Surviving Suicide

Susan Kuklin provides a primer for talking about suicide in her book: After a Suicide: Young People Speak Up. The book has two sections. The first section is composed of first person transcripts from interviews with family, friends, and community members affected by a suicide. Brothers, sisters, an entire family, schoolmates, siblings, counselors, and a son give their accounts of coping with suicide. Stages of grief are explained, therapy is modeled usually (but not always) as a positive step, anger is explored, and the stigma and silence historically surrounding suicide is discussed. The interviewees range in age from the teens to late twenties, though the suicides they experienced may have happened much earlier when the interviewees were children. The second section of the book is composed of transcripts from people who have either considered or attempted suicide, because of depression, learning disabilities, addiction, or sexual identity crises. One unique chapter in this section is a composite of hot-line calls to model a real life suicide-prevention phone counseling session for readers. Kuklin writes for her audience. The prose is unadorned, the speakers are young adults, and difficult emotions are conveyed simply and without judgment. The book's structure of presenting survivors' stories foremost is important for two reasons: empathy and prevention. First, survivors may have been recommended the book by a helpful person. Also some may have found this book in an effort to help formulate questions about their firsthand experience with suicide, because they have never discussed suicide due to culturally associated stigmas. Both of these groups will find stories within the book similar to their own. The book covers a large gamut of events and circumstances: friends knowing about the suicide before it took place, discovering a body, surprising as well as premeditated suicide, searching for why, survivor's guilt and exaggerated sense of responsibility, suicide notes, and teen and parental suicide. Survivors, at any stage in the grief process, can find a story that speaks to them concerning their loss. Second, the book is structured as a preventative tool. Young Adults (YAs) considering suicide may pick the book up to intellectually explore their suicidal thoughts. Firsthand accounts of friends and family struggling for years coupled with portraits of the long-term damage done to relatively innocent people and whole communities may sway some YAs from further considering suicide. When these YAs are softened by the emotional wreckage and gradual recovery of those left behind, they will be ready to read the second section. YAs then may be ready to find empathy with people who considered and attempted suicide. Formal therapy and informal discussion is consistently championed throughout the book to combat harmful silence. Starting on page one, Kuklin's approach to openly confronting guilt, embarrassment, and shame concerning suicide is a

Have you ever lost somebody because they committed suicide? It must feel terrible to lose somebody to suicide. After a Suicide is a nonfiction book written by Susan Kuklin that discusses this serious topic. In this book it tells so many melancholy stories about kids and adults situations. In this book it shows you what clues to look for when a person commits suicide. Many kids kill themselves because they are hurt and always depressed. There are adults who have health issues that they can't control, and can't be cured. I think that killing yourself isn't going to solve anything; it is going to make things even worse. Many people don't realize how much it hurts their family because of their deaths. There are times when we all feel down and depressed and we don't know what to do. Unfortunately, many people kill themselves. The author message's is committing suicide doesn't solve anything. It just hurts your family a lot. "I couldn't commit suicide if my life depended on it." This quote means if he didn't have a choice he couldn't commit suicide because he doesn't have the strength. I recommend this book to all kids and adults. This book isn't just a teen book. It is an admirable book. This is a book that everyone can connect to. I also recommend this book because some parents don't talk to their children about suicide. Susan Kuklin is an amazing author. Other books Susan Kuklin wrote was Speaking Out, Fighting Back, and What to do now? By: Ashley Lewis

Have you ever lost somebody because they committed suicide? It must feel terrible to lose somebody to suicide. After a Suicide is a nonfiction book written by Susan Kuklin that discusses this serious topic. In this book it tells so many melancholy stories about kids and adults situations. In this book it shows you what clues to look for when a person commits suicide. Many kids kill themselves because they are hurt and always depressed. There are adults who have health issues that they can't control, and can't be cured. I think that killing yourself isn't going to solve anything; it is going to make things even worse. Many people don't realize how much it hurts their family because of their deaths. There are times when we all feel down and depressed and we don't know what to do. Unfortunately, many people kill themselves. The author message's is committing suicide doesn't solve anything. It just hurts your family a lot. "I couldn't commit suicide if my life depended on it." This quote means if he didn't have a choice he couldn't commit suicide because he doesn't have the strength. I recommend this book to all kids and adults. This book isn't just a teen book. It is an admirable book. This is a book that everyone can connect to. I also recommend this book because some parents don't talk to their children about suicide. Susan Kuklin is an amazing author. Other books Susan Kuklin wrote was Speaking Out, Fighting Back, and What to do now?

This book doesn't tell the reader what should have been done or could have done to save the person who committed suicide. Instead it tells the stories of the survivors whose loved ones took their own lives. It was a powerful resource that I used in working with high school students who lost a classmate to suicide. I just made it available to students to check out. So far, I have only had good reports from them.