At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir [Hardcover]

Miriam Stone (Author), Lisa Franke (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Through raw journal entries and poems, Miriam Stone - now a college student - has created a stirring tribute to her late mother and a memorial to an extraordinary year of grief and self-discovery.

I turn back toward the street and catch her eye. I haven’t been accepted to school yet. She hasn’t announced her death yet. But in that glance is our first goodbye.

Miriam Stone’s mother is dying of cancer, and for the first time in this young writer’s life, words seem impotent. To tell her mother the lifetime of things she wants to say is akin to losing hope. To say goodbye is to give up. Even writing poetry, which once flowed in long streams, no longer comforts - she writes a different poetry now, spare and without answers. As the author conveys in this deeply moving, authentic memoir, poetry is found in every moment of every day, and at the end of words comes a new beginning. Miriam Stone’s heartfelt, spontaneous words will speak to anyone who has experienced grief or loss.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-What happens at the end of words? When you can find no other way to say "good-bye" or "I love you" to a parent? Stone faced those difficult questions as a teenager, and through alternating narration and poetry, she shares her anger, sorrow, confusion, and healing after her mother's death from breast cancer. The emotions in the prose passages express what one would expect a teen to feel upon the impending loss of a parent, while the poems provide a thoughtful counterpoint and add to the pacing of the book. The theme is not new, but the topic will likely speak to readers experiencing this devastating experience or who have a friend going through it. The book comes full circle, with time passing and healing beginning. While these may not be the freshest or most creatively written insights, they are very real.
Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-12. In spare poems and journal entries, a college student writes of the year when her mother died of cancer: the facts of the illness and the pain, the family's grief, and, especially, the student's sorrow, anger, guilt, and healing. Yes, it's therapeutic, and teen bereavement support groups will want this. But what moves the book beyond message is the raw, simple, personal imagery that reveals the young woman's distant relationship with her brother; her fear that she's using her mother's suffering as an excuse for slacking off; the details of her lurching to school unwashed in the clothes she slept in; and her ripping, tearing grief. The prose is as rhythmic and poetic as the verse. Particularly beautiful is the girl's long, rushing farewell monologue to her mother in the hospice, "I will follow what I love to be and do and see . . and I will go out and do great things because of you and for you and I know you'll be with me." Anyone who mourns a loved one will relate to this. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763618543
• ISBN-13: 978-0763618544
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,691,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one left me speechless!, May 10, 2003

By 

mtnlaurell (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir (Hardcover)

After reading this book, I found myself at the end of words. I was amazed and speechless. If Stone never does another thing to memorialize her mother, this beautiful work will continue to do so down the ages! I can only hope she won't stop here.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary, March 20, 2003

By 

T. Kaufman "thkaufman" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir (Hardcover)

This book of poems is simply the best collection I've read in quite some time. Ms Stone's poems seem to distill the essence of her life's experiences into images that combine power and beauty.

A must for anyone interested in poetry, life, and beauty.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, beautiful, MUST READ, March 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir (Hardcover)

Miriam Stone is one of a kind. Her poetry and prose are outstanding. You will continually check the back cover to make sure she is really only 21 years old.

Although this memoir is marketed towards young adults, it is a must-read for all, particularly anyone who has suffered through the loss of a loved one. Miriam captures the essence of the roller coaster ride of emotions one experiences while watching someone pass away. Her complete and utter honesty is outstanding.
Her words are poignant, you will read this memoir again and again with tears in your eyes. You will not be able to put this book down.