Dying to Be Free: A Healing Guide for Families After a Suicide

I am so thankful that I found this book! My Husband, a vibrant, successful, hansome United States Marine took his own life a year and a half ago. How could someone who had so much to live for do such a thing? How could he leave us? What was he thinking? Why didn't I see it coming? In a desperate search for answers I read, talked, and listened. When I read Dying To Be Free, Many Of my questions were answered and I began my path of healing. This simple concise book helped me understand how my husband got to the point where suicide seemed like the ONLY option. The authors do an excellent job of tying together their own experiences with many other survivors and family members to find commonalities which help us to understand what went wrong. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who is struggling with the "why" of suicide.

Beverly Cobain has survived not just one but three family suicides; the most famous being the 1994 death of her cousin Kurt, lead singer of Nirvana. Her registered nurse background and family experiences here blend with those of crisis intervention specialist Jean Larch to provide survivors with a handbook which speaks to the heart. DYING TO BE FREE: A HEALING GUIDE FOR FAMILIES AFTER A SUICIDE gathers the common experiences and feelings of survivors under one cover, providing a unique set of thoughts, feelings and reflections on turmoil, psyche, and family dynamics. A powerful survivor's guide. Diane C. Donovan, Editor California Bookwatch

This book has helped us to understand, as much as possible, what our son's mind was like when he died from suicide. My husband and I read the book when it first came out and found that we were reading about our son! We could totaly relate to the information given. Our son died in Oct. 2005. This book will not take away the pain we are feeling, but it has helped us to deal with it. I highly recommend the book!

I read this book over the weekend and I thought it was wonderful! It is everything that someone would need to know if they had experienced losing someone to suicide or even knew someone who had lost someone to suicide. It is simple to understand yet so full of information. So many books I have read on suicide are full of information but use language that is too psychological for anyone not in the field to truly understand. I will definitely be recommending this book to any future clients of mine who need it. My favorite part of the book though was the way that the authors describe survivor grief. I have never read it described so perfectly. Anyone who was reading this book after experiencing a suicide would finally be able to realize that the way they are feeling is normal. And anyone who didn't understand how someone was feeling would be able to understand what his or her friend/family member is going through. And I loved all of the survivor stories the authors used throughout the book, especially at the end (so inspirational!). Seriously, this is a great book and I would highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (2/06) In "Dying to Be Free," the authors have provided the reader with a simple guide to understanding not only the loved one they have lost, but also to understanding themselves. The book addresses the mind of the suicidal person, and attempts to explain what my have driven him or her to suicide. It addresses the gamut of emotions that survivors feel, as well as various ways to aid in the healing process. It goes on to pinpoint some common warning signs of suicide, as well as help with what to do if you suspect someone of being suicidal. It also very briefly talks about what to do if you yourself begin to have suicidal thoughts. This book is well organized and easy to read. Interspersed amongst the text are quotes from suicide survivors. These quotes give the book an appealing touch of reality, and will probably "speak" more to readers than simple author narrative. The last chapter shares stories of survivors who still feel connections to the loved ones they have lost to suicide. This offers great hope to other survivors that there is life beyond suicide, and that their loved ones are still with them in their own way. Reading these storied could be very comforting to someone who has suffered such a loss. The writing was very simplistic and a bit choppy. It seemed as though the authors wanted to touch upon too many topics in too short of a book. This book addressed many issues that are important to survivors of suicide, but did not always expand upon those issues. "Dying To Be Free" would be a good starting point in the healing process, but should not be the sole resource a person relies on when trying to move past the suicide of a loved one.