Product Description

From its inception in California in 1974 to its highly acclaimed critical success at Joseph Papp's Public Theater and on Broadway, the Obie Award-winning for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf has excited, inspired, and transformed audiences all over the country. Passionate and fearless, Shange's words reveal what it is to be of color and female in the twentieth century. First published in 1975 when it was praised by The New Yorker for "encompassing...every feeling and experience a woman has ever had," for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf will be read and performed for generations to come. Here is the complete text, with stage directions, of a groundbreaking dramatic prose poem written in vivid and powerful language that resonates with unusual beauty in its fierce message to the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

For Colored girl who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf
This book is everything.......It was so great that I was sad that it ended.I recommend everyone read it!!!!

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf
Very Prompt service. Pleased with purchase.. allowed me to read the book before movie hit the big screen. Will purchase from this seller in future.

I've been there....
All I can say is excellent, heartfelt, and even moments where I totally have been able to relate!!

Necessary!!!!!
This was a good read years ago,and definately stands the test of time. Read this before you see the movie "COLORED GIRLS", it will open your prospective

Nothing Less Than Awesome!!
I had the priviledge of seeing the play version of this in 1975-6 and it was the most powerful and moving experience.It was wonderful and I can't thank my teacher enough even to this day for taking us girls to see the play.I remember how much this moved me like it was last week.

Teachers, parents - don't be afraid to have your pre-teens/tweens read this.The concepts are pretty serious, but the conversation you will have with them during and after reading this will be so enriching and educating.

Read it ... read it ... discuss it!

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (408)

A MYSTERY ABOUT SUICIDE...AN ANGLE BARELY TOUCHED UPON
While Sofia Coppola's film adaptation of the book may have appeared simple and poetically beautiful, reading Eugenides text will have you scraping for clues as to why these suicides took place. Throughout the novel, the boys recall that many blamed the remaining four suicides on the initial suicide of the youngest daughter, Cecilia; this chain reaction, due to having lost a sister and being manically depressed due to oppressive and restricting parents, is the excuse many formulated as to the girls' demise. In this sense, Cecilia merely triggered the fate that was destined for all the girls:

"In the bathtub, cooking in the broth of her own blood, Cecilia had released an airborne virus which the other girls, even in coming to save her, had contracted. No one cared how Cecilia had caught the virus in the first place. Transmission became explanation."

However, the one question that no one dared to ask, but which often crossed the boys' minds, was why Cecilia committed suicide in the first place

FULL REVIEW:

[...]

The Virgin Suicides:A Novel
This item was listed as free shipping, and ordered on September 2nd.I find out that it won't be shipped until September 20th...I won't order free shipping again and will probably look elsewhere to buy.This is rediculous!

interesting but simple at times
this book was alright. The premise was a bit simple but Eugenide's ability to describe people emotions and settings are apparent through this novel. The Narration in this book at times was a bit hard to follow and i found that I really enjoyed his book Middlesex so much better. There was much more of a story in that book. As a masters student of psychology and employed in the psych field i thought his insight into suicide and mental illness was lacking but did show how people form their own opinions and form such interest in things unknown. a great sociological teaching tool for reactions to deviant behaviors.

the virgin suicides
Egenides out does himself. This novel is supurb, and I recomend it to anyone who LOVES a great piece of writting.

memorable
For days, this book stuck with me.

About the Lisbon girls; sisters... who all, evidently, commit suicide at different times and in different ways. Different, like they are from each other. Why they did it, the readers wouldnt know until quite in the end. The story is narrated by one of the boys who grew up with the Lisbon girls, who adored them and have been captured by them. Obviously, or else they wouldn't be watching them and talking about them long after their lives ended.

This book stuck with me long after I finished reading it that I went out of my way to actually rent the movie version of this on dvd. Yup, I wanted to see how it would compare to the original novel. I have to say, I liked the movie and thought the actors played the characters very well. But there was just something about this book....

It was a combination of both dark and light (as in weight, not brightness), appealing yet appalling all at the same time. Maybe it's the author's writing. Easy to understand, easy to get, easy to grasp, easy to relate to.

I have to admit in some few pages I was a little bored with it, but somehow by the end of every chapter, there's always something new that brings me back to reading. So I keep reading.. and when I finished, I'll say, it was something else.

Readdd it. Wattcch it. Whatever you want to do. Just know the story and know the Lisbon girls and know the boys that were obsessed with them, and hopefully you'll see what I mean.
... Read more

Product Description
When Sula overhears a shocking revelation about a drug being developed by her employer, she's paralyzed with indecision. She desperately needs her job to gain the judge's favor in a custody hearing for her son. Yet hundreds of patient lives could be at stake. Two days later when the drug's lead scientist disappears, Sula is compelled to search for the incriminating data. But Prolabs' CEO is a desperate man determined to stop her. Can Sula get the proof and expose the drug's fatal flaw before the CEO risks everything to silence her? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Suicide Effect
This is a very good book. The Characters were easy to follow as is the plot. Rudker with his mental illness getting out of control and Sula's drive to (obsession/compulsion?) to get the truth out made the story enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description

In the wake of a suicide, the most troubling questions are invariably the most difficult to answer: How could we have known? What could we have done? And always, unremittingly: Why? Written by a clinical psychologist whose own life has been touched by suicide, this book offers the clearest account ever given of why some people choose to die.

Drawing on extensive clinical and epidemiological evidence, as well as personal experience, Thomas Joiner brings a comprehensive understanding to seemingly incomprehensible behavior. Among the many people who have considered, attempted, or died by suicide, he finds three factors that mark those most at risk of death: the feeling of being a burden on loved ones; the sense of isolation; and, chillingly, the learned ability to hurt oneself. Joiner tests his theory against diverse facts taken from clinical anecdotes, history, literature, popular culture, anthropology, epidemiology, genetics, and neurobiology--facts about suicide rates among men and women; white and African-American men; anorexics, athletes, prostitutes, and physicians; members of cults, sports fans, and citizens of nations in crisis.

The result is the most coherent and persuasive explanation ever given of why and how people overcome life's strongest instinct, self-preservation. Joiner's is a work that makes sense of the bewildering array of statistics and stories surrounding suicidal behavior; at the same time, it offers insight, guidance, and essential information to clinicians, scientists, and health practitioners, and to anyone whose life has been affected by suicide.

Customer Reviews (17)

Sheds Light on the Subject of Suicide

The author of Why People Die by Suicide has both a personal and professional passion for the topic. Thomas Joiner is a professor of psychology at Florida State University, and is the son of a man who committed suicide. He uses his scientific training to develop a theory to determine why people die by suicide.

Dr. Joiner explores what reasons people may have to deliberately die, an act that goes against the universal instinct to preserve life. The most accepted view of suicide from those who study it suggests that suicide is hate or aggression turned inward. Another theory states that "psychache" (general psychological and emotional pain that reaches intolerable intensity) leads one to suicide. Even laypersons know that this is not enough of an answer to the question, Why? Elements such as genetics must be included. Joiner examines the concepts of "perceived burdensomeness" and "failed sense of belongingness." He also considers the possibility that those who die by suicide work up to the act. As a suicidologist, Joiner hopes to provide an understanding of death by suicide.

This book is recommended for those who want an understanding of suicide from a clinical point of view. Although Joiner shares his personal journey as a survivor of his father's suicide, the style of the book is academic. If intellectual stimulation on the subject is what you are seeking, then the book is well worth reading.

not right away- this is pretty academic
I purchased this book after a dear cousin committed suicide.I used the Amazon reviews to make my choice from all of the books on suicide that are out there.I have to say, it really didn't do that much for me emotionally.The book is mostly Joiner's defense of his theory of why suicide happens, and hardly at all about what we the survivors can do to get through it. Of course it's helpful to understand the theory, but I think it would have been more helpful down the road of healing, and not right after the fact, when guidance and coping skills would be of greater comfort.

i am a Chaplain and counsel many that are grieving. This book had excelelnt material and I would highly recommend it.
It is excellent reading material. I am a Police Chaplain and refer back to this book many times. EXCELLENT

Great book if you have recently lost a loved one to suicide
My boyfriend committed suicide four months ago. I have been tormented by almost every single bad human emotions you can think of. I have purchased almost every single books here on amazon regarding suicide. Obviously, I am desperately in need of finding answers to comfort me, to help me cope with the incredible loss.
This book is amazing. It answered almost all my questions.
If you area suicide survivor who lost a loved one to suicide, I highly recommend this book. It will comfort you and perhaps you can finally let go of the unnecessary guilt.

Useful contribution
Quote:
"The result is the most coherent and persuasive explanation ever given of why and how people overcome life's strongest instinct, self-preservation."

Life's strongest instinct is not self-preservation, it is reproduction by inclusive fitness mechanisms. The individual doesn't matter, it's their genes. Very important this fact is understood if a comprehensive understanding of suicide behaviour is to be achieved. Hopefully this will be made clearer in future books.

Nonetheless, a good resource for psychologists and others to gain a deeper understanding of patient risk factors. ... Read more

Product Description
The searing, visionary memoir of founding Black Panther Huey P. Newton, in a dazzling graphic package

Eloquently tracing the birth of a revolutionary, Huey P. Newton's famous and oft-quoted autobiography is as much a manifesto as a portrait of the inner circle of America's Black Panther Party. From Newton's impoverished childhood on the streets of Oakland to his adolescence and struggles with the system, from his role in the Black Panthers to his solitary confinement in the Alameda County Jail, Revolutionary Suicide is smart, unrepentant, and thought-provoking in its portrayal of inspired radicalism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Huey Newton's "Revolutionary Suicide" a must read for today's times
Huey P. Newton's "Revolutionary Suicide" is as relevant and important today as it was in 1973 when it was first published. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was one of the most important organizations in the U.S. in the late sixties and early seventies, yet many Americans believe the disinformation about the Panthers that so many in the media and elsewhere spread. This book, written by the party's co-founder, tells the story of the Black Panthers with truth, intelligence, and wit. I read Newton's book when it was re-published in 1995. Re-reading it during today's hard times, it seems even more important and relevant than it did then.

great book
you may ask yourself what is revoloutionary suicide well huey newton explains that and much more in his autobiography. a must for anyone who feels alone. also has a great collection of quotes and aphorisms

Powerful...
As a white middle class generation x'er, I knew nothing of the Black Panthers or Huey Newton that was based on personal knowledge or experience.What I had heard was that they were radical, dangerous, and hated white folks.That seemed overly simplistic, so I decided to look into the black power movement for myself.Of all the books I read on the movement (Malcolm, Eldridge Cleaver, SNCC, Soledad Brother, etc...), Revolutionary Suicide was the best.

First off, Huey is the best writer of all the writers I read on the subject.That includes both the primary books and the secondary interpretive books written by historians.Huey's writing reflects his life philosophy, he lives for the people and therefore writes for the people.He doesn't seek to impress the reader with a fantastic grasp of the english language.He writes simply and matter-of-factly, much as a good journalist does.This to-the-point writing style more engrossing than any of the other books I read on the movement.

Second, Huey, unlike many other movement leaders, doesn't look to hog the glory for himself.He is very upfront about what he was responsible for and what he collaberated on with others.He passes the glory around liberally (some would say too much) to spread the power to the people.

Finally, this book will give you a primary understanding of who Huey P. Newton was and what he was really about.Did he hate white people?Did he advocate armed revolution?Was he a murderer and thug?Read it for yourself.

Revolutionary Review
This book is one of the first and only unaltered accounts of the Black Panther Party by somebody who was in it.The book is in Huey's compassionate voice.This book dispells rumors about the BPP Huey set the record straight. This is my favorite book of all time its a book for the ages.

Revolutionary Suicide
What can I say, that hasn't already been said?Huey P. Newton was a very complex individual, and I find myself reading a section over a second time to digest what was written.It's worth it no doubt. When you start to read this book, you will not be disappointed, Newton sheds light on even personal matters like falling in love, and views on family.This is great if you want specifics on Mr. Newton himself, and not just the BPP as a whole. ... Read more

Product Description
Suicide Girls - Beauty Redefined explores the Suicide Girl phenomenon from their start in 2001 to their websites one million unique weekly visitors today. This giant tome provides a timely look at the fascinating women who created and inhabit the SG community. With an introduction by SG founder, Missy Suicide and images of hundreds of SuicideGirls world-wide, this title shines a light on a new female aesthetic - a look reminiscent of vintage Betty Page and Bunny Yeager photos, but with a decisively 21st century edge. "There's no other place in the media to see girls (like these) who are tremendously smart and beautiful in their own way" says Missy, "Everywhere you look you just see the super-thin, super-tall, bleach blonde Baywatch babe. There are a lot of people out there who want to see a different kind of beauty." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (87)

Fun Erotica
The book is a collection of naked alternative women. By alternative I mean tattooed, pierced, colored and different (e.g. bald, half-bald, dreadlocks) hair.
It is very fun to see so many different women, which is what the book proposes in the first place.
You'll see a lot of breasts and not many genitalia. So it might be generally accepted as a coffee table book.

In a nutshell: fun erotica.

Suicide Girls <3
Great book and got it for a good price too. Everywhere I looked it would have cost me the full price of $40.00 but buying it here I managed to buy it alot cheaper. The book has hundreds of pictures of diffrent Suicide Girls models and the cool thing is, is that the book seperates them by contry and continent. The book is big enough to keep to bust looking at it for hours and it will never get old.

Picture Perfect
Great glossy BIG PAGE book. Heaps of top quality photography. Perfect coffee table book. You won't be disappointed.

JS
Excellent Book. Well done. Girls are picture perfect. Great Layout. Definetly a book you can appreciate the girls and their ink.

Excellent and unique!!!
Excellent book that transcends any publication of Playboy, Penthouse or common publishing houses. Unusual photos unusual with unusual girls.

The Best!! ... Read more

Product Description
DESCRIPTION: In 2001, a Texas billionaire descended on the high-stakes poker room at the world famous Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. Challenging some of the best players in the world, including Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, and Jennifer Harman, the result was a series of unforgettable poker games, including the final showdown--a single game with a jackpot of more than 20 million dollars. Filled with vivid characters, sensational tales, and riveting human drama, this is a unique, suspenseful journey into the world of people who live on the razor's edge of fortune--where incredible wealth, or utter ruin, turns on the flip of a card. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (67)

Something major is missing from this book
The author does a great job of relaying the story line, although I could do without some of the extra detail on poker business. I have read the majority of the book, but the one thing I really want to know cannot be provided: specific hands from the games. Of course there are some memorable hands that were recounted to the author, but more often than not, it's just something like, Jennifer Harman won 9 million in 3 days and I am left wondering how some of the bigger hands were played out. Now there is nothing that the author can do since there is no record of these hands. In that sense, the book does a solid job. But if you like to hear about specific poker hands, this is not the book for you. (I recommend Gus Hansen Every Hand Revealed for that: he notated every hand he played in a tournament!) As a reader of novels, I don't think it reads like a novel, but Andy Beal is by far the most intriguing character, and it is the business aspect overall in which this book shines. It's very readable as well. Support local bookstores if you can.

UPDATE: I just finished and was extremely disappointed to discover that Phil Ivey's legendary victory over Beal took place after this book was published. I kept waiting for Ivey to come in and clean up. Wow. The book clearly needs a second edition. Very disappointing, but again, it's not like the author knew.

waste of paper, I returned the book,booring who cares?
this book is no good, waste of time, booring, who cares, never should have been written.
zero star

Great read for poker-lovers and non-poker-lovers alike.
The story itself was great fun to read. Real poker lovers will know most of the characters alredy, but will still find the background fascinating.

The Kindle version had only rare typos, and otherwise presented the text in a very well formatted way.

all poker players will love it
The author knew poker and the players he profiled. An inside look at the "big games" and the "biggest players"

The game's not the thing, for once.
Michael Craig, The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time (Warner, 2005)

The interesting thing about The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King is that the actual poker game detailed, which went on and off over a period of years, is the least interesting thing about the book. It was limit hold'em, which is much more a game of playing your cards than is no-limit, and lends itself to far less variance. (While the dollar amounts thrown in the book may make that seem like a laughable statement, when it comes right down to it, a unit is a unit. Whether your big blinds are twenty cents or two hundred thousand dollars, a unit is still a unit.) Limit hold'em is normally a game for grinders, those of us who don't mind putting in the time to make one big bet per hour at the table. (That said, the poker books are wrong about that in at least one case; the lower the limits at which you play, the more big blinds you can make per hour, as long as your game is rock-solid. I rarely leave a fifty-cent/one-dollar game before doubling my buy-in, as long as I'm having a winning session. It rarely takes me more than an hour.)Andy Beal was not that guy, not by a longshot, and yet his chosen game was heads-up limit hold'em. Yes, he evened the odds a bit against the world's top hold'em players with his relentlessly aggressive play, but when all was said and done, aggression in a limit game is much less useful than aggression in a no-limit game, especially when each player has $5 million on the table. You push all-in with a stack like that in a cash game and very few players will call you with less than kings. In limit, all you can do is raise another big blind. Still, as I said, the game is far less interesting than the players, and in recognizing that fact, Michael Craig did himself, and those of us who like to read about poker, a great service.

Andy Beal was (still is, probably) a banker with a taste for poker. He also had a taste for buying things no one else would buy just before they got really, really big, which made Andy Beal a very, very rich man. (Still does, probably.) When his business interests took him to Las Vegas, his taste for poker developed into something of an obsession, and having the game's best players at his beck and call prompted him to make a little side bet with himself: could he get good enough to play these folks at their own game? And how far would he have to raise the stakes before the pros were out of their comfort zone? By the time the game had concluded, most every major high-stakes player in Vegas, and a number from California, had gone up against Beal, including both Doyle and Todd Brunson, the late Chip Reese, Johnny Chan, Jennifer Harman, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer (the Professor of the title), John Hennigan, and a host of others you've heard of if you watch any televised poker whatsoever. Beal would do reasonably well, losing far less than anyone expected him to, then limp back to Texas, do some more research, play a lot more hands, and go back to Vegas armed even better than he was the time before.

But, again, that's not what the book is about. It's about the backgrounds of the people who played in the game. It's about the economics of poker (taking shares, staking people, and all the stuff that no one ever talks about because, let's face it, that math you need for that ends up being more advanced than the math you use in calculating pot odds). It's about a rank amateur and his underdog dream. Good thing Andy Beal did not have an obsession with football. I'm sure the Denver Broncos, for example, would have wiped him out fast. But poker is a game where anyone with a good grasp of the rules, a decent amount of experience, and a dash or two of luck can sit down across a table from Barry Greenstein and end up with all his chips. It's not likely, but it can happen. That's a big part of what attracts us, the amateur contingent, to the game, and Michael Craig--being an amateur poker player himself--understands this and lets it shine through. To me, it's obvious that this is a book written by a poker player for other poker players. The fact that the public glommed onto it is icing on the cake.

Fascinating, highly readable, and for a nonfiction book, incredibly well-paced. Even if you're not a fan of the sport, this one's worth a read. ****
... Read more

Product Description
Suicide would appear to be the last taboo. Even incest is now discussed freely in popular media, but the suicide of a loved one is still an act most people are unable to talk about--or even admit to their closest family or friends. This is just one of the many painful and paralyzing truths author Carla Fine discovered when her husband, a successful young physician, took his own life in December 1989. And being unable to speak openly and honestly about the cause of her pain made it all the more difficult for her to survive.

With No Time to Say Goodbye, she brings suicide survival from the darkness into light, speaking frankly about the overwhelming feelings of confusion, guilt, shame, anger, and loneliness that are shared by all survivors. Fine draws on her own experience and on conversations with many other survivors--as well as on the knowledge of counselors and mental health professionals. She offers a strong helping hand and invaluable guidance to the vast numbers of family and friends who are left behind by the more than thirty thousand people who commit suicide each year, struggling to make sense of an act that seems to them senseless, and to pick up the pieces of their own shattered lives. And, perhaps most important, for the first time in any book, she allows survivors to see that they are not alone in their feelings of grief and despair. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

A great book if you've lost a loved one to suicide
My cousin commited suicide on April 22nd of this year and this book was the first one that I picked up to read in an effort to figure out how to keep going.It is an incredibly well-written and sensitive book that leaves you feeling as if your thoughts and emotions are not crazy.I sent copies to the four siblings of my cousin and they too got a lot out of this book.It's not overly technical and it makes you all-too-aware that suicide is much more common than any of us would like to believe.I highly recommend it.

A Great Book but..
This a really good book. It provides great insight into the process of suicide and what it is like for those left behind. However, the author doesn't seem to realize what she says about herself in her own words. She states that she wished she would have left her husband when he became very sad and withdrawn from her. She said that she sort of regretted that he was able to kill himself before she left him. No wonder he killed himself after both his parents died. She certainly doesn't seem very caring or loving. The other stories are great and it is a great book. But, the author seems pretty selfish and heartless.

NO TIME TO SAY GOODBYE,THE SUICIDE OF A LOVED ONE
I highly recommend this book for anyone put in this unfortunate life changing situation.I took me 3 months to purchase and 1 month to open the cover. It is as if I wrote it myself.Reassures the emotions one is going thru that others have experienced the same.You are not alone in this black hole.A must read for anyone connected to a suicide of a friend or loved one.

No Time to Say Goodbye
A close friend of the family gave me this book shortly after my husbands suicide. Feelings of uncertainty delayed my reading for a brief time since I was not sure I could read more about something I could not wrap my mind around in my own life.My thoughts grieving my husband consumed me then I finally wanted to connect with someone who understood this.I realized immediately I could maintain a focus with her for it was not written in an exhausting ongoing form and to my surprise even though my pain remained I actually started to feel fortunate.This was a beginning of healing in my mind.Anyone that has lost a loved one due to suicide needs to read her book.It will help in ways that cannot be put into words. I was very grateful for "No Time to Say Goodbye."Sacrifice of Love: How can we comprehend?

quite heavy but very helpful
I felt this book was written for the immediate survivor of suicide - spouse or child.I lost my brother to suicide 7 weeks ago and although I found the information helpful I thought it really related to the person who saw the victim daily.I thought the author went into too much detail on other suicides.For someone who just lost someone, reading about the other suicides I thought added to the sadness of a recent loss.

Still as she wraps things up - very factual and informative things were brought to light and you walk away feeling somewhat resolved.Initially, when I bought this book I was going to send it to my sister in law who is in heavy denial.But after reading it, I realize it is too much. ... Read more

Product Description
Rabbits.We'll never quite know why, but sometimes they decide they've just had enough of this world- and that's when they start getting inventive.The Book of Bunny Suicides follows over one hundred bunnies as they find ever more outlandish ways to do themselves in.From an encounter with the business end of Darth Vader's lightsaber, to supergluing themselves to a diving submarine, to hanging around underneath a loose stalactite, these bunnies are serious about suicide.

Illustrated in a stark and simple style, The Book of Bunny Suicides is a collection of hilarious and outrageous cartoons that will appeal to anyone in touch with their evil side. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

Twisted and Hilarious
"The Book of Bunny Suicides" is twisted and hilarious beyond description. Highly recommended for anyone feeling a little blue, it exploits both the "awww" cuteness factor of bunnies and the "oh no!" horror of contemplated or completed suicide. For maximum enjoyment -- well, I guess -- you might want to read "The Book of Bunny Suicides" along with Barbara Oakes' "Evil Genes." They are, in some strange way, complementary.

Great imagination
Bunnies always look good in cartoons and Andy Riley's "The Book of Bunny Suicides" is terrific. Imagining that bunnies could actually place themselves in jeopardy is half the fun...the other half is waiting for the next page to see what the author has concocted. Buy this book and have a "blast"!!

Bunnycides
If you enjoyed the book, you will also love the Bunnycides app [...], the official iPhone app of the Bunny Suicides.

Return of the Bunny Suicides
I purchased this book for my 18 year old daughter as a Valentine's Day gift.I bought the first book of 'Bunny Suicides' last year for her Valentine's Day gift.It's not for everyone but for those of us who look at the world a bit off center it's a blast. I intend to keep adding to her collection since she's willing to let me read them too.

wonderful
This book was wonderful, albeit short. It's hilarious rereading it and sharing it with others. ... Read more

Product Description
"Silent Grief" is a book for and about "suicide survivors" - those who have been left behind by the suicide of a friend or loved one. Author Christopher Lukas is a suicide survivor himself - several members of his family have taken their own lives - and the book draws on his own experiences, as well as those of numerous other suicide survivors. These personal testimonies are combined with the professional expertise of Henry M. Seiden, a psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist. The authors present information on common experiences of bereavement, grief reactions and various ways of coping. Their message is that it is important to share one's experience of "survival" with others and they encourage survivors to overcome the perceived stigma or shame associated with suicide and to seek support from self-help groups, psychotherapy, family therapy, Internet support forums or simply a friend or family member who will listen. "Silent Grief" gives valuable insights into living in the wake of suicide and provides useful strategies and support for those affected by a suicide, as well as professionals in the field of psychology, social work, and medicine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Silent Grief: Living in the Wake of Suicide/
My son committed suicide.It's very hard to accept.This book has a lot of wisdom.Suicide in such a deliberate act...as a mother ithas made me question my entire life.The "why's" are never-ending.I highly recommend this book.

Very Helpful
I read and reread this book after my brother's suicide. It described many of my own feelings, and also had many practical suggestions.

Excellent book for therapists or family members of those who have completed suicide
This slim volume was originally published in 1987, with the long-overdue revised version arriving in 2007.Authors Lukas and Seiden acknowledge that in the years between the two editions, the subject of suicide has garnered much more of a public forum, particularly with the advent of the internet.However, they maintain that what hasn't changed is the profound, traumatic effect which suicide has upon those left behind, known here as suicide survivors.This book focuses on those survivors--how they react, the bargains they make in order to survive, and how they can learn to respond and move past their grief.Woven into the book are narrative accounts of many different survivors of suicide, including one of the authors, Lukas, who lost not only his mother but also his aunt, uncle, and eventually his brother to suicide as well.

Because silence often abounds after a suicide, the authors strive to break that silence through freely sharing just what happens to the survivor after someone commits suicide.Common emotions are discussed, including guilt, shame, and denial.In the second part of the book, the authors describe in detail what they term "bargains" that survivors make with respect to the suicide.These bargains allow the survivor to go on living, perhaps reducing their emotional pain, but there is a downside to each bargain made.Examples of bargains include keeping silent, scapegoating, punishing with guilt, cutting off, and the ultimate bargain, committing suicide (estimates suggest that suicide rates for survivors are between 80 and 300 percent higher than those for the general population).In the final section of the book, however, the authors recommend ways for overcoming these bargains through both getting help from and giving help to others.They offer suggestions for talking about the suicide in addition to reviewing basic listening techniques.The book concludes with some useful resources for finding self-help groups as well as suggestions for further reading.

This book is intended specifically neither for suicide survivors nor for professionals, yet it is well-suited to both audiences.Survivors will definitely find kinship--if not comfort--in the many personal stories featured here; they are also likely to feel less isolated and more accepting of their emotional reactions upon learning that they are not alone.Similarly, mental health professionals will benefit by gaining greater insight into and compassion for their clients who are suicide survivors.Overall, a well-done, very readable work for virtually all populations; highly recommended.

Exceptional Resource!
I am a seminary student in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was introduced to this book in a class I took that addressed the issue of Grief in Pastoral Care. For me, this book was transformative. While I have never experienced the grief of losing a loved one to suicide, I have experienced traumatic grief in my life. This book has the gift of speaking to many people who have been traumatized in their grief experience, whether suicide-related or not. I am also a Police Chaplainand have recently been called to minister to four different families who have been impacted by this type of tragic loss. This resource not only helped me in my immediate ministry with the families, but I have used it as resource material for other Police Department Chaplains as well. Thanks to the author, for speaking so honestly about this topic and for helping those of us "on the front lines" educate and by God's infinite grace, perhaps, save lives.

Book: Silent Grief: Living in the Wake of Suicide
Excellent help for me and my family following my fathers suicide. Helped me to understand and not be ridden with guilt. ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of the best-selling memoir An Unquiet Mind, comes the first major book in a quarter century on suicide, and its terrible pull on the young in particular. Night Falls Fast is tragically timely: suicide has become one of the most common killers of Americans between the ages of fifteen and forty-five.

An internationally acknowledged authority on depressive illnesses, Dr. Jamison has also known suicide firsthand: after years of struggling with manic-depression, she tried at age twenty-eight to kill herself. Weaving together a historical and scientific exploration of the subject with personal essays on individual suicides, she brings not only her remarkable compassion and literary skill but also all of her knowledge and research to bear on this devastating problem. This is a book that helps us to understand the suicidal mind, to recognize and come to the aid of those at risk, and to comprehend the profound effects on those left behind. It is critical reading for parents, educators, and anyone wanting to understand this tragic epidemic.Amazon.com Review
"Suicide is a particularly awful way to die: the mental sufferingleading up to it is usually prolonged, intense, and unpalliated,"writes Kay Redfield Jamison. "There is no morphine equivalent toease the acute pain, and death not uncommonly is violent andgrisly." Jamison has studied manic-depressive illness and suicideboth professionally--and personally. She first planned her ownsuicide at 17; she attempted to carry it out at 28. Now professorof psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she exploresthe complex psychology of suicide, especially in people youngerthan 40: why it occurs, why it is one of our most significanthealth problems, and how it can be prevented. Jamison discussesmanic-depression, suicide in different cultures and eras, suicidenotes (they "promise more than they deliver"), methods,preventive treatments, and the devastating effects on loved ones.She explores what type of person commits suicide, and why, andwhen. She illustrates her points with detailed anecdotes aboutpeople who have attempted or committed suicide, some famous, someordinary, many of them young. Not easy reading, either in subject orstyle, but you'll understand suicide better and be jolted by theintensity of depression that drives young people to it. --Joan Price ... Read more

Customer Reviews (84)

Graduate Student
I am a graduate student for social work and wanted to further my understanding of suicidal behavior. I found this book to be a very good starting point for understanding who, why, and how as well as what can (or can't) be done to help. I appreciate the perspective of how it impacts people versus the clinical perspective. Both are certainly needed to understand how to help.

A Good Look At Suicide From Many Angles
This is a very good book with much to offer the individual who needs to know more about this truly difficult topic.It offers a wide array of interesting insights and topics within the topic itself. It is well written and not too clinical so all, not just professionals can benefit.Suicidal thinking or dealing with the patient who attempts it is hard enough with just basic knowledge.One must arm oneself with deeper knowledge to even begin to understand the complex nature of why someone would want to end their life and then what to do about it.Depression is one of the harder areas of psychiatry to treat and allay with success rates that could be better.The addition of hopelessness and total worthlessness for whatever reason in which a person sees no other way out and in time leading to the contemplation of suicide is a tough road to be on never mind treat.This book illuminates some of those ideas and gives one key ideas to increase a clinicians general understanding aside from an empathetic response.True our first line of defence is medication but the core issues must also be evaluated and discussed with the patient.To get at the crux of the problem, if you can can make the difference.Certain conditions,medical,economic,genetic,or situational all come into play when a person crosses that brink of tolerance and makes the decision to attempt suicide.Thank goodness many fail in their attempt either through error or being discovered.Most need help and get it in a circuitous way.Others do succeed on their first or second try.Jamison also tried it and good for her and us, lived to write about it.Her style is friendly and crisp and her book is layed out well.The ideas she puts forth and the examples she gives as well as her own experiences are given all through the book and there really is no chapter that slows you down or runs dry.It is highly recommended that it be read by those in the field as well as the layperson who needs to know more about this troublesome area in which the human condition can sometime find itself.If you want to know what makes the suicidal person tick or what you need to know to help them read this book.

Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide/Kay Redfield Jamison
This book was described with leather covering, a collectable, a leather letter bookmarker.This was not at all that was received.This is just a hardcover book that you would go and purchase at Barnes & Noble or etc.Very disappointed!Went back to the site to check if the person that had the ad stated this way was still having other adds, but they were no longer there.Very disappointed with the money I spent to expect what I was so excited about.What a bummer.

Fairly Dry Introduction to the Topic
I would recommend this book, but only to those seeking a basic introduction to the topics of suicidality and depression.It gives a good (albeit somewhat outdated--published 1999) survey of the causes and treatment options for suicidal patients.If you're at all familiar with the topic, however, it really doesn't offer much.Based on the first pages I read in the bookstore, I was hoping it would offer some vivid descriptions of people contemplating / attempting / committing suicide and give some texture to what is otherwise a largely dry (if very well written) discussion of the topic.It did not offer many.I would even have appreciated her taking more controversial / bold stances on some of the more vexing questions...what if anything friends and family touched by this tragedy can do (prevention / support / aftermath), what drugs are more or less effective (she seems to take a pro-lithium stance, but it isn't very strong, and the parts of the book dealing with psychopharmacology are presumably the most outdated), why some suicidal patients change their mind, etc.Since she is a psychiatrist, I expected she would have a wealth of clinical case studies to draw on and present, but there were quite few in the book.If I hadn't been on airplanes, I doubt I would have finished this book.

Blew Me Away
This book takes my breath away. I know that's a little much to say about a book. Having experienced some severe suicidality myself, this book made me feel like I wasn't alone. I know that's a sappy thing to say. But there is a chapter in the book that contains personal accounts, suicide notes, journal writings leading up to the incident. It took me right back without me having to actually become suicidal. I felt so close to those people telling their stories through the writings they left behind. Yet when shutting the book I wasn't suicidal.

Emotional connection. Total emotional connection. That's what makes this a five star book for me. This book moved me!

And if you've never experienced this type of thinking. You'll find it fascinating. A real glimpse inside the minds of the mad. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Amazing book!(Shipped quickly and in excellent shape)
Appreciate vendor's care and attention to quick, accurate shipping.Book in excellent condition.It's an amazing - must read!

Shocking Look at a Common Addiction
This book is an eye-opener about a substance that many of us are addicted to and don't even know it.Well-written and timely for everyone to read and implement.

Over the top
I do believe people do have sugar addictions, but this book is over the top, blaming every health problem on sugar. There's a lot more to illness than sugar.

Thankful this book was written
Excellent book that helps us finally come to the conclusion that sugar really is at the root cause of many of our health issues, physical and mental. Many people will never be fortunate enough to learn this information, which is a shame, since better eating habits will change your life for the better.

A Sugar addict's view
Great Book. The author describes what sugar does to the body in an easy-to-understand and shocking way. She offers a long list of foods to eat in order to avoid the poison of sugar. I highly recommend the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Every seventeen minutes, someone in the United States dies by suicide. It is one of the most serious public health crises of modern times, claiming over one million lives worldwide every year.

Those who have lost a loved one to suicide experience tremendous shock and trauma, with a confusing mix of emotions--anger, guilt, grief and despair. Suicide also raises heartrending questions: Why did this happen? Why didn't we see it coming? Many also wonder if those who choose suicide are doomed to an eternity separated from God and loved ones. Some may even start asking whether life is worth living at all.

After his father's death by suicide, Albert Hsu wrestled with the intense emotional and spiritual questions surrounding suicide. While acknowledging that there are no easy answers, Hsu draws on the resources of the Christian faith to point suicide survivors to the God who offers comfort in our grief and hope for the future.

If you have lost a loved one to suicide or provide pastoral care to those left behind, this book is an essential companion for the journey toward healing.

"I think the material in this book will be a godsend. . . . It is a solid handbook to propel the reader through the anguish that suicide brings on. This is unlike any other book on this particular subject and will prove to be a must-read for counselors, as well as stricken families." Barbara Johnson, author, Where Does a Mother Go to Resign?

"In Grieving a Suicide, Al Hsu has done what few can do. He has created a thoughtful, empathic, spiritually enobling and practically helpful account of his response to the loss of his father by suicide. . . . I started merely to scan the book just before leaving for a trip, and, drawn into the narrative, I read it straight through by the time my flight was finished. Wow!" Everett L. Worthington, author, Five Steps to Forgiveness and When Someone Asks for Help ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Excellent book about dealing with suffering
I am grateful to have read this book after losing my friend to suicide. I would highly recommend this book to anyone to read who is dealing with any type of loss, suffering, or grief. I found myself applying this author's teachings to other parts of my life besides the loss of my friend. He carefully and thoughtfully teaches the Word of God. Very comforting book!

This book helped me so much!!!!!!
A friend gave me this book about 3 days after I lost my precious dad to suicide. I picked it up and started reading it while my grief and shock were so fresh and it helped me so much. There is so much pain and intense heart ache when you have to face that your loved one has taken their own life, this book helped me realize I'm not the only one who has gone through this, and that it wasn't my fault. It's like going to really good counseling, all written down in the book, by an author who has been through the same thing as me. Its been 3 years since my dad died and I still go back and re-read parts of the book that I have underlined. I have bought this book 2 times since to give to friends and family who have lost a loved one by suicide to hopefully help them get through their intense grief too. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a suicide survivor (those who've had a loved-one die this way).

This is just how I feel
My father reacently died from suicide.This book offers confirmation for what I feel and gives me hope of what lies ahead.

Excellent book, I purchase it to give to others
My wife received this book years ago after her first husband committed suicide.She now buys copies of this book to give to other people at our church that have lost a loved one to suicide.

Grieving a Suicide
My husband committed suicide May 18, 2004 and a friend gave me this book.It is easily understood, the chapters stand alone (you can pick and read what you need at that time), and it helps family and friends to deal with the blame, guilt, sorrow, and shock of a suicide.
I now keep several on hand and give to anyone I know who experiences a suicide.I still reread chapters to deal with issues that pop up.When you don't know what to say after a suicide you can show your support and love by simply handing someone this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Every seventeen minutes, someone, somewhere, chooses death by self-murder. In the wake of this horrific decision, other people are left to cope with the ripples caused. This book will provide knowledge and resources for those left in the wake of suicide.

Aftershock is a recovery book that will provide encouragement and support for survivors. Examining the complex emotions involved in grieving a suicide death, readers will come to realize they are not alone in their grief and will not be alone in their healing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

authors believe that being gay is a choice
I am about half way into this book, and feel a very strong need to comment before I even finish.This book is one more place that a person who is gay and possibly suicidal, will NOT feel validated.In the chapter on teen suicide, the authors acknowledge that gay teens are more likely than other teens to attempt suicide but then go on to say: "Even though the Bible clearly prohibits homosexuality and there is no credible scientific evidence to support homosexuality, a vulnerable or impressionable teenager who feels 'gay' will probably be predisposed to suicide."WHAT?The bible clearly prohibits homosexuality?There is no credible scientific evidence to support homosexuality?What does that even mean? The word gay in quotes? At the end of this same chapter, the authors suggest "if your teenager is struggling with sexual orientation questions, discuss these questions: Can you think of another "species" that does not have the ability to reproduce?If homosexuality is genetic rather than a learned behavior, why is homosexual union unable to reproduce?"ICK!This is what you're supposed to say to a vulnerable teenager?You're supposed to tell him or her that they learned to be homosexual and that they can control it?You mean I can learn how to become gay?Ooo the options! All sarcasm aside (I am really angry right now.)I am mostly concerned about these comments being in a book in which the authors offer advice and supposedly "solace" to both the survivors and those who are suicidal. I doubt that a person in the gay community will find comfort in their words.

"Aftershock......
I did not read this book, as I sent it to someone, but it was recommended to me by one who conducts a Grief-Share program at her church.

very insightful
after my husband's cousin committed suicide, the whole family was left reeling.this book has been helpful in understanding a lot of things.highly recommended.

Very healpful, and an easy read
I purchased two different books on suicide in hopes of finding ways to deal with my best friend taking her own life at age 41. This book was far superior to the second one I read and I an so grateful that I chose to buy two different books. "Aftershock" left me feeling more positive and hopeful(strange words for a book on this subject)than I thought I could possibly feel after less than 2 months from the day she died. The Scripture verses were very comforting, the examples were not over done, like the other book, and I found myself feeling like the authors knew how I was feeling - and what a comfort that was after so many people told me "you just have to get over it!" I only wish I had read this book months ago, could the out-come have been different? I hope it is read by many other survivors - and hopefully find it's way into the hands of someone considering suicide.

If you are seeking a book like this, I am so sorry.....
We lost our son in June (2007) to suicide.He was 16.This is the #1 resource we have used so far to help us make it through these dark days.Grief is not something you "go through" or "heal" from..... it is something that becomes a permanent part of your being.It is like growing a new and unfamiliar body part.You must let it become part of you and rely on God to learn how to accept it.

Thank you SO much to the authors for knowing how important this was to write.IDEA: I read this book 3 times before fully digesting it.The third time, I highlighted certain parts that I felt were pertinent to my son.I also wrote notes in the margins.Next, my mother read it (in one night, cover to cover).... and used a different colored highlighter and also wrote notes in the margins.We have now passed it onto his best friend who is doing the same.... with a different colored highlighter.It is our way of sorting through my son's very complicated brain and trying to make sense of his death.It is a structured method of sharing our knowledge of him, and why on Earth he chose death over life.It has truly helped all of us.My husband will read it at some point, and someday our younger children will read it.... with the wisdom and knowledge from those of us who knew and understood their brother the best.

I highly HIGHLY recommend this book.I don't think I would be doing this well (not that I am doing great!) at this point without it.God's truth and wisdom in my darkest days.

Jennifer ... Read more

Product Description
One of Durkheim's most important works, serving as a model in social theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Start with chapter 4 ... from there on a masterpiece!
Given the academic traditions which prevailed at the time, European scholars were commonly forced to be thorough to a fault, covering a lot of non-essential material and making for excruciatingly long reads.With Durkheim's Suicide, if you begin with chapter 4, social causes and social types, you'll be able to read a masterpiece of sociological reasoning.The most conspicuous concepts in his analysis, anomie (cultural deregulation) and egoism (social deracination), are applicable to a broad range of social phenomena in a wide variety of settings.In modest empirical pieces I've used them to help explain variability in teen pregnancy, early teen pregnancy, dropping out, crime on school property, and reckless behavior among adolescents.

As with today, Durkheim lived in a world that was becoming more complex, rendering values and norms relative, and tearing apart extended families, neighborhoods, communities, and other groups that provided social support.Durkheim surmised that in the absence of normative stability and a strong sense of belonging, people felt socially and culturally lost, devoid of guidance and support.As a result, they became depressed, anxious, and more likely to commit suicide.Within the methodological limitations of the late nineteenth century, he thoroughly researched his thesis and found compelling empirical evidence to support it.

Today, much is made of the archaic nature of Durkheim's research methods and the likelihood that his findings were compromised by the ecological fallacy, making untenable inferences about individuals from group data.In my view, however, his seminal concepts, though often misrepresented and misunderstood, have proved priceless in understanding our socially and culturally chaotic world and explaining why some of us commit ourselves so completely to causes and organizations that seem absurd and sometimes broadly dangerous.The same concepts continue to explain variability in suicide rates from time to time and place to place.

Very boring book
My boyfriend completed suicide four months ago. I have purchased almost every book here on Amazon regarding suicide. I was tormented by the "whys, what ifs, if only" day and night. Needless to say, I am desperately in need of finding answers to comfort me, and to make a little sense of my boyfriend's suicide.
I finished this book feeling confused. I do not need to read all the statistic, and cultural backgrounds, I am not a researcher. I need answers that can help me coping with this incredible lost. Sorry, but this book is completely useless to me.
I would high recommend the other books "Why do people die by suicide" and "nights fall fast" Those are the two great books help me the most.

Suicide
Suicide is as old a phenomenon as is murder or thievery. It has been looked down on as a criminal act requiring punishment in order to thwart additional acts. In 452, the Council of Arles declared suicide a crime to result in the culprit going to hell. This was followed in 563 by the Council of Prague declaring that in addition to going to hell one would also be forbidden from having any religious memorial during one's funeral. In addition, civil legislation followed with penalties resulting in one's possessions reverting to the lord or baron of the estate rather than to any natural heirs. They went to great lengths in their efforts to eliminate or reduce suicide by torturing the bodies of those who committed suicide. They would hang corpses in the town square or drag it through the streets. These actions were no doubt in frustration concerning their inability to not only understand suicide but also their failed attempts to control it.

Durkheim's study into suicide discovered that suicide is not a criminal act nor is it an individual phenomenon but rather it is a problem associated with our collective conscience or what we term society. The study by Durkheim has had additional benefits other than an understanding of suicide. These would be the methods used by Durkheim for this study as well as to propel sociology to a greater degree of acceptability.

Durkheim's style in this book is similar to that used by Michel Foucault in his series about the sexuality. They both offer hypothesis after hypothesis only to discredit them completely or partially resulting in new hypotheses. Durkheim continues this process until one has no other option but to conclude that he has successfully proved his hypothesis that society is the cause of suicide and that suicide is not only a negative phenomenon but a necessary one. The way in which Durkheim explains this strange required negativity, I would correlate to the unemployment levels in our modern capitalistic societies in that we can never expect to reach a level of complete employment.

Durkheim's contributions to the methods of research used by future social scientists concentrate on the correlation of data to prove causation. He was meticulous in amassing a vast amount of raw data to analysis but he also discussed the limits of the data analyses. This would have implications for future sociologists in that they would be expected to uphold the standards set by Durkheim. Concerning suicide, the problem with data would hem not only on the definition of suicide but also on the unknown instances of the act of suicide. Durkheim defined suicide as, "suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result" (p.44). This definition, however, has some validity issues. How would Durkheim view a soldier during war who rushes into the enemies line of fire knowing full well that he will be killed but if he fails to act in this situation many of his comrades will be killed? According to Durkheim, this situation would be considered a suicide. Many would disagree but Durkheim addresses this by defining three forms of suicide.

Three forms of suicide: Egoistic, Altruistic, and Anomic. Egoistic results from a lack of integration into society. The more individualist one is the greater the risk for suicide. Durkheim feels that society as a whole is moving towards a more individualistic society resulting in increases in egoistic suicide rates. The second form, altruistic, goes against the rule of egoistic suicide in that the degree of social integration is irrelevant. Suicide is committed for the greater good of society so the greater one's connection and commitment to society the greater risk of committing the act. This, however, is a form of suicide usually found only in tribal or lower societies. Suicide takes the form of ritual or sacrifice. This form is also found in the modern army in the form of the example of a soldier committing suicide to save his comrades. The final form, anomic, is correlated to the degree that one is upset with one's environment. This usually occurs during a divorce, loss of a job, winning the lottery, or discovering devastating truths or fallacies. The point here is that the individual is removed from their group in physicality, social status, etc. The supporting infrastructure is upset and one is left to fend for oneself. This can be evidenced by stockbrokers jumping to their death during the crash of 1929 or the lottery winners today attempting suicide. Durkheim does point out that one of the greatest protections from suicide is being poor.

The book is a very difficult read with an almost endless amount of facts and figures resulting in what is termed paralysis by analysis to the general layman BUT as a student of Sociology it is necessary in order to prove his hypothesis.

Great
This book is helpful to understand how suicide happens to people and understanding that there is nothing you can do to catch it, you realize its not your fault.

Start here sociology student
This is still considered the first book on sociological theory.Not only does Durkheim provide us with a working model to use social statistics to draw very strong inference but if one reads carefully between the lines, he provides us with theoretical rhetoric as well as the afore-mentioned practical design.Durkheim was overall pessimistic; he saw the forces of society as overwhelming to the individual and makes little or no provision for escape (unlike Marx).Suicide, in Durkheim's view, was merely a symptom of a greater sociological ill.But unlike those who had come before him, Durkheim based his sociological assertions on solid empirical evidence and helped create an entire new science, which like the "hard" sciences, was based on the collection of data and research.Next time you read a report which links household income to education attainment, or prison rates among African Americans to a never-ending drug war, remember Emile Durkheim.He was first. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great calendar
This is a terrific product for lovers of Bunny Suicides.The weekly calendar, printed on postcard quality cardstock, is a good size (approx 5" x 5") to really enjoy the art.There is a weekly calendar across the top inch of the page, and then the artwork for the weekly Suicide below.The weekly drawings are perforated and come off easily.The entire calendar is housed in a gray plastic frame, designed to stand on a desk or table.It isn't possible to hang it up, except perhaps with very strong double-stick tape. ... Read more

Product Description
Eavesdropping on the phone calls of U.S. citizens; demands by the FBI for records of library borrowings; establishment of military tribunals to try suspected terrorists, including U.S. citizens--many of the measures taken by the Bush administration since 9/11 have sparked heated protests. In Not a Suicide Pact, Judge Richard A. Posner offers a cogent and elegant response to these protests, arguing that personal liberty must be balanced with public safety in the face of grave national danger.

Critical of civil libertarians who balk at any curtailment of their rights, even in the face of an unprecedented terrorist threat in an era of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Posner takes a fresh look at the most important constitutional issues that have arisen since 9/11. These issues include the constitutional rights of terrorist suspects (whether American citizens or not) to habeas corpus and due process, and their rights against brutal interrogation (including torture) and searches based on less than probable cause. Posner argues that terrorist activity is sui generis--it is neither "war" nor "crime"--and it demands a tailored response, one that gives terror suspects fewer constitutional rights than persons suspected of ordinary criminal activity. Constitutional law must remain fluid, protean, and responsive to the pressure of contemporary events. Posner stresses the limits of law in regulating national security measures and underscores the paradoxical need to recognize a category of government conduct that is at once illegal and morally obligatory.

One of America's top legal thinkers, Posner does not pull punches. He offers readers a short, sharp book with a strong point of view that is certain to generate much debate.

OXFORD'S NEW INALIENABLE RIGHTS SERIES

This is inaugural volume in Oxford's new fourteen-book Inalienable Rights Series. Each book will be a short, analytically sharp exploration of a particular right--to bear arms, to religious freedom, to free speech--clarifying the issues swirling around these rights and challenging us to rethink our most cherished freedoms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Timely, Important Topic but Poorly Executed
Judge Posner's topic in this book is clearly timely and important.At the root of his inquiry lies an important issue: whether the definition and scope of civil liberties should remain constant through changing times.The judge's answer to that question is that they should not remain constant.Rather, what he calls civil liberties should have their definitions and scopes changed to reflect the changing times.Judge Posner's treatment is stylistically well-written and easy to read but his arguments felt underdeveloped and flimsy at times.The reason that I only gave this book three stars is because the judge's execution of his inquiry lacked in depth and in nuance.Thus, while it was a good, interesting treatment of a timely topic it fell short of the mark that I expected from this particular author.

My first objection to Judge Posner's treatment is his conflation of the concepts of privileges and of rights protected by the Constitution.Note I phrased the latter as "rights protected by the Constitution" and not "constitutional rights."Rather than recognize the substantial differences between rights and privileges, Judge Posner chooses to deal with them at a higher abstraction which obscures those differences.While privileges and rights can both be referred to collectively as "civil liberties," the author does violence to the distinctions between them when he deals with both of them as if they were identical.This is what Judge Posner does wrong when he argues for the ability of the government to redefine and alter the scope of "civil liberties."While the federal government is free to make those alterations to privileges, the very nature of a right prevents any government from making alterations to rights.Yet, the author simply ignores these differences without any explanation.

My other primary objection to Judge Posner's treatment is the lack of robustness in his arguments.Some of the arguments were logical and seemed well thought-through.Those were a pleasure to read, even when I disagreed with them.However, there were many situations where Judge Posner seems to make conclusory statements without much, if any, analysis.For example, on page 10, the judge argues in three sentences that the need for judicial intervention is lessened when the President and Congress agree.In that argument, the coup de grace was his statement that the Congress under the Republican Party was not simply a rubber-stamp for President Bush's policies.Similarly, on page 70 Judge Posner argues in five sentences that the Constitution implicitly grants essentially dictatorial powers to the President to prosecute a war because of a "law of necessity."In fact, this theme reappears several times when the author argues that it would be better to deny the President certain powers and then to have him exercise those powers in contravention of law than to grant him the powers and explain the limits on those powers.The author even argues that an "extralegal approach to the exercise of emergency powers" is an attractive alternative in emergency situations to delineating powers with which the government actors must comport.Coupled with, and magnifying, these rhetorical difficulties is the author's decision not to provide citations for his statements, instead relying on a bare bibliography at the end.The lack of footnotes or endnotes handicaps the reader from easily being able to fill in the gaps in the author's reasoning in the text.

Unfortunately, Judge Posner's book does not live up to the quality expected of his writing, especially when the topic is so controversial as this one.The flimsy foundations and unsupported conclusions of some of his arguments did his position a major disservice.The book actually felt like it was rushed and that if Judge Posner had spent more time elucidating his arguments and supporting them with at least endnotes, they would have been more persuasive.As it stands, this book is a better insight into Judge Posner's personal thoughts and feelings on the question of whether the federal government should be constrained by law during a time of national crisis than it is a decent treatment on the topic.

Not for the faint of heart...
To couch this review and Posner's argument, I paste a quote from Posner himself found the in The New Republic."If torture is the only means of obtaining the information necessary to prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Times Square, torture should be used--and will be used--to obtain the information. ... no one who doubts that this is the case should be in a position of responsibility."Who will argue with this?One person versus millions?Obviously everything needs to be considered rationally, weighing the issues, looking at expected costs and benefits.If on average we can stop more terrorist attacks with torture, it is probably worth it from a detached perspective.

I expected better from Posner....
In another, perhaps better world, Judge Posner would have been a Republican nominee for the Supreme Court. His age reputedly barred him in this one.

Unfortunately, for this book, you could probably stop at the title, and that would give you the gist.

Judge Posner's thesis is that at a time of war, noone can be allowed to second judge the nation's security establishment. Moreover, he argues that judges are particularly unsuitable for the task. He offers examples from history to buttress his thesis.

Unfortunately, unless one starts out with the premise that his conclusion is intrinsically correct, his arguments read, at least to my eyes, as somewhat cyclical and self-serving.

After all, judges balance competing consideration in a vast array of other types of cases all the time. Why not in matters of national security? He also ignores key problems, at least in my reading:

1. Lincoln's actions WERE widely condemned, often fiercely resisted, and are considered by legal historians to be a blot on his legacy.

2. Korematsu, the Japanese internment case, was based on submissions to the Supreme Court that the Justice Department KNEW to be untrue. So the most famous instance of the Constitution not being a suicide pact was based on a lie, a lie that many DOJ official vigorously protested at the time.

As Judge Reinhardt said about Judge Posner, the problem is not in his writing. He is a fine writer, and his writing is enjoyable. The problem is with his thinking and conclusions.

Interesting introduction to constitutional law
As a layman I found Posner's book to be a very interesting way to learn about the issues with constitutional law not only in a time of crisis, but in general.He starts out with a discussion on how constitutional rights are created.It clarified many of the questions I had in my mind on how the constitution could be interpreted the way it is.It even made sense.He then explained how national security shapes those rights.He argues for a balance between security and rights.

The next four chapters discuss the rights against detention, the rights against brutal interrogation and searches and seizures, the rights of privacy, and finally the right of free speech.These chapters brought out the arguments based on security and also the arguments of civil libertarians.Posner tended to argue for a balance between those views that changes given the circumstances.In case of dire emergency, the president should be able to suspend some rights.I thought the discussion in the concluding chapter on Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus was a good way to illustrate his point.Should the constitution be amended to allow this action, or should it continue to be illegal?He brings up the pros and cons of each and his conclusion makes sense to me.

Posner's writing style is very clear and I found that as a layman this complex issue was understandable.Do I agree with all of his conclusions?Probably not; but the general concept of balancing personal security and rights does ring as a principle worth considering.I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in constitutional law and the current war on terror.

The Balance Between Liberty And Security
Federal Appeals Court Judge Richard A. Posner is known for being both prolific and controversial. In addition to authoring one of the most important academic treatises in the field of law and economics, he is also known for writing on more controversial topics ranging from the 2000 Presidential election to sex. And it's when he writes on these topics, covering areas that are both controversial and likely to be the subject of high-profile Constitutional case law, that he's often at his most interesting, even when you don't agree with him.

In Not A Suicide Pact: The Constitution In A Time Of National Emergency, Posner examines the questions and conflicts that have arisen between national security and individual liberty in the wake of the War on Terror and asks the question of just how far Courts should go in either protecting liberty or granting leeway to the state to deal with a perceived emergency.

Posner's entire thesis with respect to the roles that liberty and safety should play in Constitutional jurisprudence can be summed up in the paragraph that opens the conclusion to the book:

"Constitutional rights are largely created by the Supreme Court, by loose interpretation of the constitutional text. Created as they are in response to the felt needs and conditions of the time, they can be and frequently are modified by the Court in response to changes in those needs and conditions. A constitutional right should be modified when changed circumstances indicate that the right no loner strikes a sensible balance between competing constitutional values, such as personal liberty and public safety. A national emergency, such as a war, creates a disequilibrium in the existing system of constitutional rights. Concerns for public safety now weigh more heavily than liberties in recognition that the relative weights of the competing interests have changed in favor of safety. That is the pragmatic response, and pragmatism is a dominant feature not only of American culture at large but also of the American judicial culture."

If you're someone like myself who views individual liberty and the protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights as immutable, a paragraph like that is bound to make your blood boil. And, I will admit that there were several times when I found myself wanting to argue with Posner over one obscure point or another (which I imagine would be a fascinating intellectual experience in itself).

Posner's approach, however, is entirely understandable for two reasons. First, it is entirely consistent with his broader adherence to law and economics, which is all about balancing, and pragmatism, and finding efficient outcomes, as a legal philosophy. Second, he's a Federal Judge and, with rare exceptions, the approach that he suggests in this book is entirely consistent with the way that most Federal Judges seem to view questions of the proper line to draw between individual liberty and public safety.

That doesn't mean that Posner is correct, though.

First, there's his view of individual/constitutional rights as something that are strictly judge made, rather than something that exist independent of the whim of the judiciary. Because of what Posner contends to be the inherent vaguenesss of the Constitutional text, it is up to Judges to determine the boundaries of constitutional liberty. The problems with this approach are replete and exist throughout the 200+ years that the Supreme Court has existed. All too frequently, judges have interpreted portions of the Constitution too narrowly, or too broadly, or just ignored it entirely and ruled based on how that though the case should be decided. Leaving the definition of civil liberties strictly and exclusively in the hands of an unelected judiciary is, in the end, a recipe for disaster.

Given Posner's views on the malleability of constitutional rights, it isn't entirely surprising where he comes down on the debate over when and how much individual liberty should be sacrificed in the name of public safety at a time of supposed national emergency, such as that represented by the War on Terror. With very few, though very interesting exceptions, Posner would give more power to the state to fight the threat posed by terrorism -- notwithstanding the fact that, except for September 11th, there hasn't been evidence of a single foreign terrorist plot on American soil in over five years -- at the expense of individual liberty and privacy.

Another area which Posner brushes over is the fact that national emergencies have, in the past, served as the justification for increases in the size, scope, and power of government. Posner briefly addresses this issue by citing examples from the Post-WW2 and Cold War eras of government regulation that has since abated. In reality, of course, the end of each of these supposed emergencies still resulted in a Federal Government that exerted more control than it did at the time the "crisis" started.

Of course, much of that is explained by the fact that local incumbents in law enforcement find it in their interest to point out how bad things would be under a second term.

There are some points one which I must admit that Judge Posner is right. There is a distinct difference between law enforcement and intelligence gathering. And there seem to be far fewer Constitutional limitations on intelligence gathering, which logically must be considered part of the Article II power of the Executive Branch, than on law enforcement, which finds itself limited by the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments, just to name a few.

And maybe that makes sense.

The purpose of intelligence gathering is, or at least, should be, preventing attacks on the homeland, whether from terrorists or foreign nations, from happening. Law enforcement steps in only after an attack has occurred. In the case of terrorism, law enforcement is an admittedly ineffective tool.There's no point in filing criminal charges against the 19 men who hijacked planes on September 11th, but if we'd been able to break up that conspiracy on September 9th........well, that wouldn't have been a bad thing after all.

In the end, as Posner points out, and as reluctant as I may be willing to admit, it may well be true that there is a trade-off between liberty and security that we all will have to make a decision on in the near future.

On each side, there's an extreme that is entirely unpleasant. Too little government vigilance in the face of a real terrorist threat could lead to the deaths of millions. Too severe a restriction on individual liberty could lead to a free reign for destruction. ... Read more

Product Description

Honest, gentle advice for those who have survived an unspeakable loss—the suicide of a loved one.

Transforming suffering into strength, misconceptions into understanding, and shame into dignity, Beverly Cobain and Jean Larch break through the dangerous silence and stigma surrounding suicide to bring readers this much-needed book. Cobain’s achingly honest account of dealing with the suicide of a loved one, along with personal stories from others who experienced this profound loss, provide powerful insight into the confusion, fear, and guilt family members experience. A chapter about “the suicidal mind” helps families not only comprehend the depth of their loved one’s pain prior to suicide, but also understand why such desperation is so difficult to recognize—even in the closest relationships. By sharing survivor stories as well as the latest thinking and statistics about suicide, Cobain and Larch break through myths, misinformation, and misunderstandings. The result is a book of extraordinary compassion and steadfast guidance for anyone awash in the aftermath of unfathomable loss.

"This frank book about suicide is a giant step toward bringing another form of mental illness out of the closet."
— Mindy Greiling, Minnesota State Representative and National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) National Board of Directors

"This book is a masterpiece for the survivors of suicide and those who care about them."
— David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., 16th U.S. Surgeon General and Interim President of Morehouse School of Medicine

Customer Reviews (31)

GENTLE READING
I lost my brother to suicide 2 months ago. I had so many questions, the biggest one was WHY.
This book was very gentle to read while you are grieving the lose of a loved one. Helps
you to get a feel for how the person may have been feeling. The book is now being past
around to my family. I would recommend it to those who are going through the death of a suicide.

A wonderful book for those who have lost someone to suicide!
This book was sent to me from one of my friends who lost her husband to suicide.I lost my boyfriend Wade on 11-30-08 and since then there have been so many questions that haven't been answered.This book helps us to see the "suicidal mind" and what one may be going through who commits suicide.I don't read alot, but once I started reading this book, I read it all the way through without stopping.It is a wonderful book for anyone who has lost someone to suicide.It helps us understand & also gives us hope.

I'm so glad I read this book.After a year and a half of questions, some of those questions have been answered by reading this book.I have a support group online for people who have lost someone to suicide, and I have recommended it to all of them.

After reading "Dying to be Free", I felt more peace than I've felt since he died.I wish I had found this book sooner.Great job Beverly.Thank you for writing such a wonderful book that helps the grieving start to heal.

A survivor's lifeline
I bought "Dying to Be Free" just shortly after my son died by suicide. I was desperate for anything that would help me begin to sort out the complete devastation in my heart and my head after losing him. I truely felt I was losing my mind. I had read other books first but this one hit home. It talked about how surviviors are affected in various stages of grief - and listed exactly how I was feeling at that moment. Reading that page helped me know that I wasn't alone and gave me hope that what I was going through was something that could eventually be managed. The information that helped address the questions about why, the guilt (I should have known), the suicidal mind and other survivor stories were invaluable. The writing was simple, easy-to-read and segmented in digestable chunks. This was expecially helpful to me because I had a very difficult time concentrating and retaining information for months after my son's death. I've referred back to different parts of the book over the last few years and I've also recommended the book to others who have lost a loved one to suicide. I highly recommend this to all those who are looking for a better understanding of suicide or who are looking for a lifeline to help them through their grief.

Masterpiece!
Good day Bev and Jean,

"Masterpiece" is an understatement!Why is it you have to experience tragedy in your life before discovering such insightful advice?I know your book is helping me as a survivor and can only wish my brother could have also benefited from your book?I will always remember him saying "what do you take for a broken heart"?Well...what he ended up "taking" was his own life.Miss diagnosed and more likely miss understood he chose to end his pain and leave this world?

Not asking for anything just wanted to let you know that you, Jean and the others "hit one out of the park" with your book!

Thank you and God bless,

Mark (another survivor) Stesney

Comforting
I really liked this book. It really helped answer some questions surrounding a loved one choice to commit suicide. I would recommend this book for any survivor of suicide. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (25)

Memoir + Biography = Suicide Story
How does a daughter make sense of her father's suicide? Joan Wickersham tries to explain by using an objective system: the index. It is a unique format for a tough topic.

The book begins in an orderly outline with the main category of Suicide, with sub-headings in alphabetical order. For example, it begins: "Suicide: act of, attempt to imagine." It appears as though the author explores the chaos and confusion of her father's suicide by using a logical process. But she is dealing with emotion, and towards the middle of the book there is a shift to narrative memoir. The reader engages in dialogue as if in a mystery novel, then is jolted by the realization that this is a true story of trauma.

In the chapter titled "Suicide: psychiatry as a means of addressing," Wickersham abruptly changes perspective. For a writer, it is an intelligent shift for variety. As a reader, it was difficult to determine not only the reason for the alternative style, but also the nuances within the content. However, the complexities come across; it can't be easy talking to a therapist about your father's suicide.

Wickersham spans generations in this book, offering an equal measure biography and memoir. She is self-aware, empathetic, and courageously faces not only the tangible tasks in the aftermath of suicide, but the question we all ask, "Why?" Yet there is no answer. (Had this been a research dissertation, perhaps the correlation between childhood abuse and suicide would be explored.)

creative genius
Joan Wickersham experienced one of the most dreadful events that one could experience - the suicide of her father.The book, The Suicide Index, is her attempt to explore the events, thoughts, and feelings surrounding this catastrophic event in her life.I wasn't certain, in the beginning, if I would like this work with such a morbid theme.But, Wickersham wrote in a style that was both creative yet one in which the reader could relate.I pulled for her throughout and my empathy for her grew with each turn of the page.There are few books that I've read which I would claim that the author is a creative genius, but, this is clearly one of those books.I very highly recommend reading this book to anyone contemplating suicide, directly affected by suicide, or those who work with these individuals.I give this an A+!!!

suicide index
This book was moving to me after the suicide of my nephew a couple of years ago.It is from a woman's viewpoint and very powerful. It deals with the family dynamics before and after the suicide and how it changed.She is trying to make sense out of something that does not feel right.I knew from when I started this book that it was meaningful to me.

I can relate
My father recently died by suicide.This book helped to confirm my feelings and help me know what might lie ahead.

My review of The Suicide Index
The Suicide Index was a terrific read.I have had suicide in my immediate family so I was anxious to read the book.The author did a great job.I felt so much of what she felt going through this to discover the "WHY?"As well, she put into words so beautifully, things that I felt but could not express as eloquently as she.I give this book 5 stars and suggest it be read by anyone, male or female, experienced suicide or not.You do not have to experience suicide to appreciate the knowledge you will gain.Anyone can learn how the fallout affects those left behind when this occurs, and since it occurs so often, I recommend it for all to read. ... Read more

Product Description

Around the world, more than a million people die by suicide each year. Yet many of us know very little about a tragedy that may strike our own loved ones—and much of what we think we know is wrong. This clear and powerful book dismantles myth after myth to bring compassionate and accurate understanding of a massive international killer.

Drawing on a fascinating array of clinical cases, media reports, literary works, and scientific studies, Thomas Joiner demolishes both moralistic and psychotherapeutic clichés. He shows that suicide is not easy, cowardly, vengeful, or selfish. It is not a manifestation of "suppressed rage" or a side effect of medication. Threats of suicide, far from being idle, are often followed by serious attempts. People who are prevented once from killing themselves will not necessarily try again.

The risk for suicide, Joiner argues, is partly genetic and is influenced by often agonizing mental disorders. Vulnerability to suicide may be anticipated and treated. Most important, suicide can be prevented.

An eminent expert whose own father's death by suicide changed his life, Joiner is relentless in his pursuit of the truth about suicide and deeply sympathetic to such tragic waste of life and the pain it causes those left behind.

Customer Reviews (2)

Brillant Readable Insightful Work..
Thomas Joiner should be commended for his research and study. Most other books frankly leave much to be desired. Please read his first book "Why People Die" before reading his new work. I'm not a sociologist or psych professional but a business professional. I've had over a dozen friends effect "self-deliverence" stemming from "econo-cide" or "divorce-cide" in the past 3 years. All were brillant smart caring and loving people who simply couldn't cope. Dr. Joiner's thesis of connectedness and belonging to a context greater than self is spot on and desreves great praise., especially in today's times where the concept of self-fulfillment has greater context than respondsibility to family, friends and work.

Suicide clearly is not viewed correctly by the media. They will write on auto accidents as a "natural cause of death", but have no manifest to research why mostly males choose to end pain and suffering for the sake of reasons only that respective individual takes with him to eternity.

Dr. Joiner's rearch offers the most clear, brillant and insightful thoughts regarding self-deliverance.

With the most viscious economic climate since the depression and a surge in divorce of long-term marriages, I hope Dr. Joiner's next book tackles these two alarming trends. The cause/effect relationship is there in living color.

Dr. Joiner's work on perception/reality is fascinating in every realm especially in a society like today where intellectual and emotional honesty seems to have been discarded.

For those who have lost a family member or friend due to self-deliverance, you have my honest condolonces. But also please consider what caused their decision.

Dr. Joiner's two works offer the most insightful, well researched and easily read insight into the mind and thought process of those that seek to transition from human existence.

I highly recommend both these excellent titles.

The anti-myths about suicide.
Dr. Joiner has given us another opportunity for deep reflections on the myths related to suicide. If you are sincerely interested in the theory of Dr. Joiner and want to appreciate this book even more, then I suggest reading first his previous book (Why People Die by Suicide, 2007.) There are many myths related to suicide and the merit of Dr. Joiner is not only "to collect" them in one book, but mostly "to explain" why these myths are still perceived as "the truth" and "to present" the "anti-myths" by supporting them with reliable research. In addition, Dr. Joiner builds his counterarguments using his theory and what strikes the readers' attention is the "simplicity" with which he explains his view. His writing is simple and direct; he is able to connect myths, false beliefs, research and antimyths as my grandmother was able to mix together all the ingredients for the perfect Sunday sauce......it looked simple but almost impossible to replicate.I highly recommend this book if you are interested in accurate information about suicide delivered to you by one of the best suicidologist in the world.

PS: I am Italian so I can certify that Bellagio is located in Italy and "not only" in Las Vegas (see pag.281.) If you still do not believe me visit [...].


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