Suicide Books

MY BROTHER PETER by Nomi Berger ISBN #1552070107

"My brother Peter" should be a simple enough phrase to enunciate, but not so for Nomi Berger. For twenty-seven years she could not refer to her deceased brother by name. This book is her moving account of her own year-long investigation into the suspicious death of her then 19 year old beloved brother Peter. Was it murder or was it suicide? Why could she not have access to reports on his death? A very personable and intelligent young man, Peter dropped out of Bishop's University and became involved in drugs on the streets of Montreal. He renounced his mid- to upper- class background as the son of a prominent attorney to seek out the idealistic life as a "flower child" of the sixties. This book gives an excellent view of that decade "when many of a generation's best and brightest lost their way in the Garden." This account is a very moving story of love, loss, and ultimately of healing for the author. It is of particular interest to those of us who grew up in those times.

Submitted by Sharon Beauregard Kingston ON Canada

For those who like to cry, and for those who don't, this is a wonderful, emotionally moving, fictious, first-person story about what happens after the death of the narrator's brother.
I checked this small book out of the local library because I liked the cover design and title-it was something different. With that much to go on, I started reading. I had only planned to read the beginning-having a tight schedule that day-nothing more, but could not, would not put it down. The book was an amazing story giving readers a fictious glimpse into the afterlife on two fronts, not only some of the afterlife of the brother, but the afterlife of the narrator and how she copes with the loss of her brother. Having lost my dear father to death three years ago, I found myself sobbing by the end of the book. For me, the book stirred up forgotten grief as I identified with the narrator. More than that, I will not tell. Read it yourself and do remember the tissue.

I was mesmerized by Jody McAuliffe's rich prose and original style in My Lovely Suicides. The tortured writer (Kleist) seeking a partner in suicide. . . intriguing storyline. Each chapter brings in a new potential partner in love and/or death. It's a rewarding read. I look forward to reading more of McAuliffe's works.

I think the book was very well written. It actually touches base with the person who actually dealt with it in real life. Mrs. Bolton's frankness about Mitch's suicide let's other realize that what they feel is not the end of the world for them and gives them some hope that in time things will be easier and that you don't have to hide from the fact that your loved one committed suicide. The book helps me as my daughter was 23 yrs. old when she committed suicide last August and it is so very hard for people to understand if you haven't gone through it yourself.

How about that author? Isn't she great? Such style! Such poise! Such an Un-Simplotonian command of words.

I think this book is a great book for teenager deeling with depression

This award winning picture book is the story of Kataujaq, a young girl living in Canada's arctic who loses her mother to a sudden illness. Kauaujaq greatly misses her mother, and several years pass with her dealing with her grief on her own. It is explained that the people of her village like to play soccer out on the sea ice under the moonlight, using a caribou skin ball stuffed with moss and fur. Her grandmother tells her that the thousands of thin strands of light moving about in the northern lights above them are really the souls of those that have passed on, playing soccer with a huge, frozen walrus head. This greatly consoles Kataujak as she feels her mother's presence, and no longer feels as lonely.

Full of Canadian content, the text and illustrations realistically convey many aspects of life in Canada's north. Highly recommended as a read-aloud for children in grades 1-2.

How great to have this insight to pre-rev France! I have studied the period and place before, and it had always seemed so...foreign and distant. But through these translated police records and other accounts in this book, life and people come alive in a way that they are suddenly, wonderfully familiar. And I am hoping that this book is only the first in a series.

This collection of essays, short stories, and poems all deal with the "Ultimate Question": to be, or not to be. Each philosopher, writer, or poet has contributed his or her own thoughts regarding suicide. Some of the selections are whimsical, such as a poem which discusses different ways of "doing it". Others are thought-provoking and emotional pieces, which bring up thoughts about why people commit suicide, and the feelings felt by those they leave behind. This book is suitable for scholars, teachers, professionals of all sorts, and especially those who may think twice before answering their own "Ultimate Question".

This book is wonderful! The descriptions of how the caterpillar changes into a butterfly are great and they relate so well to how a child would perceive themselves to change when they die. Explaining death to a child is extremely difficult, but this book does it beautifully and gives a child hope that they will be able to return in some way and let their loved ones know that they are happy. The illustrations are beautiful. This is a must have for social workers in the field of pediatric oncology. I recommend it enthusiastically. Many books on death are either too esoteric or too babyish. Children with cancer have experienced a great deal in their short lives and therefore have a greater understanding than most on death and the afterlife. This book acknowledges that understanding, embraces it, and then rejoices with the child in the new life that they are going to have. I have seen this book read at wakes, funerals and at the time of death to children, and it is very helpful to the child as well as to the family that is left behind. A wonderful book.