Customer Reviews

Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing

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Zimmermann writes movingly about her own struggles and those of others, with zinger quotes from other authors that you may find yourself wanting to copy out and frame. She had a long-term grief centered around a disabled daughter, but get a copy of this book and read about it yourself. If you never write a word, it will still help (but do write, as she directs you with compassionate exercises). She writes beautifully, every chapter starting with a concrete story of herself or someone else who has experienced the bitter side of life and come through with a renewed sense of wonder (and more stories in between).

I found myself wiping away tears of mingled sadness and admiration at the stories of resilience and the examples of life's inexplicable gifts. Such a compassionate and comforting book!

This book was incredibly helpful to me in dealing so many different types of loss and the grief that follows. Ms. Zimmerman's wonderful writing style really captured the true essence of loss and how to work through the turmoil. I was brought to tears a few times, but they really started to flow when I got the the last page where there is a quote for the Velveteen Rabbit. It basically said it all.

The accessible structure of this book is what helped me the most. The short stories are pithy and moving--easy to read but full of life's complexities--and the directed writing exercises are straightforward and manageable when other things in life are not. Reading and writing from this book were all I felt like doing after losing my baby during pregnancy (I wasn't motivated to do anything before I got this book), and the experience gave me the ability to feel sad but also to heal and believe in life's richness again.

I have never written in a journal before and didn't know how to start or how to capture what I wanted to. This book gave me the confidence, direction, and inspiration to begin, and to keep going. The exercises range from revisiting the "point you realize your life will be forever changed" and just writing about it, to making lists of "people, things, rituals, and events that helped you most during loss...and that didn't help," and then writing about some of those things.

There are 28 chapters on specific topics, and each chapter is comprised of stories as well as between 1-3 writing exercises. Both the inspiring people Zimmermann writes about, and the exercises themselves, are limitless gifts that give and give during difficult times.

Susan Zimmerman has found meaning and purpose in what many would consider a hopeless situation. She shares the gift of her daughter, Katherine, through her writing. This book is so much more than a writer's guide-it is a guide to accompany the journey of life, love, loss and grief. Each chapter begins with a moving story which illustrates the point; included are specific exercises to help the writer get started. This book will have even those who never intended to write reaching for a pen and notebook. People who are already writing will find validation on every page.