Unspeakable Losses: Healing From Miscarriage, Abortion, And Other Pregnancy Loss (Paperback)

by Kim Kluger-bell (Author) "HAVE A dreamlike image of waiting, terrified, outside my mother's bathroom door knowing only that she is sitting on the toilet and bleeding..." (more)
Key Phrases: psychic gestation, reproductive crises, genetic abortion, United States, Mary Beth (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
For those who have suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth--or those who have elected to terminate a pregnancy--the experience has all too often been minimized and misunderstood. According to author and psychotherapist Kim Kluger-Bell, pregnancy loss can be described with one word: unspeakable. In this remarkable and moving psychological study, Kluger-Bell examines the "shadow side" of being pregnant--the unspoken grief of losing a pregnancy before birth through miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth.

Unspeakable Losses includes in-depth stories from would-be parents (including Kluger-Bell herself) discussing such diverse issues as multifetal reductions (more and more common as in vitro fertilization procedures become widespread), the male experience of pregnancy loss, and how a woman can be pro-choice yet still suffer grief over choosing abortion. She includes tools for moving through the grieving process, discussing losses, and helping loved ones who have experienced pregnancy loss. This caring, understanding book may help give voice to those who have previously found it too painful to speak. --Ericka Lutz --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Kim Kluger-Bell insists on being heard, and needs to be read, not just by those struggling with the particular losses or reaction they describe, but by all of us concerned about the direction of our culture and the life of our souls." -- Boston Sunday Globe

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (April 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068817390X
• ISBN-13: 978-0688173906
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,453 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing insight into a complex and emotional subject., May 3, 2000

By	Janet Sackman "janetwta" (Hertfordshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

Reading this book has been a very thought-provoking experience for me, on many levels. I have read many books on miscarriage and other forms of pregnancy loss, but none has attempted the links that this book has.

The author looks at the way in which pregnancy loss is seen by Western societies and explores the resulting effects on women who lose babies in different circumstances. There is much balance and sensitivity in this book, which is a tremendous achievement for the author.

What I found particularly illuminating was the way in which case studies are used to look at how losing a baby can echo previous experiences, particularly in childhood. Whilst readers are unlikely to be carbon copies of the people described in the case studies, there are many subtle threads within them to make you just stop and think, and begin the fascinating process of making connections between your own experiences.

I wrote down some key quotes from it in my journal, so that I could reflect on them and see if applying them to my own experience of pregnancy loss and childhood would reveal any new interpretations for me. There are not many books which achieve that level of insight!

The reference section at the back includes Internet web sites, which reflects how up to date it is.

All in all, a terrific book which the author should be very proud of writing.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the topic, September 2, 2003

By	Sarah Jensen (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews

I read this book when it first came out several years ago and I still think it is the best book available on the topic of pregnancy loss because it is so intelligently written and profoundly moving. Its not just a book about loss, its a book about life! I have recently read a couple of negative reviews of this book--which seem to be based solely on the fact that the author includes abortion in several short sections of the book. I was shocked and dismayed to see that someone called the book "insensitive" for including abortion--clearly that reviewer is a very angry person! I hope that no one will be discouraged from reading this book because of that, because the compassion the author brings to both the topics of miscarriage, still birth and abortion is very healing for all.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars From the therapists point of view...(off base), June 7, 2000

By	Former cheerleader "jcheryld" (Tacoma, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unspeakable Losses: Understanding the Experience of Pregnancy Loss, Miscarriage, and Abortion (Hardcover)

I bought this book just a few days ago and haven't been able to pull myself from it. The book is from the perspective of the author talking about her psychotherapy patients and what they experienced emotionally during their healing, and what she discovered in therapy administration. It wasn't really on target for me but the emotional validation was worth the reading. Its nice to be able to read something that identifies and validates a person's feelings after a traumatic procedure like this. I don't really like all the other chapters like "A father's emotions after an abortion", though it may be helpful to someone else.