Self Help

The bittersweet human condition of love and loss is examined though the lens of history. By hearing how these famous (and infamous) people managed their lives after the loss of a spouse, we come to realize the potential that exists in all of us. Listening to stories is a way of trying on someone else's life on for size. What does it feel like to carry on the dangerous work that killed your husband? How does "carrying on" work when the body has not been recovered? Anyone who loves historical romance, will be intrigued by the stories between the covers of this book. Widow/ers featured include: Henry VIII, Martha Washington, Mary Todd Lincoln, Mark Twain, Hetty Green, Frances Sawyer Wolf, William Gillette, George Palmer Putnam (Amelia Earhart), Milton Hershey, Grandma Moses, C.S. Lewis, Norman Rockwell, Captain von Trapp, George Burns, Katharine Graham, Julia Child, Coretta Scott King, Abby Day Slocomb This is the second book in a series, "After the Loss of a Spouse"

Grief is an unavoidable aspect of life. But there really are no guidelines for grieving; and no two people grieve alike.

The author makes this clear as she tells of her journey through grief after the sudden death of her husband in 1999. This book shows not only her struggle to accept his death but also her belief that a person must deal with grief in his or her own way. And because this book began as a scholarly project, there are references to numerous books on dying, death, and bereavement intermingled with the author's own feelings and experiences.

This book is written from a widow's point of view. However, the author hopes that anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one or dealt with other inevitable losses in life might gain some value from reading this memoir.