Book Review: Will Remember You: What to Do When Someone You Love Dies - A Guidebook Through Grief
CATEGORY: Grief and Loss
PUBLICATION: About Grief
JoDee Coulter, MT-BC, CT reviews, I Will Remember You: What to Do When Someone You Love Dies - A Guidebook Through Grief for Teens by Laura Dower with an introduction and commentary by Elena Lister, M.D.
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Experiencing the death of a loved one as a teenager can be paralyzing, as it's a time that is already filled with powerful emotions, hormonal changes, feelings of being alone and trying to define one's self. In I Will Remember You, authors Laura Dower and Elena Lister work together to create an avenue for teens to understand their unique response to loss and encourage self-expression to aid in healing.
"Think of this book as a grief map. It helps you to see the path, but it can't tell you where to go."
Published in 2001, I Will Remember You helps readers to identify loss and explore "what death means to them," while addressing different religious and cultural considerations. The authors explore emotions and coping skills, as well as concerns related to different kinds of losses: sibling, friend, parent, pet, etc. The reader can start from the beginning or skip through to the topics that are most appropriate for them.
This book is interwoven with poetry and journal entries from teens who have experienced death as well as famous quotes of inspiration and hope. "The Doctor Is In" sections offer suggestions for coping that were helpful to Dr. Lister and her family after the death of her young daughter. "Try This" sections include journaling exercises, visualizations and other creative ways of expressing grief.
All in all, this is a wonderful book for teens and will help them realize that they are not alone on this journey.