Suicide Books

A poignant, must-read account of a strong, courageous mothers' journey to find peace in the light after her two sons' suicides.
Profound insights and exercises for the layman and therapist alike.
Recommended reading.

If suicide has touched your life, Mary Scovel's poignant story of how she and her family survived the loss of their two sons is a must read. Heartrending in its honesty, this book provides hope for the bereaved to not only survive their tragedy but to find meaning and transformation in the healing process. Scovel's unusual insight will help you view this unequaled challenge in surprising and enlightening ways.

Death is never easy talk about. This book is written with sensitivity and honesty. It is written as a workbook and text is interspersed with pages for further reflection, whether writings or drawings on the part of the listener. One of the best on the subject I have seen.

This is the only book that I could easily find about this difficult subject. It dealt clearly with all the issues concerned and did not tell you what to say, rather it gave you ideas and the confidence to find your own way. It is beautifully written. It covers many areas the ordinary person might not think of. I recommend it to counselors working with bereaved children. It is very helpful.

Much better than the expensive (and often quite wrong) "Maps of the Stars' Homes" sold on street corners in Hollywood, this volume accurately directs you not only to stars' homes (though all you'll see is their hedge, mailbox or garbage cans anyway) but more importantly to the filming locations used in many of your favorite movies and TV shows.

Locations like Fox Plaza in Century City (the Nakatomi building in "Die Hard") and Griffith Park Observatory (of "Rebel Without a Cause" and now "Transformers" fame) are easy to spot simply by driving around, but want to know what buildings and houses were used as the exterior locations for your favorite TV shows? They're in here, from the "Brady Bunch" house in Pasadena to the beach in Malibu Charlton Heston stood upon at the end of "Planet of the Apes."

Yes, most of the same information is now available on the Internet, but this book consolidates it in one handy tome that's great to throw into your carry-on when headed to LA for a trip.

Save yourself the cost of the overpriced maps and materials typically sold in Hollywood gift shops and pick up this volume - if you're serious about visiting famous sites in LA, you won't be sorry.

(As always, though, remember that the residences listed are private property and most stars' security companies won't hesitate to have you arrested for trespassing if you venture beyond the sidewalk fronting the homes, and people who made some paltry sum decades ago to allow their house be used as an "establishing shot" exterior are also likely sick of the attention.)

This is William A. Gordon, the author of "The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book." A revised and expanded fourth edition of the book was released in late 2007, but Amazon has not yet added the new cover, reviews, and updated information, even though it was e-mailed the information numerous times. The cover image is similar to the 3rd edition but uses a different font. The book has also been expanded by 14 pages to 288. You will receive the latest edition if you order the book from Amazon. (And I offer e-mail updates to readers in between editions.) If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me directly at BGordonLA@aol.com.

"Waiting for the Whales" was an inspiring picture story book about the death of a man who was quietly admired by his grand daughter and daughter. His interests and values were honest, respectful and sincere. After his death, they watch at their window overlooking the ocean, for the orcas to return, thinking about his love of the whales and the special bond he had with them.

A special relationship exists between granddaughter and grandfather and the Orca whales are right in the middle. Read this beautiful book with gorgeous illustrations to young and old. I can't read it to my elementary school children without shedding a tear! One of my very very favorite!

this novel may never win a literary award, but it helped save my life. i was 14 when i came across this personal & engaging story and i had already been in a psychiatric hosptial once myself. finally, i found a character i could truly relate with. someone who was neither perfect nor completely screwed up. she seemed to be a "normal" teenager with some problems coping just like i was. many of the actual details are fuzzy to me now, yet i remember really resonating with the the main character & the entire book being very welcoming & embracing. i felt a part of her journey as she struggled with complicated issues surrounding growing up: divorced parents, attempted suicide, & maturing into her own woman. it was honest without glamorizing her darker side, as much of my current reading at the time tended to do (as is the case with a lot of this genre, which makes sense as that seems to be what attracts the audience). it offered no cookie-cutter solutions or promises of rose gardens, leaving you instead with a fresh sense possibility & joy (both of which are difficult for someone struggling with depression, etc) as the narrator begins to truly embrace her life. i fully recomend it to anyone who has a tween to college age friend in their life (depending on their personality, etc) especially if they're particularly sensitive females with or without an artistic temperment as an encouraging example of the rainbows that can come after stormy adolescence. at a time when seperation from the adults in their life can become a pressing struggle, i believe someone sharing this with them could present a sign of empathy & support that can be appreciated when more direct means can sometimes feel too invasive. and even if your relationship is very open, it can provide a wonderful connection ~ especially if you read it too!

~it gave me hope~

though it has been over 15yrs since this book came into my life, i still credit it with being a shaping influence on the woman i am now so much that i feel compelled to respond to the editorial review from the school library journal that's copywrited a year after my initial review. personally, i believe it was 'whining', 'lacking in insight' & a 'self serving' 'washout'. why does trev jones focus almost entirely on the strained relationship between the mother & daughter which is a significant but not singular theme to the book? and making a point to note that the mother is a children's book author without even mentioning that elizabeth is a poet (which is a huge key to the conclusion of the book & inspires her to free herself from her dysfunctional past)? i actually agree that the animosity towards her mother was never fully clarified (in fact it seemed the author was a bit unsure of the tone desired between the two of them & i found it a bit annoying as well when reading it) however, ambiguos discontent is somewhat a halmark of adolescence, is it not? the reviewer seems close to be too personally upset to consider the targeted audience. the foundation of the book is elizabeth's attempt for autonomy & universally that seems to involve familial tension; however, elizabeth is trying to determine more than just what it is about her mother she doesn't like (indeed she even admits confusion over it) & i was inspired by the end when they seemed to reach a new level in their relationship & hoped for a similiar future friendship with my own mother. i am sad to see that it is out of print & whole-heartedly recomend that if the objective card catalog description seems the least bit intriguing, you spend a buck or two on a used copy to make up your mind. the three reviews listed here all seem to be from people who were personally touched by the book, which speaks to me of it's potential impact. and although the two customers are not professional reviewers, it seems perhaps the fact that we read it when in the demographics it was aimed at enabled us see it very differently & the fact that both of us remember it enough to be motivated to comment on it years later speaks volumes to me.

The New York Times Book Review: "Crescent Dragonwagon's writing is strong, adult, holds nothing back. Her book is shapely and satisfying and deeply touching. It has the authenticity of first-hand observation... a beautiful and significant book about love. Read it and pass it along." is available as well as a more detailed & objective description of the storyline at [...]

Eventhough I read this book for the first time when I was sixteen years old, I still feel as if I could read it over and over again, and would never tire of it. Its subjects are real and dealt with in a way that everyday people may relate to. It was the starting point for my own literary adveture that gave me an apetite for heart-warming and heart-breaking books.

Sometimes adults are so greif stricken that they can't deal properly with their children's grief. Books like this one are desperately needed.
I also used, After the Tears, A Gentle Guide to Help Children Understand Death. (video)

Sometimes adults are so greif stricken that they can't deal properly with their children's grief. Books like this one are desperately needed.
I also used, After the Tears, A Gentle Guide to Help Children Understand Death. (video)

"4 Dada Suicides" is a novelty of a book if ever there was one. Sad to say, since none of these guys would have wanted just to be novelties. We have Jacques Rigaut, the morbid dandy who, according to the man who employed him for awhile, was not quite the dadaist rebel he played at being; Arthur Cravan, perhaps the highlight of the book, with his intoxicated adventures and bitingly witty dismissal of just about everything! With Cravan, more so than Torma or Vache, one gets the sense of a man who could have been so much more than merely a scandalous figure who scribbled some opiated aphorisms. Torma is a trip too, however, his creepily composed and pale phantom haunting the black and white pages with telling lines:"Perfection is mediocrity. Only excess is beautiful". And we have the infamous Jacques Vache, goofing off to Breton about the state of his own health and his possible impending death (or not).

This is sort of an epitaph for four men who represented, in one way or another, the final "No" to values finally proved false. One wonders, though, while being awed by their enigmatic rebellion against society and art, whether they would have had anything to say had they not offed themselves so very quickly. THIS however is the most bizarre book I have yet to encounter from Atlas Press, and that's saying something. Beyond a must read, the ever sharpening sense of the edge and the immediacy of our lives in the face of death makes this a must have, right now. Read it.

From the book description: "Across a Broken Sky is an intense novel expressing the anger and emotions a young girl feels after surviving a plane crash that killed her parents."

The story begins with Karina reliving the harrowing night that her family is killed in a small plane crash. As an orphan she is sent to America to live with an aunt and uncle. As the story develops, Karina finds herself enrolled in a school (by court order)that requires participation in flying ultralight airplanes. The author demonstrates a thorough knowledge of flying, although forcing a kid to learn flying seemed a bit much.

The story is told is third person subjective viewpoint, giving the author a lot of room to use interior monologue with the lead character. This seemed appropriate, as the premise of the story deals with a young girl's survival and adaptation to a tragedy that has turned her world upside down. I was a little unsure whether this book was meant for adults or young adults. The issues of the young girl in trouble at school placed the book in the young adult category, but the writing level, word usage, and most of the dialogue, seemed to put it in the adult category. Either way, it is an interesting story and deserves more attention than it appears to be getting.

Dr. Jacobs has written another wonderful volume in practical parenting techniques. I read Dr. Jacobs' first book, "Fathering the ADHD Child," a few years ago, and it really helped me tremendously as a parent. Naturally, I was very eager to find out what new ideas Dr. Jacobs wanted to share with his second publication. I was astounded to find that I liked his new book even better! "ADHD: Helping Parents Help Their Children" does exactly that! It helps us help our kids find their way in this world. One of the most important, albeit painful, realizations of a parent is that he/she cannot be there for a child forever. Therefore, as parents, we must teach them everyday to thrive in the world independently. The book offers a number of very practical tools, such as charts, diaries, etc., to quantitatively track and manage positive and negative behaviors. These alone are worth many times the price of the book. It is simply amazing how much "true" progress we can make when we measure ourselves methodically and accurately. Clearly such goal setting and assessment techniques have proven helpful in weight control and anger management, but the application of such "scorecards" is actually even more effective with children. Kids just love to keep score! And they love to "win," so the motivation to succeed under a point system is very natural for youngsters. Frankly, I believe these tools can be very effective for any child, not just those with ADHD. Dr. Jacobs also offers pragmatic advice in a number of settings and situations. These include schooling, social skills, discipline, authority and medication. The book even covers the topic of marital issues, such as separation and divorce. I would encourage all parents who want to hone their childrearing skills to take a look at this book. Even those without ADHD children can benefit enormously from the concepts and techniques presented by Dr. Jacobs.

There is no better book on the market on the subject of self-injury.

This work provides a well-rounded culmination of explanation, conceptualization, supportive research, and applicable tips for the frontline responder.

D'Onofrio helps us to understand the inner world of the traumatized child, who can later become the self-injuring adolescent. He articulately puts the reader in touch with the pain and complexity of sufferers and the people who surround them. Readers are provided with an opportunity to endure a mere taste of the numbness or "deadness" that often drives self-injurers to inflict pain on themselves.

The later chapters discuss how to best help self-injuring individuals through a firm stance of empathy and clear boundaries combined with useful suggestions and steps to follow so as to best support the needs of the adolescent. D'Onofrio eloquently conveys his profound expertise and understanding to all -- clinicians, parents, as well as novice learners.