Customer Reviews

Step Back from the Exit: 45 Reasons to Say No to Suicide

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book sensitively treats a very torubling issue, and meets its goal of identifying reasons someone considering suicide might want to reconsider. The book is honest and not condescendingly flowery. It realisticly and frankly treats the concerns and prolbems that have driven depressed individuals to suicide, and offers diverse reasons and rays of hope that will provide comfort to almost anyone. The sections are easy to read, and you can flip open the book to any passage and read it without worrying about the author's style bothering you. I only wish that the book were longer

Sometimes I need to be reminded what is out there to keep me from suicide. This books reminds me what I have to live for and a few things I never thought about. I keep this book with me when this get really bad and it has help pull me through a few really rough times

From the preface I could feel the author's emotion and pain. I felt I finally found someone who could understand. Not the usual flowery "life is wonderful, don't do it" suicide prevention book. This is down to earth, real reasons for living despite the depression.

This book has potential for being a great book. By that I mean that the introduction described depression and suicidal thinking better than I've ever heard anyone else do so. It was like she was inside my head.

The chapter titles (each one is a reason to *not* commit suicide) are great. But the actual chapters leave much to be desired. In essence, she could have just written the intro. and the chapter titles, and it would have been better.

That said, this is still the BEST book I've seen to actually HELP someone who is feeling suicidal.

I wish the title and cover weren't so....obvious, though. Not something you'd want to leave lying around. I actually cut out the pages of another book I wasn't really needing so much, and replaced this book...so the cover says something totally different. Even put the dust jacket of other book on. I mean, who wants to have, in bold print "45 REASONS TO SAY NO TO SUICIDE" lying around where people will see it? What can you say? "ummmm....it's for a friend?"

I enjoyed reading Jillayne Arena's book because in today's world, there are too many reasons to feel really down and out. She writes with great wit and humor about her struggles and doubts and leaves the reader with a good insight, and one comes away with at least 45 reasons not to give up! I recommend this book highly to all who doubt, or feel they cannot handle it any longer: read this book, any paragraph and sleep on it, pray (if you are religious) and look further in the future. The glass is either half empty - or half full, after reading this book, you will find that it is half full

I have dealt with depression and suicidal feelings for years and have tried several medications and several psychiatrists. I found it immensely comforting to see my feelings expressed so articulately alongside useful, inspired suggestions concerning those feelings. Jillayne Arena's advice is so valuable because not only has she "been there," she has performed extensive introspection and has thereby earned wisdom and philosophy from which the reader may benefit. This book doesn't "wear out": after several readings it hasn't lost its power to renew my strength. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone with mild to severe depression. I also recommend it to those who are close to someone depressed: this book will show you how to support them.

This book is a gem. These are not arguments about why you should stay alive, they are mundane reasons that may keep you from ending your life. Unless you have been suicidal, you can not understand how something so unimportant, so absurd to someone else, maybe the lifeline you need to get through another day.
This book gave me 45 lifelines when things got bad, 45 snippets into someone else's life that kept her going and in turn kept me going as well. I still pick up this book and will page through and read one of the chapters sometimes to reinforce that it is a good day. I agree with the author that yes this is a reason not to commit suicide, each a stand alone reason.

The "arguments" against suicide were so absurd, I had to search through the book to see if it was actually a parody or satire. The author lists reasons such as "My husband could never find everything he needs to file the income taxes," "Commiting suicide is like dropping in on God without an invitation," and "Day care for my children is more expensive than therapy is for me." Not at all recommended.