Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children [Hardcover]

Allison Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 15, 2011

Parentless Parents is the first book to show how the absence of grandparents impacts everything about the way mothers and fathers raise their children--from everyday parenting decisions to the relationships they have with their spouses and in-laws.

For the first time in U.S. history, as the average age of women giving birth has increased significantly, millions of children are at risk of having fewer years with their grandparents than ever before. How has this substantial shift affected parents and kids? Journalist, award-winning television producer, and parentless parent Allison Gilbert has polled and studied more than 1,300 parentless parents from across the United States and a dozen other countries to find out.

Through her pioneering research, Gilbert not only shares her own story and the significant and poignant effect that this trend has had on her and hundreds of other families, but also the myriad ways these mothers and fathers have learned to keep the memory of their parents alive for their children, and to find the support and understanding they need.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gilbert, a HuffPost journalist and author of Always Too Soon, shares her own story, and those of others, who are raising children without the support and guidance of their own mothers and fathers. Both of Gilbert's parents had died as she reached her 30s, and not only did she ache from their absence, she also admitted to being envious, lonely, and unsure of her ability to be a good mother to her two children, despite the involvement of a loving spouse, in-laws, stepparents, and friends. Deciding to explore her situation in an effort to feel less alone, she started a support group, started a blog called "Keeping Their Memory Alive" and developed an action plan to fill the grandparent gap. While she argues there is no real way to compensate for this primal loss, her book offers some down-to-earth advice for getting on track as a parent, shedding the fear of dying young, talking to children about death, and assuming the responsibility of building a solid family relationship. (Feb.)
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About the Author

Allison Gilbert is the author of Always Too Soon. She has written for numerous newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, and is a now a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post. She is the founder of Parentless Parents, a nationwide network of parents who have experienced the loss of their own mothers and fathers. Allison is also a public speaker and an Emmy award-winning television news producer. She graduated from Georgetown University and lives in New York with her husband and their two children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (February 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401323510
• ISBN-13: 978-1401323516
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allison Gilbert is the author of the forthcoming book Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children. Parentless Parents will be published by Hyperion in February 2011.

Parentless Parents is a follow-up to her critically acclaimed book Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents. She is also co-editor of Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11, a book that was turned into a documentary by the U.S. State Department and distributed to embassies and consulates around the world.

Allison writes regularly for the Huffington Post where she explores the ups and downs of motherhood and chronicled her courageous decision to surgically remove her ovaries in her series "My Journey to Prevent Ovarian Cancer." She's been featured on ABC, CBS, CNN, and Extra!

An Emmy award-winning television news producer, Allison's work has been honored by the Associated Press, the New York Association of Black Journalists, and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Allison is the founder of Parentless Parents, a new and growing network of parents who are raising their children without their own mothers and fathers. She is also actively engaged with a number of charitable organizations including the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, LUNGevity, Bright Pink, and the Cancer Support Community. Through her work on Covering Catastrophe, she is an active consultant to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Allison graduated from Georgetown University and lives in New York with her husband and their two young children.
Please, join the Parentless Parents Group on Facebook and become a part of the community.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For Parentless Parents and those who love them February 16, 2011

By Leslie Rose

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I lost both my parents in 2000, I searched everywhere for a book like this. This book is not just for the parentless parents but for anyone who loves one. Allison is able to show the journey and the process. Her most private moments are shared with tenderness and grace. Two of my closest friends have also bought the book, to help them understand how not having my parents affects my daily life. This book is moving and inspiring. Thank you!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have resource! February 16, 2011

By RandiCG

Format:Hardcover

What a great resource for parents. As a therapist and grief counselor I know how much this is needed and would highly recommend it to families. I would suggest it not only for those who have had both parents die, but also to those who have experienced the death of one parent. Sometimes when one parent dies the surviving parent can become emotionally unavailable or remarries and becomes distant. Parents will find comfort and concrete ideas from the author and a host of other parents she interviews.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Strikingly Beautiful February 15, 2011

By Jessica Gottlieb

Format:Hardcover

I was sent a review copy of this book and I didn't expect to enjoy it much, my parents are alive and well and very much a part of my children's lives. What it offered me was an insight into parenting a completely different way, and it reads like a loveletter to multigenerational parenting.

I'd recommend this for anyone who is parenting without their parents be they deceased, out of town or just out of touch. It's a really good read for folks who have their parents around as well.