not asked these challenging questions posed by Dr. Rankin.

Thank you to Dr. Rankin for sharing her Soulful Journey with us.

Linda M. Smith, PhD, LMFT

Professor Hafez breaks down the complex system of Iraq and the insurgency there into a very readable and well organized analysis. I have read almost every book out there on suicide bombers and political violence and this is my favorite since the author takes the reader through a systematic understanding of the motivations behind the suicide bombers.

Professor of political science Mohammed M. Hafez presents Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom, a scholarly evaluation of the all-too-real cruelty and tragedy of suicide bombing in Iraq. Suicide bombings in Iraq appear to be perpetrated largely by non-Iraqi volunteers from Saudi Arabia, Europe, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, and North Africa, and the targets are generally either Iraqi security forces and Shia civilians rather than coalition forces. Suicide Bombers in Iraq meticulously dissects and deconstructs the methodologies used to justify suicide bombing and the sectarian equivalent of ethnic cleansing, and adds to the search for means to stem the tide of such attacks. In addition to current strategies, Professor Hafez also recommends a drive to delegitimize suicide bombings, directly attacking the ideological, theological, and other justifications that the masterminds of suicide bombings rely upon to recruit volunteers. Suicide Bombers in Iraq is entirely free of illusions - whether positive or negative - about the Iraq occupation, absolute "must-read" for anyone concerned about the future of Iraq.

This book is superb.Perhaps the best translation of Kruchenykh's work out there.Highly recommend.

Seeking to follow, partake of, the plot of last year's boffo thriller as you slowly grow deaf with the passing years you might stop the spinning millennium in Kruchonykh's manner with zaum, the untranslatable beyond rational that shouts out its meaning. Or you could scream out The Lacquered Lizards or shout out The Secret Vices of Academicians to their despair. The'bogeyman' stood always on "the edge..a living fragment of art's imaginable frontier" according to Pasternak.

Suicide Circus is, in fact, a sane gesture as futurism was a sane gesture in the face of a world about to crumble, and Kruchonykh did play a major role at a time when poetry was beginning to experiment with other than the tried and true versions of the way the world had always been 'seen'. One can get a feeling here for the way Kruchonykh moved through his poetry which he brandished gesturally.

The truly wonderful thing about this book, however, is the way that Jack Hirschman has rendered the poems into an English that moves, with the assistance of Alexander Kohav and Venyamin Tseytlin, two Russian poets who spent evenings with him in North Beach. The Russian rhythms live and the sense jangles (or jingles). While inclusion of the originals and more of the
visual works would have been desirable, this edition was able to include post-revolutionary work, published and unpublished, which gives some feel for Kruchonykh as a poet, rather than just a wild zaumik.

RLS is a fabulous writer. These stories are not necessarily his best but they give a flavor of his obsessions with the dark side of the puritanical Victorian soul. He catalogues the trials of men in demanding circumstances, often self-imposed, with a 19th century sensibility that oozes subversion. He winks at us with glittering language.

That was the best book I've ever read! I'm an avid reader and that was the best! It gave an insight into the mind of a teenage boy growing up in the poverty in the 50's and 60's. It includes everything from drugs, rock and roll, and sex. It's something everyone can relate too, especially those of us who are flower children and hippies but born in the wrong decade. "If you remeber the 60's you weren't there"

Too much literature in this day and age has been amped up to trump everything that has come before it. This has been done for the sake of everything from commercial success to notoriety, but "The Suicide of Pastor Folkes" is a great novel that simply lives in its own space. This book deals with the gray areas of life that are often confusing. Religion, morality, judgement are all there to explore but, like the motorcyclist of the story riding through the desert at night, things can be too dark and mysterious to see clearly even if it is in the wide open.
Without a formulaic plot, easy answers or contrived characters, "The Suicide of Pastor Folkes" is book from a better age of literature.

The Suicide of Pastor Folkes is unlike any other book I have read. The author tells 3 stories simulataneously and brings honesty and real emotion to each. This was one I could not put down!!! Loved it!

Although this book was written in 1962, this is a 1995 reprint; it is perhaps the most detailed account of the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis at a remote frontier Inn called Grinder's Stand. The only direct witness to testify was Mrs. Grinder herself who provided numerous and somewhat fantastic accounts essentially stating that Lewis shot himself twice, staggered outside, begged for water and help and was initially refused and then slashes his wrists and throat to die a slow death. Like the title states, was it in fact suicide or murder? Fisher offers a very analytical history of Lewis's life in St. Louis preceding his death and he often challenges perceptions of Louis being overtly depressed by examining Lewis' writings and by demonstrating that many previous writers created many factual errors. Fisher provides a cast of central characters starting with Frederick Bates, the Territory Secretary, who seems to have blatantly made Lewis's life difficult, the Indian Agent Neelly who is riding with Lewis but allows him to ride ahead to the Stand, Pernia, a free slave who attends to Lewis, the Grinder family and so on. Although other writers such as Clay Jenkinson recently suggests that Lewis may in fact have been bi-polar suffering depression, Fisher argues that Lewis more likely was melancholy. Melancholy in itself is not destructive argues Fisher and may be another form of intellect as noted by Lincoln's own bouts. Other writers suggest that Lewis was suffering from syphilis contracted from the Indians during the expedition. The main thrust of Fisher's book reviews the testimonies of the main participants at Grinder's Stand that learns to the suicide theory. However, no one provided a detail account other than Mrs. Grinder and the agent Neelly) that arrives the next day provides only scant detail. Local lore has it that Mr. Grinder killed Lewis and others have accused Pernia who was owed a significant sum by Lewis whose sizable money and his watch(s) were never found. Neelly himself keeps Lewis' pistols and dirk along with a trunk that is recovered only a year later. Neelly oddly does not offer much of a report and virtually disappears. After examining the witnesses' testimonies, Fisher challenges the historians who wrote their own theories. The only setback of the book is that the detailed references to a number of writers could have used a better introduction for each or a reference page. Mrs. Grinder's story is incredulous and there are so many odd facts even identifying where Lewis' body was initially discovered is uncertain. Fisher examines the incredible death of the great explorer, who may have been suffering from a latent bout of malaria versus depression, and although he gives you all the facts and challenges, you will find Lewis' death still a mystery but perhaps more so than before. Lewis' burial marker is in a lonely location even today but thankfully the bi-centenial of his exploration has created a greater appreciation for his feat along with Clark.

Anyone who is interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition, it is a must to have this book as a supplement. Anyone who likes to 'try' and figure out: mystery, truth from lies, to folklore, will also enjoy this book. This book gives all the accounts known of Meriwethers death. The problem is, there are about 20 accounts, and all of them differ, and the one person who we know for sure that was present - told at least four different versions. After reading this book, you will understand why some writers think it was murder, some suicide, and some haven't a clue. I happen to lean to the side of murder, but I could also understand the next reader thinking it was suicide. In the beginning of this book, Vardis Fisher says - To the memory of Meriwether Lewis, the greatest American of his breed and the most neglected. I thought the statement was pretty dumb, but my the time I finished reading the book, I understood what he meant.

Along with this amazing book I received a free disposable razor that was located in the same box. I am currently obtaining my masters in Social Work and as a professional in the field I find this to be deeply disturbing. Razors are used quite frequently for self harm and suicide attempts by adolescents and adults. If someone were ordering this book as a self-help guide they would have been given a free utensil to utilize. I strongly feel that an individual at amazon.com should have been aware of this before placing a razor in the same box as a suicide text book.

I am disappointed that I had to utilize the "review" section to voice my concern, but I feel that it was only another attempt for me to inform amazon of the incident. I have heard only good things about this book and am quite thrilled to own it. Please do not read my review as a revolt against the book but rather those who sent it to me.

If you work in mental health, in educational systems, or in geriatric settings, then it is only a matter of time before you will face the crisis of suicidal behavior. How you respond to the suicidal client will become a critical determinant in the outcome of this crisis. Unfortunately, the resources in this area available to helping professionals are fairly scarce and not always particularly helpful.

If you are a helping professional who works with suicidal folks, or you are simply interested in understanding suicide better, this is an essential addition to your book collection. The Granello's have combined their years of experience and research while simultaneously culling the body of research on suicidal behavior and assessment and intervention with suicidal people to produce an outstanding resource for all of us who work with people.

As both a clinician and a university profession, what I appreciate most about this book is its applicability both as a teaching text and as a clinical reference and guide. I believe that every mental health agency should have a copy on hand for its practitioners, and I believe that every graduate student in mental health or education programs should have this book included in their curriculum.

This book is well written, well organized, and well researched. It truly is an essential guide to helping professionals and educators, and I would add, anyone with an interest in understanding suicide better.

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Daniel R. Cruikshanks, Ph.D., PCC-S
Associate Professor & Clinical Coordinator
President, Ohio Counseling Association
Graduate Studies in Counseling
Heidelberg College
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
419.448.2308
www.heidelberg.edu
www.heidelberg.edu/graduate/counseling

As a psychotherapist in private practice, I am often asked to recommend a book to help someone through a "dark wood." This is such a book. Ms. Kenyon is fiercely brave in her telling of her husband's suicide and what came after. How does one survive the unthinkable, sort out enough of (for so much here is unknowable) the grief, guilt, anger, self-blame, and fear so that life is again possible for those left behind? How does anyone go on to reclaim some right place in the world and some right place in the heart for the loved one who has chosen to die? This book is filled with the quiet courage too often unacknowledged of just keeping on, of continuning to do what feels right and necessary when life is so difficult we're not sure we can stand it. Ms. Kenyon shares with us her courage, guidance, wisdom, even humor. She makes us a map of those places the ancients used to mark by saying, "Here Be Dragons." She helps us find again a world that remembers light, hope, laughter. What Elisabeth Kubler-Ross saw and recommended some years ago in SUNSHOWER is as relevant now as it was when this book was first published. My hard-back copy of this book has been loaned out again and again over the years. Nothing recent has been able to replace it. I am so glad SUNSHOWER is back in print.

On November 3, 1978, Dick Kenyon - husband, father, university employee and stained glass artist -- took his own life. That event is at the heart of Sunshower, but the book is much more than a story of a suicide. It is largely a survivor's tale, eloquently and unflinchingly told by his wife, Karen. With the grace of a poet and the insight of someone who has lived through the unthinkable, Karen Kenyon chronicles her life with Dick and the process of coming to terms with his end. In sharing this ultimately affirming story, Kenyon explores the most profound questions any of us can ask about life and love and the mystery that is every human being. I strongly recommend this beautiful book.

Everyone interacts with families. Every family has secrets. Sometimes, a high maintenance, self-destructive, low self-esteem child is one of them. Parents who have children like this often move into denial to survive, calling the behavior a phase, teen trauma, and/or peer influence.

Greta Eichel's family has an abundance of secrets that get more deliciously intriguing by the page. Yes, "Surviving Ellen" is a page turner that catches you.

Most importantly, this book is a book about love, mainly about the relationships of people who love someone who did not know how to love them back. The Socratic question for the reader to answer in this book is "do you know how to love the people you love in a way that feels loving to them?"

And, it is also a love story about two people, Greta and Stu, who knew how to love each other from the beginning and are still at it and going strong.

Like its title, this book is also about the strength to survive, whatever it takes, whenever it is necessary, however long it takes.

I believe this book could save many parents from having to survive their child's suicide.

Even those who have near-perfect children may benefit from it to help grandchildren or step-family members.

This book about the trials and tribulations of three generations of an American family combines the human comedy of growing up with fallible parents and a much more fallible brother to the human tragedy of losing a grown-up daughter. The author's resilience in the face of minor and major challenges is a testament to the power of humor for maintaining mental health.