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Victoria Alexander
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In the Wake of Suicide: Stories of the People Left Behind Paperback – January 16, 1998

by Victoria Alexander (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
See all formats and editions
Breathtaking stories of incredible power for anyone struggling to find the meaning in the suicidal death of a loved one?and for all readers seeking writing that moves and inspires.

After author Victoria Alexander?s mother took her life, she spent the next ten years collecting stories from people, like herself, who have walked through one of life?s most difficult journeys. The result is a beautifully written book of powerful, spellbinding stories told by those who were left behind?parents, children, spouses, lovers, friends, and colleagues. In the Wake of Suicide offers survivors the understanding, compassion, and hope they need to guide them on their own path in the wake of this most painful loss.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Jossey-Bass
  4. Publication date
    January 16, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0787940526
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0787940522
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This extraordinary, well-written, near-poetic book provides us with the first-person accounts of parent, child, brother, sister, spouse, lover, and therapist as they struggle through the pain-laden conflicted months and years of bereavement after a suicide of a loved one." (Norman Farberow, co-founder, Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center)

"Suicide shipwrecks those it leaves behind, often disarticulating their hearts, minds, and lives. When Victoria Alexander's mother died of suicide, she says the shock thundered through every corner of her life. As a work of salvage, for herself and for others, she interviewed forty other suicide survivors and sets forth here some of their stories, showing us how people reassemble themselves and move forward after that tragedy." (John T. Maltsberger, president, American Association of Suicidology and lecturer in psychiatry, Harvard Medical School)

From the Inside Flap

Breathtaking stories of incredible power for anyone struggling to find the meaning in the suicidal death of a loved one?and for all readers seeking writing that moves and inspires.After author Victoria Alexander's mother took her life, she spent the next ten years collecting stories from people, like herself, who have walked through one of life's most difficult journeys. The result is a beautifully written book of powerful, spellbinding stories told by those who were left behind?parents, children, spouses, lovers, friAnds, and colleagues. In the Wake of Suicide offers survivors the understanding, compassion, and hope they need to guide them on their own path in the wake of this most painful loss.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jossey-Bass (January 16, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0787940526
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0787940522
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

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Victoria Alexander

Victoria Alexander

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Plant ecology
5.0 out of 5 stars Creates bonds to people grieving a suicide
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
A profound attempt by the author to connect people who may feel ostracized by the suicide of an intimate--in addition to being in pain from the loss.

We make so many judgements against victims of misfortune, blame them or fault some perceived failure. I suppose that's a way to explain how it will never happen to us or our family. That has an isolating effect on people who need our empathy most.

Victoria Alexander has connected the people in her book to each other and to any reader.

I can see this book working to make people feel less alone as a result of a close suicide; it could also work to discourage suicide: A suicidal person may not realize the incredible pain they would leave behind.

This book is almost identical to "Words I Never Thought to Speak." I think the author sought to make a more appealing cover and title.
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Raven McLeod
4.0 out of 5 stars In the Wake of Suicide
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2008
Very good response and shipping. The item itself was not what I expected, based on the description, but this seller is top notch at rectifying situations and very expeditious with correspondence. Thank you. I would definitely purchase from this seller again.
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ICG
5.0 out of 5 stars In the Wake of Suicide
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2009
Just as her book - Words I Never Thought To Speak, this book is very good both for the "survivors" of suicide (those left behind) and even for those contemplating suicide.

For the survivors, Victoria Alexander really shows that although someone in your life chose to end their life, life still goes on for you and many many many people have been forced to find a way to go on, incorporating the guilt, grief and what-ifs into their lives.

For those contemplating suicide, these life histories of people left behind show that no matter what you do (affairs in order, letters of explanation etc), no matter what you believe (it won't matter; they'll get over it; they'll be sorry; it's for the best) there's always a domino effect. Many people get hurt - some you never knew..the newspaper boy who wonders if he'd said hello to you a few mornings ago if it'd made a difference; the emergency responder who is haunted by the resemblance you had to someone in their life; the co-worker you rode in the elevator with but never talked to;..there's always someone. Today may be bad, tomorrow too - but you never know how things may change in two months; two years; five years. There are so many other options. Suicide doesn't end just your life - it alters the future of everyone around you, many times irreparably.
2 people found this helpful
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L.L. Prichard, Esq.
5.0 out of 5 stars Words I Never Thought to Speak:..Life..in Wake of suicide
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2001
Of all the many books on suicide I've read through the years, this book rates highest on my list of books that are helpful in terms of the understanding it provides to survivors of suicide, including both the legacy and the different ways we process and come to terms with a suicide. What I spent years trying to understand in myself, my family members, and other suicide survivors, I found on the pages of this well-written and organized book. Time and again while reading, I would say aloud with some excitement: "That's WHY!" or "Exactly!" or "I wish I'd written that!" In addition, I couldn't resist sharing some of the passages and/or the insights I'd gained to others who were either struggling with the legacy suicide leaves behind or were contemplating suicide themselves. This book clearly shows that suicide leaves its own distinct fingerprints on the hearts and lives of its survivors. I wish I'd discovered the book long ago. Kudos to Victoria Alexander!
12 people found this helpful
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dcleach@ibm.net
5.0 out of 5 stars A Diamond in the rough of academia assessing suicide.
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 1998
Victoria Alexander brings her own experiences in life into this book that describes the isolation, confusion, desperation, anger, lack thereof of any emotion...once someone close to you takes their own life. For once I have found a book that is not purely engorged in its academic statistics. I applaud Ms. Alexander for seeing the truth of the terror. I am a survivor of suicide, and this book proves a great comfort in knowing that I am not the only one. I pray that we rid ourselves of the stigma. Interviews in this volume range from every corner of the nation, be it a son, wife, husband, daughter, mother, father, or anyone close who has died by their own hand.
Thank you Ms. Alexander.
Molly Leach Boise, ID
21 people found this helpful
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