Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love [Paperback]

Earl A. Grollman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

"I thank God for Earl Grollman, and I thank Earl Grollman for this long-overdue book for grieving teenagers. Not only is it a treasure for kids, but it should be read by every school counselor and youth minister in America." —Janice Harris Lord, national director of Victim Services, Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

With brief entries such as "Accidental Death," "Self-Inflicted Death," "Talking," "Crying," and "Going Nuts," Grollman offers advice and answers the kinds of questions that teens are likely to ask themselves when grieving the death of someone close.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

An insightful theologian/grief expert (``the cure for grief is to grieve'') opens with Terry Kettering's attention-grabbing poem, ``The Elephant in the Room.'' Teens' grief--like, Grollman suggests, the huge (but unobserved) elephant--is often overlooked or minimized. Addressing this gap, he presents just a few on- target, incisive lines on each page--to be read, like poetry, with deliberation--on topics such as ``the first days after a death'' and ``facing your future.'' The occasional humor is not inappropriate (``Why is there a special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren? They have a common enemy--the parent''); but the treatment of special relationships and circumstances suffers from Grollman's brevity. He acknowledges that it's normal to feel that one's own grief is the worst; some teens will be disappointed not to find their particular situation treated more fully. Still, all are likely to find consolation in the book as a whole, and in completing (in the concluding workbook pages) statements like ``The last thing I did with you was...'' and ``What scares me the most is...'' (Nonfiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807025011
• ISBN-13: 978-0807025017
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Earl A. Grollman, a pioneer in the field of crisis intervention, was rabbi of the Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, Massachusetts, for thirty-six years. A certified death educator and counselor, he was cited as "Hero of The Heartland" for his work with the families and volunteers of the Oklahoma City bombing. Dr. Grollman has spoken at many colleges, clergy institutes, seminaries, physicians' forums, and hospital nursing associations, and has addressed many support groups, such as Compassionate Friends, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Widows Personal Services. He has also appeared on national television and radio, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Children's Journal, All Things Considered, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Recently, he was featured on National Public Radio's End of Life series in the roundtable discussion on grief and bereavement.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for teens, August 25, 2001

By 

Jami Garrison "JamiRae" (Peoria, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love (Paperback)

This is a great book for helping teens cope with the loss of a loved one, whether it was a close friend or family member. The book is written with short, easy to read sentences and paragraphs. The chapters are organized in useful topics like 'suicide', 'loss of a friend', 'long term illness' ... so the reader can locate those areas that pertain to their own situation. Having lost my own mother when I was just 16 (20 years ago) I have bought 3 copies of this book already - I give them out to teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. If you are a teen grieving the loss of a loved one or if you are helping someone in this situation, I highly recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grief help for teenagers, August 22, 2007

By 

Lou Clothier "Chaplain, minister" (Lamoni, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love (Paperback)

This is the best thing available for young people dealing with loss from death. Small "bytes" for each day, language they can identify with. I keep a supply to give when there is need.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps kids, March 8, 2010

By 

Jonette L. Jacobsmeyer (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love (Paperback)

I'm a middle school guidance counselor. I give this book out far too often to students who have a parent or other loved one die. The kids say that it is helpful and easy to read. The pages aren't long and the type is big so they don't feel overwhelmed with too much information. I'd highly recommend this as I've heard from teenagers how it helped them.