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The Bereaved Optimist's Book Club

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3/24/2018

"An exact replica of a figment of my imagination" by Elizabeth mcCracken

1 Comment

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After you read the book, please leave a comment below to share your thinking about it!  

​The Bereaved Optimist's Book Club was created to share book suggestions for and by families who have experienced a stillbirth.   Your unique perspective on these books is valuable! ​
THIS IS THE MAY 2018
BEREAVED OPTIMIST'S BOOK CLUB SELECTION!

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​ The Bereaved Optimist's Book Club Facebook Page.

Book Jacket Description: "This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending," writes Elizabeth McCracken in her powerful, inspiring memoir. A prize-winning, successful novelist in her 30s, McCracken was happy to be an itinerant writer and self-proclaimed spinster. But suddenly she fell in love, got married, and two years ago was living in a remote part of France, working on her novel, and waiting for the birth of her first child.
This book is about what happened next. In her ninth month of pregnancy, she learned that her baby boy had died. How do you deal with and recover from this kind of loss? Of course you don't--but you go on. And if you have ever experienced loss or love someone who has, the company of this remarkable book will help you go on.
With humor and warmth and unfailing generosity, McCracken considers the nature of love and grief. She opens her heart and leaves all of ours the richer for it.
​
Book Type: Memoir

Questions to Consider in your Comments: 
1. What feelings did this book evoke for you?
2. What was new, interesting, or surprising to you as you read?
3. Share a quote from the book.  Why did this one stand out?
4. Was anything missing or poorly done in the book?
5. Would you recommend it to other families experiencing a stillbirth?
6.  What connections did you make to your own story?
7. Does this book remind you of any others that you've read?

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1 Comment
Heather (Charlotte's Mom)
6/19/2018 11:52:54 am

I loved the style of this book. So many "grief books" are exhausting to read because they focus on the sadness. I loved that McCracken brought humor and light to a topic that is hard to immediately find those in. She focused on the beauty and fun of her pregnancy, then the dark humor and awkward situations in the aftermath of her stillbirth. I identified a lot with her message: Life carries on after the loss of a child. It is different, so very different, but it can still be beautiful and full of meaning.

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Details

    The Bereaved Optimist

    Heather's long awaited daughter, Charlotte, was stillborn at 38 weeks in October of 2017.   As a lover of language and words, Heather is always looking for books that help her family keep moving forward in this "new normal".  The Bereaved Optimist's Book Club is a place for families who have experienced stillbirth to share and discover books that were meaningful in their healing process. 

    The Bereaved Optimist's Book Club is now a Facebook Group.  Come read and heal with us!    

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  • Home
  • Read & View
    • Books & Stories
    • Fox Sightings (Blog)
    • The Beautiful Before (Poetry)
    • Expressions of Grief (Artwork)
    • Grief Quote Gallery
    • Book Club
    • Submit a Post, Story, Poem, Artwork
  • Grief Resources
    • For the Mother >
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Saying Goodbye
      • Maternity leave with no baby
      • Build a Support Network
      • Journal
      • Music for Healing
      • Embrace Your Inner Artist
      • Get Active
      • Remembering Your Baby
      • Read About Grief & Healing
      • Become a Support for Others
      • Pregnancy After Loss
    • For the Father/Partner >
      • Build a Network
      • Journaling
      • Embrace Art
      • Find Ways to Remember Baby (F/P)
      • Read More About Grief & Healing
    • For the sibling >
      • A child grieves a different loss
      • Healthy Grief, Strange Behavior
      • Grief Patterns By Age
      • Rules of Parenting a Grieving Child
      • Children's Books & Resources
    • For the Grandparent
    • For Caregivers & Medical Staff
    • How to Support a grieving friend >
      • What is stillbirth?
      • What do I say or do?
      • When does grief end?
  • Memorial Planning
    • Components
    • Readings
    • Music
    • Program Templates
    • Other Ways to Remember your baby
    • Financial Assistance
  • Weekend of Kindness
    • Weekend of Kindness 2023
    • PROJECTS WE'RE PROUD OF
    • JOIN THE KINDNESS CREW
    • A FEW KIND IDEAS
  • Wrapped in Love Project
    • Project Wish List
    • Resources for Sewists
    • Project Gallery
    • Donate a Dress
    • Volunteer to Sew
  • Store