Suicide Books

This is a wonderful book which gives comfort, hope and details of the system we call life. When we are through on Earth we do not die, we just leave our physical bodies and move on to higher planes of existence.
This compilation of true stories instills faith and awareness.

Well written and easy to read. Don't miss this book!

Readers looking to select a book about death, dying, and the afterlife come in two broad categories--those who have already found answers and are looking for books that reaffirm and don't challenge their beliefs, and those who may have found answers, but are still open to hearing about others' experiences. Readers of the second type--the seekers--will find much of interest in Yvonne Perry's collection of firsthand accounts, More Than Meets the Eye: True Stories about Death, Dying and Afterlife.
Perry's point of view is by no means dispassionate and objective. She writes movingly about her own near death experiences and the spiritual journey that compelled her to study these subjects. No one religious ideology overlays the book. Rather, she shares views and experiences of many people, well-documented in her bibliography.
In "Souls and Ceremonies" (Chapter 4), Perry takes a fascinating look at the rituals of death from a historical perspective--from early Egyptian practices to modern embalming in the U.S. after the Civil War. Particularly interesting and comforting were the true stories of near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and spiritual visitation.
Perry's honest, straight-forward style is not bogged down by a lot of jargon or diversions that wander from the subject at hand. Seekers will appreciate this book and be glad for the time they've invested in hearing others' experiences with the Greatest Mystery on Earth.

The book touched on some subject that are sometimes considered taboo.
But, very important to look at them and understand them. Liked the book.

This book offers something for everyone. Whether you are new to learning about the near death experience (NDE) or have studied the phenomenon for years, this title holds a number of insights. Filled with multiple personal stories told from several points of view (including friends and relatives of the departed as well as those who've experienced an NDE), the stories are enlightening and comforting.

Many people question what will happen in the hereafter. Perry's book offers reassurance and comfort to those who've recently lost a loved one or are questioning their own existence.

I came upon this book at a time when I was looking for spiritual answers about Life/ Death and why we are here. The book spoke directly to some of the issues I was struggling with as well as areas of related interest. It is written in a manner that is easy to read without being condescending.
I appreciated the stories but even more the information about burial options, living wills and the commentary about how we handle death and the dead in our culture. I found the near death experiences and stories about contacting loved ones on the other side particularly comforting because they come from the experiences of average people, not folks preaching an ideology or trying to make a buck. I was also surprised to find my own experiences and developing beliefs validated by many of them.
My thanks to the author, this is one I'll hang on to.

Judy Collins somehow made it through the worst time of her life and she shares it with us, plus a CD included to boot. Who can ask for anything more?

Judy Collins shares her life lessons, pain, and joy with her millions of faithful fans. This book is very emotional, spiritual and inspiring. The CD songs are just beautiful! Buy it now for the CD insert is only for a limited time only. :)

While listening to the current recordings of this remarkable performer, humanitarian, and personality, one is immediately struck by the warmth of her voice and its enduring stamina and honesty, the same can be said about, "Singing Lessons, A Memoir of Love, Loss, Hope, and Healing. If anyone wonders if it is possible to survive unbearable tragedy, and thrive, they only have to read this book. If anyone wonders about physical, spiritual, and emmotional vibrancy, beyond the age of 40, they have only to read this book! It has been said that to survive any great tragedy, you have to go through it and experience it honestly. For those of us who have gone through far less than the loss of an only child, this book is a triumphant road-map on how to grow and survive any of lifes unfathomable, unexpected, and unreal experiences. Judy Collins is a shinning example, not only for those trying to cope with an enormous tragedy, but many of the new comers in todays music and entertainment industry who could well learn a "lesson" from her tremendous example on how to be a "good" star, someone who is truly grateful for the position they have achieved, and seeks to give back to the world, a true sense of caring, a steady sense of responsibility, and most of all, an enduring sense of the "real" kind of love, that makes this book "sing," and the journey possible and worth the effort to continue.

The writting style is stunnigly beautiful and impressive,just as authour's music always had a certain healing power.Many singers/actors are not capable to remember anything more than their LP's and awards - celebrities memoirs are too often simply boasting about their career - but Collins have a perfect ballanced view on her past and she writtes about her inner life much more than her career,which is mentioned basically briefly. Portraits of her father and mentor Anthonia are described with affection and of course the book never stops reflecting on her son.This is a clear picture of Judy Collins life from her point of view - no celebrity gossip,no recording dates,what really matters here are feelings and precious memories she shares with reader.At times I thought her story about son sounds a bit obsessive - until it made me realise that I think about my mother every day and she died 12 years ago,so I guess we never really let go.Not only that second half of the book brings very helpful observations how to cope with depression,Collins also have sharp witt and she saved certain original sense of humour which must be life-saving quality (on her knees in the bathroom of the White House,she laughs at herself),the whole book is a warm,affectionate celebration of spirit still shining bright after tragedy and life downfalls.

Read SINGING LESSONS by Judy Collins . . . this is a very
touching memoir of her life, her son's suicide and companion's
serious illness, and how she managed to survive these
events.

Judy Collins has always been one of my favorite performers . . . I also enjoyed reading about how her career evolved, as well as how she played with such other favorites of mine as Tom Paxton, Leonard Cohen, Joni, Mitchell, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Best of all, the book came with a four-song CD (much to my
surprise) . . . what a treat to be reading her words at the
same time I was listening to her sing!

There were many memorable passages; ...P>[Andrew Weil confirms what I have learned through trial and
error about depression.] "The best single treatment (for
depression) is vigorous, regular aerobic exercise, at least
thirty minutes a day, five days a week." Most of the time, after I spend a half hour or more exercising, any cloud of depression lifts so completely that I feel a small miracle has been accomplished.

This book gave me wonderful insight as to why an otherwise happy, well mannered, polite and considerate young man would take his life. And the reactions that the young boy who is his brother has had throughout his life made me cry at times and laugh at others.

I would recommend this book for anyone trying to understand the tragedy of suicide.

Surviving Bill is a tender and powerful book that is sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes heart-warming. If you've ever lost a loved one to suicide, this is a must read. But it is also a book for anyone who has had to deal with a painful loss--mainly because this is a book about coping, surviving, and ultimately about healing. Mike Reynolds has written a book that I truly believe will make a difference to many people. It's a book that will help many begin the process of moving forward. Hard hitting and brutally honest, Reynolds bravely exposes his own feelings and experiences to the world, and it is because of this that the reader latches on to his words. We trust him. We know that every experience he relates is true. Most importantly, we see that he survived the loss of his older brother, which gives us the inspiration and confidence that maybe we can too. Highly recommended.

I have a stack of to-be-read books that just keeps getting bigger, but this book was the perfect size for a short business trip I was taking so it moved to the top of the pile. That plus I met Mike Reynolds and was intrigued by the title and cover. I don't see that many books on suicide loss by male (sibling) survivors, and that intrigued me even further. I read the book and loved it.

Mike takes us through his journey of grief and growth after his older brother's suicide. Surviving Bill is a well written and honest accounting of his coming to terms with Bill's death. I especially loved the "synchronicity" stories. I, too, lost my older brother to suicide and could relate to Mike's struggle to cope with this devastating loss. I admire his courage to speak so openly and honestly about his life and his journey.

I highly recommend this book to other survivors of suicide and to those trying to understand the grief after a suicide.

Nearly a million people worldwide die by suicide annually. An average of 6 people are suicide "survivors" for each suicide that occurs in the United States. As with any death, family and friends of a suicide victim feel grief associated with loss. The trauma can leave survivors feeling guilty, angry, remorseful, and helpless. Survivors often feel that they have failed or that they should have intervened in some way. And it's often hard to talk about.

That's one reason Mike Reynolds wrote his book, Surviving Bill. One day he was helping his older 15-year-old brother with the daily chores of weeding and fertilizing, and watering saplings that it had taken Bill several weekends to plant. There were the usual brother-to-brother antics, with Bill building a dirt volcano for Mike and then rolling on the ground laughing hysterically as Mike got doused with water and dirt from the hose when it `erupted'. The next day Bill was gone. He had taken his own life.

Instead of ignoring his grief over the loss of his older brother Bill, author Mike Reynolds started to become aware of how the loss was affecting the way he lived his life, how it was hurting his relationships. It didn't happen overnight, but he became aware of "ordinary" moments in his life that moved his healing forward. This is not a typical narrative. It's Mike's very personal story of how, his surfboard in hand, he decided to wake up to the world, to experience his life and his relationships more deeply instead of closing himself off because he was afraid of losing them too. In an intimate, honest, and engaging style, Mike Reynolds relates these moments when the people he seemed to need at the exact moment he needed them appeared in his life. On a nearly deserted beach in Alaska, for example, he met a woman named Jessica who "needed to hear the pain I endured, my management of it and my rise back to the living. She needed to see the reality of my phoenix-like journey--to put her hands around it, to touch, taste and smell it. For her to really move forward, she had to see that someone else had gone through the same experience and survived."

This is a beautifully written book with a message of hope that, like a brave surfer, ducks into the dark curls of towering waves and emerges victorious to see the light and beauty of life still around him, still to be lived. On the untouched surf, he shreds perfect lonely waves of more than one kind. Readers will find hope and camaraderie within the pages of Surviving Bill.
Kelly Jameson, author of Dead On

Mike Reynolds confronts his brother's suicide and Death by learning to surf on Bill's board and, finding a metaphor for the flip side of sorrow, he literally takes the plunge. The little lessons in this book grow by increments to a wealth of understanding. Especially helpful in his reentry to the world of the living is the emotional catharsis and heightened awareness spawned by books, paintings and music. It's as if Reynolds' awakening senses produce cosmic antennae that tune in the blazing stars of Van Gogh and bask in Monet's lily pond. "Surviving Bill" is an honest source book of inspiration without platitudes, a page-turner for those familiar with loss and bereavement -- a gift of light.

In September 1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, arrived in St. Louis after a grueling expedition that had lasted for more than two years. Hailed as heroes, they were feted and honored by an eager nation forever pressing on its Western borders. This novel begins in St. Louis three years after the celebrations had ended with Will Clark serving as Superintendent of Indian Affairs and Meriwether Lewis as the appointed Governor of the Louisiana Territory. But the intervening years have not been kind to Lewis. He is fending off people to whom he is indebted and, more importantly, rebutting criticism from his superiors in Washington that he has misused government funds, and the rumors are washed down with a liberal amount of whiskey and a healthy dose of laudanum.
Sensing his vulnerability, Lewis is approached by James Wilkinson, who had been caught up in the Aaron Burr conspiracy a few years earlier, and who is now an agent of Spain. He attempts to involve Lewis in another conspiracy which will put him at the head of an empire carved out of the Louisiana Territory. Not only does Lewis not bite, but he heads off to Washington to defend his honor and to warn the government of Wilkinson's actions. Because Lewis believes that Wilkinson has hired men to kill him in New Orleans, he heads to the Federal City by way of the primitive Natchez Trace on horseback with the priceless records from the Expedition.

No one can say exactly what happened on the Natchez Trace, but what is known is that Meriwether Lewis, the hero of the Corps of Discovery, died alone in a room rented from a Mrs. Grinder. Most historians believe that Lewis committed suicide. Because so few details are known, the author is free to create a story of conspiracy, pursuit, brutality, betrayal, and murder.

The characters of Lewis, Clark, Wilkinson, and York, Clark's slave, are richly detailed and wholly believable. You can sense what it was like to travel the Natchez Trace with its seedy inns, runaway slave communities, and robbers. Everything necessary to recreate the early part of the 19th Century in the Louisiana Territory is covered, and all is woven into the compelling story of Meriwether Lewis, a man who had become a drunk, drug-addicted, persecuted wreck of a man, and his friend, William Clark, who could do nothing to save him. The Lewis and Clark Expedition is one of the great events of American history. But for Meriwether Lewis, it all ended in a rustic cabin on a territorial road in Tennessee, and To the Ends of the Earth is his story.

I hardly put this book down after I started it. It immediately engaged me. I was concerned about the characters whether good or bad (there are plenty of those), male or female, "important" or more secondary to the plot. Hunter's use of a wolf as a way to deal with mental illness was especially effective. History was followed faithfully when it provided needed details; other details were, I guess, made up, but done very effectively and within the scope of the known facts. I have recommended the book without hesitation to friends and family and will continue to do so.

To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark is a very interesting read....not only a good historical fiction book, but also a compelling mystery. It was such an intriguing read that it was difficult to put down.

I especially enjoyed the characterizations. The development of the people portrayed in this book added a great deal of realism to this novel.

One can tell that the author researched extensively her subject matter. The book was quite authentic in time and place and sent the reader back to this fascinating period to learn more about this famous pair of explorers and the mysteries associated with their lives after their famous expedition.

As the book opens, its 1809, three years after the Corps of Discovery has returned from the West, Meriwether Lewis is governor of the Louisiana Territory and William Clark is General of the militia. While Clark is happily married, Lewis is plagued by malarial fever, is drinking too much and is dependent upon laudanum for the pains from the fever. They are both about to be swept into a treasonous plot to gain control of the Louisiana Territory. To say anything more would give away the whole plot.

A fascinating life-like portrayal of the last days of one America's great adventurers, and the author has provided an interesting theory on one of our country's great mysteries. Worth checking out for any one interested in this period of our history. Four stars.

"To the Ends of the Earth; The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark," is a wonderful work of historical fiction. I'll admit that in the beginning, the first twenty pages or so, did not grab my attention at all. I found myself wondering how on earth I was going to get through this entire novel. Suddenly it was an hour later, I was over a hundred pages into the story, and completely intoxicated by it. The story is absolutely incredible, and once I got into it, I couldn't make myself put it down.

We all know who Lewis & Clark were (if you don't, go find out on your own, I'm not going to explain it to you here.) but what we don't all readily know, is what happened to them after their three year expedition. That is what this book is about. It opens in 1809, and Lewis is a man in trouble. He's drinking too much, writing government vouchers for things that later will not be honored, postponing the writing of his novel, and lying to his best friend.

Due to a corrupt adversary within the US government, Lewis sets out for Federal City (the then name for Washington DC) In tow, are all his journals, maps and notes from his previous expedition. En route, Lewis is faced with enemies and allies alike, sometimes making it impossible for him to tell the difference. Hearing that his friend may be in trouble, Clark packs up and leaves after him, hoping to save his friend.

Its hard to explain what takes place on the journey to Federal City without ruining the story for those who would like to read it. Just know that its full of twists and turns, ups and downs, chaos and honor. It's a story you won't soon forget, and one that should be added to any historical fiction library.

This is a very helpful book for teens who have suffered the death of a friend. The format is accessible and the information helps the teen understand grief and the pain and confusion within it.

This book helped me a lost my sister an cousin that were sixteen in a car accident a year ago this book helped me relize things i needed to know an how to get help! The hardest things are there birthdays an christmas they are not there but i pray to them an it still feels like they are around ! i didnt want to talk to my mom or dad about it so i talked to my friends an cousins aboout it they understood what happened! My friends noticed a change in me after reading this book they thought it really helped me but on somedays all i think about is what happened an what i saw so then i remembered the book said to think of happy moments an i did this book saved me!!!

I think this book may help me in the loss of my 15 year old friend named Tim. I love ya man, can't wait to see you in heaven someday.
Hannah

I bought this book for my 18 year old brother after his best friend died tragically. I left it in his room, feeling it would be awkward to give it to him directly. He was 'too tough' to cry at that point. A few days later my mom told me that there was an empty tissue box by his bed, the tissues used and crumpled around it. A corner of the book stuck out from under his mattress. I didn't read the entire book myself- I looked through parts of it before buying it. Some pages featured a simple quote or a short paragraph. Others were filled with words from teens who had experienced similar loss. I was pleased that the book itself was not only small in size, but that each page contained just enough material for a grieving teen to digest without being overwhelming. This book allowed my brother to, at least temporarily, take off his mask of bravery and simply cry over the loss of his friend. That deserves five stars from me.

I just recently lost a close friend to a car accident and reading this book made me feel like I wasn't alone. So many of the teen quotes from the book were exactly what I was thinking. A lot of the things the book said showed me that I wasn't alone and that so many people were feeling the same thing. I'm passing the book around to friends who've also shared the same loss. I suggest this book to ANYONE who's suffered a loss, of a friend, a parent, a lover, a sibling, a son or daughter, just any loss. It really helped and I'm glad there's a book like this out there.

This book is given to our teens and young adults at our hospital. We have received wonderful feedback about this book and the therapeutic responses it facilitates. We would highly recommend this book to others.
Jo Ann Namm

As a therapist in an RTF, I found this journal to be helpful in working with adolescents who are grieving someone close to them. Great book!

I work in an Alternative HS and have found that my students who most would think the book looks "corney" have requested copies of the book after looking through it. I like the fact that it addresses issues of anger that the adolescent may have (or may not even realize they have) towards the deceased. I work with high-risk youth and the family dynamics are always so complex. I also like the fact that it addresses changes that the adolescent will have to make and doesn't "sugar coat" things. But, it pays respect to the deceased in a tasteful way, and it is way for the adolescent to write memories/stories he/she might forget.

My only complaint is that the book is pink. My guys who have been the ones who really have gotten a lot of use from this book (especially dealing with the death of a parent) are turned off at first from even looking at it.

This workbook has proven very useful for teenagers going through the grieving process. My clients have been able to process a great deal with the help of this item. I would highly recommend it.

I am a teacher of teenagers and have given this book to at least five students who have suffered a loss. They ALL have reported that it was tremendously helpful and, when they shared it with their families, a bonding experience.

The book was delivered on a timely basis and was in pretty good shape for being so old.

Not exactly the place to start but for those interested in an easier read this is it. Karl Menninger is awfully Freudian but this becomes a bit of a page turner. Introspective, incredibly insightful and definitely worth the time and money. This is an essential for your collection. If you like this one you will love his "Love Against Hate" (but it may be out of print).

This review is not a hoax: I read this book while in solitary confinement for assaulting another prisoner. It was my first exposure to analysis of self-destructive behavior and its damning cyclical pattern. I was a two-time loser. A career criminal who had followed the all too familiar progression from juvenile home, jail, to prison. This book change my life. After serving a decade and a half in prison, I am now at the top of my class in graduate school. It is never too late to pick up the pieces, but we must first learn what those pieces are and how and why they were smashed into pieces in the first place. This book will teach you how to do just that.

ALL I CAN SAY IS: READ THIS DELIGHTFUL, ORIGINAL, AND FASCINATING WORK. IT WILL GIVE YOU MUCH TO REFLECT ON! A TRULY CLASSIC AND TIMELESS WORK BY KARL MENNINGER.

Dr.Karl Menninger was Topeka(KS)-based psychoanalytic-psychiatrist and believed the Death-Instinct in the human. Therefore some readers may think this book, which is almost-perfect based upon the Death-Instinct theory, is nothing but the pessimistic. But we shouldn't forget a simple-but-hard fact that we ourselves live in the auto-pessimistic era;the post-9.11 terrorised era. In this realistic-and-therefore-neither-sentimental-nor-romantic book Dr Menninger teaches us that some people destroy themselves with using the others and therefore they NEED the others. Of couse,not everyone may believe his theory and,ultimately,not everyone needs to believe,but-or-still this book,I believe,is the best starting point of thinking about the human;ourselves.

I can't recommend this book highly enough... The author writes is a very direct, honest, down-to-earth style, yet what she has to say is extremely profound. Like the little boy who says, "look, but the emperor has no clothes", she compassionately yet clearly through the cultural myths and denial that envelop and alienate us from the truth of our own direct experience.

I came to this book having read plenty of other books already on "the shadow", "befriending our pain", the dangers of "spiritual bypass", etc. etc. etc. so I was initially concerned that I might find some of this material old-hat or repetitive. Instead, I was delighted to find that the author offers a fresh and original take on these valuable subjects from the perspective of both Jewish spirituality and mysticism, as well as from the wisdom of her own hard-won experience.

The stories that the author shares from her own life, as well as the stories of the clients who have been fortunate enough to have her as a therapist, point to the real possibility of transformation and healing, by learning to listen to the wisdom of the "dark emotions". I found this book highly inspiring, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to find their way through and beyond the truth of suffering...

While I have never met the author, I want to say a heartfelt "thank you" for having written such a powerfully moving book...

I am a 9/11 survivor and this book really helped me accept my feelings rather than judging myself for having them. I bought this at Amazon.com from an Awesome Deal I found on DailyTool.com.

Everyone has losses. Everyone has wounds. This is not the end of joy but the beginning, if only we can learn to live with and find ourselves in our feelings, and embrace the life that waits for us on the other side of our pain. Miriam Greenspan's wise book is a warm and helpful guide to dealing with the dark emotions we all experience. As a writer and therapist myself I know how needed her book is and how valuable what she has to offer is. This is a must read for everyone.

A relatively recent book with the simple but profound concept that fear, grief and despair contain the seeds of great wisdom, vitality and balance when they are experienced fully rather than phobically avoided. It demonstrates how our aversion to pain sabotages our search for happiness. I often recommend this book in my psychotherapy practice.

Greenspan's book deserves wider recognition. I found it by accident online and I wish I had seen it earlier.

What I liked best: Greenspan writes from her own experienced as therapist and bereaved mother, a woman who came to the US as a young child and lost her first child due to unexplained brain defects. She knows the darker emotions first-hand.

Even better, Greenspan is not afraid to confront the received wisdom of the psychiatric establishment. Medication works for some depressed clients, but it is only by going into the emotion that we can transform despair into faith and fear into joy. She picks up on the values embedded in the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria: depression is a "mood disorder," which means that only cheerful, upbeat people are "normal."

I found myself making notes of key points that were unusual and insightful. In particular, her discussion of "boomerang emotions" will be especially valuable to anyone who's ever been frustrated in one area and acted out in another. It is easy to make impulsive, often dysfunctional decisions after stifling feelings for a long time. This section is one of the best in the book.

On the downside, I wish Greenspan had been more rigorous. Although her views seem sensible, some research suggets disagreement. For example, one study found that people recovered from grief as well if they were medicated as if they were allowed the full experience. Other studies have demonstrated that people experience grief differently. Some may not need to go deep into the feeling.

Because Greenspan works with therapy patients, she does not discuss the context of these "dark" emotions. Despair can be experienced by someone like William Styron, whom she discusses, as a person who seems on top of the world. But would there be a different experience of despair for someone who just lost a job, has little chance of finding a new job, anticipates old age and perhaps has family stresses too? Despair rooted in real obstacles seems somehow different from despair that has more existential "why are we here" origins. And biologically based depression seems to be different altogether.

Many New Age and popular authors (such as best-selling author Lynn Grabhorn) make exactly the opposite point: if you force yourself to be upbeat, your life gets better. I wish Greenspan had addressed this point directly, as some people do seem to do better after forced cheerfulness. This topic may not be amenable to scientific research but it would be nice to see some science-based discussion.

Finally, I wish Greenspan had stated her credentials on the book jacket. Is she a PhD? Does she have degrees? Has she published articles in academic or research journals? I was a little disconcerted by the discussion of chakras in a book by a more-or-less mainstream therapist.

Then again, Greenspan seems to be making a statement. She doesn't like the way we treat the darker emotions. And maybe she doesn't like the way therapists are categorized and pigeon-holed either. After all, there's no research (as far as I know) demonstrating that certain training results in better therapeutic outcomes. Definitely worth a read.

A bus pass
A postcard
A German grammar book
A potted plant
A packet of seeds
A page from a songbook
A record
An empty plastic box
A package of condoms
A wadded-up sheet
A frayed American flag
A black notebook
A wrapped package with a curly ribbon
A movie ticket
A razor blade and a bottle of blue pills

What could a sixteen-year-old Swedish boy have to do with all those objects? You'd be surprised.
This book is told by a teenage boy. Is he a boy? He has loved before, but he has yet to get his license or experience the "real world". He goes nameless throughout the entire story, which adds to the constant question of manhood or childhood. And what does a movie ticket and a wrapped package with a curly ribbon have to do with it?
The book starts with him spending a night alone, reviewing the past year in his mind as a movie starring himself and a girl. The girl. Like most teenage boys, he has fallen in love. She, however, was not in love.
The novel focuses on this boy and the objects that still connect him to his past lover. He feels a burning desire to rid himself of those memories. What to do with the bus pass? The record? The sheet?
This book will keep you up at night. You'll be wide awake at 3 a.m., gnawing at your fingernails. Why did he have to destroy the that? Why did he need to get rid of it? Every obstacle this boy goes through will have an impact on your entire day. Why? Why won't he listen? Why won't he move?! WAKE UP!

A bus pass
A postcard
A German grammar book
A potted plant
A packet of seeds
A page from a songbook
A record
An empty plastic box
A package of condoms
A wadded-up sheet
A frayed American flag
A black notebook
A wrapped package with a curly ribbon
A movie ticket
A razor blade and a bottle of blue pills

What could a sixteen-year-old Swedish boy have to do with all those objects? You'd be surprised.
This book is told by a teenage boy. Is he a boy? He has loved before, but he has yet to get his license or experience the "real world". He goes nameless throughout the entire story, which adds to the constant question of manhood or childhood. And what does a movie ticket and a wrapped package with a curly ribbon have to do with it?
The book starts with him spending a night alone, reviewing the past year in his mind as a movie starring himself and a girl. The girl. Like most teenage boys, he has fallen in love. She, however, was not in love.
The novel focuses on this boy and the objects that still connect him to his past lover. He feels a burning desire to rid himself of those memories. What to do with the bus pass? The record? The sheet?
This book will keep you up at night. You'll be wide awake at 3 a.m., gnawing at your fingernails. Why did he have to destroy the that? Why did he need to get rid of it? Every obstacle this boy goes through will have an impact on your entire day. Why? Why won't he listen? Why won't he move?! WAKE UP!

This is one book that I could read over and over. I read Heart's Delight in one day, and loved it so much. This is actually a book that was translated from sweedish, into English.

The main character in this book is about 17, and is heartbroken by his true love, for which he calls "Heart's Delight". A mysterious redhead, who he sees every week on the city bus to school. Eventually, they get to know eachother, and fall in love. Later, the book talks about teenage sex, and how beautiful it was for him the first time, with heart's delight.

It's later in the book that you find out what happens, which drives the boy to commit suicide. The only one who can save his life is Heart's Delight, also known as Ann-Katrin.

This book is writen beautifuly, you should definently read it.

Heart's delight is the name of a plant. It's also called Lemon Balm, and it gives off a faint hint of-- you guessed it-- lemon. It is also the nickname the young man in this book gives to the girl who he thinks is the love of his life. Ever since the young man first saw her he has been in love, but now he only wants to get her out of his mind. To do this, however, he must first destroy every bit of her she has left in his life.
"Heart's Delight" is a story about love and falling out of love. I recommend this book to anyone who needs to feel really sad. This is not the sort of book that will leave you satisfied with the world.

By far, the best book ive ever read. Not your usual sappy teen love story where girl meets guy and they end up happily ever after, or the typical drama of a teen couple having sex and getting pregnant. this novel is unique and lovely, beautiful ,yet sad love story, it will make you cry. i especially reccomend it to all you girls who think that boys have no emotions. wonderful story, anyone who has a true love, or has had a true love and lost it, should read thsi book. Nilson writes beautifully without being overabundant with words, he used the right amount and the right words, great writing style, has even inspired me to begin writing.

This book appeals at so many levels. It is a gripping historical novel, with well-researched references to the art world of New York City around World War I. It is a mystery novel. It is a love story. It is a psychological study of a desperately troubled young woman. The author is a meticulous researcher and every historical reference, providing the story with texture, rings true. Beautifully written. This is a book you will not easily forget.

A compelling story and a wonderful piece of writing. The novel gets its power from the author's close observation of conflicting human emotions seen against a richly detailed portrait of New York City just before World War One. That tragedy looms over the characters sharpening their emotions, but the author never overplays her hand The true tragedy plays out in a long, heart-breaking andante near the end. Edith Wharton would have been proud to have written this moving story.

On the surface the story is simple: a young artist, Lily Canning, dies - her life story is told by the people who loved her. Set in the months before World War I in and around New York City, the times and places are vividly drawn and investigated. Both the War and the Modern Art movement are characters in this beautifully written novel, and we see the advent of both upset the values and dreams of a generation. The story is a woman's cry from the heart for freedom, recognition, and love told by a master storyteller.

This was a great book. It's set in 1917 - New York. A vagrant sees the talented and lovely Miss Lily Canning jump off of a bridge into the Hudson River. Her family and friends are baffled by her decision and are left to grasp at straws, searching for answers. The looming war in Europe adds texture to the psychological tension built throughout the story.

The story is brilliantly told via different persons in Lily's sphere. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, who more or less picks up the narrative where the last character left off. In some hands, such a device might be distracting or annoying, but Marchetta managed to pull it off seamlessly. And, while I'm thinking about it, Marchetta's writing is seamless, too. It was realistic, and details about the period were sown in and communicated effortlessly. I was truly enthralled by this story as it unfolded page by page.

THE RIVER, BY MOONLIGHT by Camille Marchetta is a literary jewel set in 1917 New York with characters so clear you could pick them out of a crowd.

This story begins a little after six in the morning when Henrietta Canning gets a disturbing call from NYPD Detective Malone. A lady has drowned in the Hudson River and the police believe it's her twenty-five year old daughter, Lily. Once the identity is confirmed, the next concern for her family is whether this was an accident or suicide.

As the people she left behind come to terms with this loss, we get to know Lily and what it must have been like to walk in her shoes. It won't be until the last few pages that we understand completely what happened that fatal night at the Yacht Club.

Marchetta's book would make the perfect book club read!