Customer Reviews

Beyond Endurance: When a Child Dies, 2nd Edition

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4 star:		(1)
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This book helped me more than anything I was able to do when our 18 year old son died in an accident 1985. The author, Ronald Knapp, wisely covers a broad range of circumstances and gives a clear and compassionate set of guidelines for those who mourn or those who wish to help mourners when a child dies, regardless of the circumstances or their values and beliefs. I will always remain grateful to him for writing the book, and I deeply regret that it is out of print. I loaned my copy to a friend several years ago, and it has since been passed on to many. Now I need another copy, for it is a book that will always remain helpful and timely!

It has been seven months since my mother and oldest son were killed in an automobile accident. It has been the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. This book offered a tremendous amount of practical advice. At times he was a little technical and wordy, but overall, this book helped me so much, and I believe it will help others who have lost a child.

My 19-year old son was accidently electrocuted on May 2, 1986. I felt that the 155+ familes who were quoted in Mr. Knapp's book were talking directly to us, counseling my wife and I on how to cope with our tragedy. Ronald J. Knapp's "Beyond Endurace: When a Child Dies" helped my family endure the unendurable. I thank him publicly here for writing his book. I gave copies to other families in my community who also lost a child.

In 1983 I lost 4 members of my family in a fire. After reading just about everything on the subject of death and dying, grief, and survival this was the only book that really spoke to me. Over the years I have loaned it to several family members and friends who have lost a child and everyone has had the same response. It's a terrible shame this book is out of print.

I first read this book in 1985 when my best friend committed suicide. I was combing the library shelves for something that was not a bunch of crap about how I wasn't supposed to feel guilty, etc. Well, this book was the one book that actually said something real about grief. Unfortunately, I had several friends have children die and I gave them this book. All of them commented on how much it helped them. I gave my copy away at some point and am so glad it is back in print. My father died last summer and this is the book I need. I recommend it to anyone who is facing grief. The material is real, not a bunch of greeting card junk strung together.

I'm so glad this book is back in print. After experiencing the loss of four family members in a fire in '82, this book helped me preserve my sanity. Of everything I read...and I read a LOT...this is the one book that really captured what I was feeling and showed me light at the end of the tunnel. Losing someone you love, especially a child, is never easy...but you CAN heal and you CAN go on with your life...and this book can help you.

Working with Authorhouse -- I converted the original edition of Beyond Endurance into this 2nd Edition. During this process, I wrote the new Chapter 13, "Internet Resources in the 2000s". Chapter 13 gives readers immediate access to grieving resources that were difficult to locate during the 1980s, when my family had to cope with the loss of our son, Glenn, on May 2, 1987.

Starting in 2000, I obtained permission from Professor Knap to reprint the book and to make it available only through Amazon.com. Unfortunately, the publisher of the reprint went bankrupt. This 2nd edition continues my effort to make the book widely available to grieving parents.

As of July 2010, a Kindle version for "Beyond Endurance: When a Child Dies, 2nd Edition" is now available at the Amazon.com website. Also, a "Look Inside" feature is now provided at Amazon to help you see the entire Table of Contents. "Look Inside" contains a selection of pages from Chapter One, which in my opinion is the most sensitively written chapter in the entire book. The "Look Inside" feature also provides Appendix A, "Twelve Learnings", beautifully written by Dr. James E. Doss, who is a close professional friend. Twenty-three years after I read the first edition of this book, I still consider Beyond Endurance" to be the best book written about how parents experience grief over the loss of a child.

I am a bereaved parent who lost his 19yr old son 4yrs ago, I was of the belief that no-one could understand the lifelong impact of this loss, unless you had lost a child yourself. Ronald J.Knapp has proved me wrong, this is an outstanding collection of facts, observations and recollections. I found this text very helpful.