Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief [Paperback]

Deborah Slappey Pitts (Author), William Phenn (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

Grief is a universal phenomenon. Possibly every minute, every hour even every day of the year, someone is grieving the loss of a loved one. It can be the death of a spouse, a daughter, a son, a sister or a brother, even a grandparent, or a friend no matter what the relationship, no matter how close or how distant, grief rears its ugly head with merciless, menacing pain and with piercing precision. Sooner or later, grief tears through the clutches of time and leaves the griever saddled with the deafening silence of losing a loved one to death. Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief continues where author, Deborah Slappey Pitts paused in her debut book, I Feel Okay (May 2005), where she superbly describes her family's desperate attempt to find a physician who would help her husband, the late Clyde Slappey find a cure for the menacing primary amyloidosis disease. Pitts and Clyde made it to the Mayo Clinic, their place of hope, but sadly, Clyde dies within two weeks of receiving a life-saving heart transplant. Now in the enthralling sequel to I Feel Okay, Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief, Pitts shares her intimate story of pain and despair as she reaches through the darkest crevices of her shadowy world of grief, holding onto God s unchanging hand. Pitts describes how she grapples between two worlds her new reality of living in a world without her husband and a faux reality where she tries desperately to hold onto precious memories as husband and wife. Pitts prays earnestly to God to bring her husband back to her and the children. But deep inside, Pitts knows her husband won t be coming back. Out of the depths of her agonizing despair of becoming a widow at age 40, Pitts makes a heartfelt fight to live again in a new world without the sunshine of her life. Her story is very powerful in content. The reader is consumed into Pitts shadowy world of grieving and empathizes with her anguish and despair through every intricate word. Pitts story of survival is for survivors around the world and her story instantly connects with readers as they witness her brave fight with grief. Pitts describes grief as a superficial entity that takes a life of its own through suffering and pain. She instantly connects with her reader, capturing their heart while she meticulously describes the perplexing stages of grieving that she experiences during her first year living as a widow. Pitts recounts her pain-filled days and nights of crying out in the darkness, praying anxiously for God to console and protect her and her children. With God as her refuge and strength, Pitts emerges from the shadows of grief to a life of renewed hope. Now her mission is to serve as a beacon of light and inspiration of hope and healing to others. It's a must read an unforgettable story; It s a must read an unforgettable story; written with candor, soul, and love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Shadow Living is an excellent story of a survivor, written for survivors. William Phenn of Reader Views. Shadow Living promises to give readers hope that they too can come face-to-face with and heal from grief. D.L. Carpenter, President of Creative Ink. "Deborah tells a sad, yet compelling story." Cheryl Dunlop, editor and author, Follow Me As I Follow Christ and Complete Idiot's Guide to the World of Narnia (September 2007). --William Phenn, Readerviews

About the Author

Deborah Slappey Pitts is the author of Booking Matters national best-seller and Infini literary award winner, I Feel Okay, a heart-wrenching account of love, loss, and inspiration. In this sequel, Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief, Pitts chronicles her painful journey through despair after her husband succumbs to the silent killer disease, primary amyloidosis A native of Americus, Georgia, Pitts is a graduate of Georgia Southwestern University in Americus and Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. Pitts travels the country as an inspirational and motivational speaker educating others about the devastating effects of amyloidosis diseases and the physiological and psychological effects of grief. Deborah is a member of the Church of Christ and is affiliated with the Christian Writer s Institute, PMA, the Independent Publishers Association, and SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America). She has two sons, Clyde Daryl and Alex Keith, and resides in Columbus, Georgia, with her second husband, Marshall Pitts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 311 pages
• Publisher: Harobed House (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978789709
• ISBN-13: 978-0978789701
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,178,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming Through..., May 19, 2008

By 

Angelia Menchan "acvermen.blogspot.com" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief (Paperback)

Shadow Living: Paintings of Grief by Deborah Slappey Pitts is an honest, inside view of a woman and a family's struggle to get through to the other side when one loses a loved one. Ms. Pitts is harrowingly honest in her portrayal of how she felt when her husband died. The reader could literally feel the emotions and the pain. More importantly, however, the reader could also feel the hope.

Ms. Pitts provides us with the stages of grieving that one goes through when a spouse is lost to death, particularly at an early age. Her renderings allows one to understand that there will be anger, sadness, fear and shock and that sometimes one will feel all of these emotions at one time. We are also allowed to see how big a part faith can play in healing, emotionally. The reader is also given a complete view of her husband, Clyde Slappey as a complete person, as a man, a husband and a father. Her portrayal of Clyde made her loss even more poignant.

Shadow Living serves as an honest and spiritual guide to those who are going through or will go through the loss of a beloved family member. I recommend this book to all who have loved and lost someone dear to their heart.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pain of it all, November 22, 2007

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief (Paperback)

SHAWDOW LIVING: Paintings of Grief by Deborah Slappey Pitts is a vivid description of what it really means to lose a loved one. Clyde Slappey was stricken with primary amyloidosis, a disease of the immune system, and when he was first diagnosed, after months of seeing doctor after doctor, there seemed to be no cure. Clyde and Deborah had been married for twenty-one years when the disease finally took him from her. Even though he was at the Mayo Clinic waiting for a heart transplant, death came to him sooner.

This book is Deborah's story of living with the grief of having lost her soul mate. She gives the seven stages of grief: shock, denial, anger, fear, bargaining, depression and acknowledgement. Her anger was interesting in that she was so angry with Clyde for leaving her and his two sons, Clyde Daryl and Alex Keith. In her deep grief, she felt as if he could have held on longer - at least long enough to get a heart transplant.

SHADOW LIVING is a book that would surely help anyone going through the loss of a dearly loved mate. Deborah tells of her sleepless nights, her attempts to hide her deep depression from her friends and loved ones, of finally seeking help for herself and her son, Alex Keith. Her words are emotional and deep and I felt as if I, too, had known Clyde and had witnessed him as a father and husband.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

5.0 out of 5 stars Living After the Death of a Loved One, March 31, 2008

By 

M. Bruner ""Deltareviewer" Real Page ... (Oklahoma!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Living...Paintings of Grief (Paperback)

Imagine living life after the one person you love more than anything else died. SHADOW LIVING chronicles the thoughts and intimate emotions of Deborah Slappey Pitts after the death of her soul mate and husband, Clyde. Pitts offers a detailed account of the range of emotions and how she came to acknowledge and eventually begin to live again. This inspirational story will encourage you to make the most of everyday and celebrate the small things with those you love. Pitts gives words of advice and ideas for planning for the inevitable - death.

SHADOW LIVING is a brilliantly written narrative that offers rich description of emotions experienced by those left in the aftermath of death. The explanation of Amyloidosis disease, the recent research, and support groups serves to educate readers about the terrible disease. It is admirable how Pitts relies on God, hearing and reading of the Word, and works through grief therapy. After reading the book, I felt her pain and realize that we all experience grief differently; the important thing is that you keep trying every day. Thanks Deborah for sharing your story, you have provided a road map on how to live after death.

Reviewed by:
Deltareviewer
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