Midlife Orphan: Facing Life's Changes Now That Your Parents Are Gone [Paperback]

Jane Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

The word "orphan" may make us think of a child--but even self-sufficient adults can feel the pain of "orphanhood" when their parents are suddenly gone. Complicating the natural mourning process is the fact that this loss often occurs in our thirties, forties, or fifties--as we are raising our own children, watching them leave the nest, and facing other adjustments in our lives, from our jobs to our marriages to our health. This thoughtful exploration of a neglected subject explains the emotional impact of losing our parents in the midst of midlife--and why many underestimate it. Discussing such topics as changes in self-image, unresolved issues, guilt, sorrow, and anger, the emotional impact of inheritance, and the shifting of roles as a result of "midlife orphanhood," Jane Brooks shows us how to find new sources of strength, in both ourselves and others, after our parents are gone.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425166937
• ISBN-13: 978-0425166932
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Midlife Orphan: Facing Life's Changes Now That Your Parents Are Gone (Paperback)

I am 48 and lost both my parents a year apart. This book has helped me far more than a counselor. The author totally understands the feelings of losing ones parents in midlife. This book is a must read for anyone who has lost a parent.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a godsend., September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Midlife Orphan: Facing Life's Changes Now That Your Parents Are Gone (Paperback)

I am moved by this book. I am an orphan, at the age of 49, I lost both parents this year 9 weeks apart. I never really grieved my mother the first to pass on. For taking care of my father whom had been ill for about ten years and thought he would go first. So this book makes me understand why I am feeling as I do. It has given me much insight. And I know I am not the only one, whom wonders and feels like this. I have siblings and it is hard to talk to them. This book lets me see things we never see or try not to. I purchased the books for all of us. I will read and reread it. And pass it on to friends, when their parents pass. As I was the first, to loose both. And I had called myself an orphan, just before my local paper ran the story, about the book. It is wonderful, and helpful a must read for any adult whom is orphaned. Thank You Jane Brooks.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Label for the Feelings, July 21, 2000

By 

Joanne (Melrose, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midlife Orphan: Facing Life's Changes Now That Your Parents Are Gone (Paperback)

In the blink of an eye, my world changed and I became a midlife orphan. My healthy mom unexpectedly died ten months ago. I thought it would still be OK because I had my dad, my world would stay the same because he was still with us. But five weeks later he unexpectedly died, I feel of a broken heart. I remember thinking it was now not OK - I was now an orphan. I found this book easy to read and contained many things I thought and felt. There is so little written on this subject, especially if your parents died within a short period of time. I was pleased to read about siblings and what goes on with them as well as the part on inheritance. The book validated my feelings. This sensitve topic could only be approached by someone who has lived it. Thank you Jane Brooks.