Rating: 
Summary: I Wasn't Ready To Say Goodbye
Review: I've seen many books that deal with grief, but none that do it so comprehensively and accessibly! The authors write with that rare combination of personal passion and professional detachment which allows the grieving to find a pathway to health, in their own way, in their own time. I recommend this wonderful resource for those that have lost a loved one through death or divorce, and to the professionals who endeavor to help them.Mary Kalifon Author of "My Dad Lost His Job"
Rating:
Summary: A great resource
Review: In the last three years, I have lost several loved ones and this book clearly identifies the emotional and physical issues I experienced. I think the single most important facet of the book, for me, is that it makes grieving a normal, expected process and validates the issues I am facing. Brook and Pamela have done an outstanding job of helping me to cope with my feelings and to rationalize the grieving process. I have read this book, cover to cover, three times and will read it again. It brings my life back into focus when I get down.
Rating:
Summary: Grieving and Coping with loss, guidance for the survivors
Review: Just finished reading "I Wasn't Ready to Say Good Bye", a friend recommended the title to me. My 17-year-old son, Roman died in the prime of life and I didn't have a chance to say good bye. I found the book to be more than a reference, or quick handling of the matter, I identified with similar emotions, the kick in stomach when you are already emptied of air, and the loss of "clean" closure. This book offered perspectives and "normal" responses and actions for each stage of loss. It identifies and provides descriptions for your recognition and insight. I wanted to read every word, I felt we were joined, in a lot of ways, in our losses and I wanted the insight. The book is organized for easy handling and easy reading. You benefit from the experiences of the writers as they each experienced losses in their lives, and due to their losses, I find myself more apt to believe what they are writing about. A lot of practical advise, personal anecdotes, and references / citing to other works make for a full coverage and very helpful work. You may decide to want to explore a certain area more than others, great, they provide references for additional reading. This is a good book for counselors to have available for their own reference and to provide people with loss. When you have a loss of this nature, you will want the information covered in this book. When our son died, he went to be with God. My wife, other son and daughter all know that. We STILL needed to grieve. In the book, it covers the "loss" from various perspectives, I benefited from this section in that it made me more sensitive to how non-family people treated my son and daughter. We all lost Roman, not just his mother and I. Simple inquiries made to our children started isolating them from their own grieving. After reading the book, I focused on correcting and mending areas of communications between my children and "well meaning" people. If you have experienced loss, you need a book that gives you information and is readable at the same time. This book is it.
Rating:
Summary: Grieving and Coping with loss, guidance for the survivors
Review: Just finished reading "I Wasn't Ready to Say Good Bye", a friend recommended the title to me. My 17-year-old son, Roman died in the prime of life and I didn't have a chance to say good bye. I found the book to be more than a reference, or quick handling of the matter, I identified with similar emotions, the kick in stomach when you are already emptied of air, and the loss of "clean" closure. This book offered perspectives and "normal" responses and actions for each stage of loss. It identifies and provides descriptions for your recognition and insight. I wanted to read every word, I felt we were joined, in a lot of ways, in our losses and I wanted the insight. The book is organized for easy handling and easy reading. You benefit from the experiences of the writers as they each experienced losses in their lives, and due to their losses, I find myself more apt to believe what they are writing about. A lot of practical advise, personal anecdotes, and references / citing to other works make for a full coverage and very helpful work. You may decide to want to explore a certain area more than others, great, they provide references for additional reading. This is a good book for counselors to have available for their own reference and to provide people with loss. When you have a loss of this nature, you will want the information covered in this book. When our son died, he went to be with God. My wife, other son and daughter all know that. We STILL needed to grieve. In the book, it covers the "loss" from various perspectives, I benefited from this section in that it made me more sensitive to how non-family people treated my son and daughter. We all lost Roman, not just his mother and I. Simple inquiries made to our children started isolating them from their own grieving. After reading the book, I focused on correcting and mending areas of communications between my children and "well meaning" people. If you have experienced loss, you need a book that gives you information and is readable at the same time. This book is it.
Rating:
Summary: you just never know
Review: Life is short and unpredictable. I lost a loved one over two years ago. It was the most difficult time period. I felt all alone since I was young and most people my age had never endured any hardship. Feeling sorry for myself for over a year, blocking out friends and family, there was one friend who came across Ms Noel's and Dr Blair's book. As I started reading the book I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh and cry but also it helped me face the fact that I am still living. It helped me cope even though I thought I never would. Thank you!
Rating: 
Summary: Americocentric, poorly edited, but OK
Review: Like most books in this category, I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye has been written with only an American audience in mind. This isn't a fault in itself, but rather an indication that experts in other parts of the English-speaking world could fill this gap. All the references to organisations are only for ones in the US, there is an overwhelming emphasis put upon the use of a therapist of some kind or another (which is a good recommendation, but not a necessity), and there's a New-Agey tone of many of the suggestions. Having said that however, I did find parts of the book, particularly the debunking of myths surrounding grief and the reassurances that it's perfectly normal to feel as I did after the death of my brother, comforting and supportive. The 'editing' (so-called) is atrocious. Entire sections of the book in the wrong chapters, the constant spelling errors and the absence of almost all the internet addresses for organistions that can only be reached on the internet were frustrating to say the least, and indicate a lax editing process. It's a reasonable book, which I chose because it didn't have an entirely Christian angle. It provided me with some comfort when I needed it, and if you're not satisfied, at least the extensive bibliography will give you new directions in which to turn (but yet another case of poor editing- choose ONE citation convention and use that consistently, please!).
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful
Review: Over the last year my family has lost many friends and loved ones. All but two were 18 or younger. My sister's boyfriend, Andrew not even a month after he turned 17 was killed in a still unsolved drowning "accident". My brother lost two good friends. One in an automobile accident and one in a motorcycle accident. I had a co-worker who passed at just 42 from a massive heart attack and also lost my Grandma suddenly. It has been a lot to bare. There has been a lot to try and explain. This book has given really great insights. These two women worked really hard to give us all something to help us better understand our grief. I don't think we will ever fully understand our grief, but this does give more information than I have found elsewhere. Also, our grief is treated with a delicacy that only other grievers of a sudden death would know. I would recommend this to anyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Not all that great.
Review: Personally I didn't find this book helpfull. I think it would be a great book for people who know someone experiencing the loss of a love one, to read. However the book didn't help me at all in terms of grief. While it does tell you about the stages you may go through and what you may experience, it doesn't focus enough on personal growth ( which i believe is exteremly important after an experience like this).
Rating:
Summary: A must read for those who have suffered a sudden death loss.
Review: The authors have done an excellent job of covering a topic that has not received the attention it deserves. As a grief counselor I frequently interact with mourners who are struggling to adjust to the sudden death of a loved one. I use this book in my sessions and many of my clients read it as part of their grief work. The book is written in plain language and comes across as conversational.
Rating:
Summary: Great book on dealing with sudden loss
Review: The death of a loved one is always an emotionally difficult experience. When it comes suddenly and unexpectedly it is even more difficult. In "I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye" the authors take you through the grieving process as well as learning how to deal with such a tragic loss. The first part of the book deals with issues from how to survive the first few weeks to understanding the emotional and physical aspects of grief to dispelling myths about the grieving process. The second part is mainly the sharing of the stories of various people who have experienced the sudden loss of a loved one. The stories include the loss of a friend, a parent, a child, a partner, and a sibling. This section examines the various related problems that sometimes exist as a result of a loss. For example, losing a partner but having surviving children, dealing with a suicide, and the difficulties of couples surviving the loss of a child are all discussed. The third section discusses some of the pathways that people take through grief. Of particular importance is that is clearly dispels the myth that we all have a particular pathway that we use to move on past a loss. Each one of us is different and we all have our ways of dealing with grief. What may take one person six months to recover from may take another ten years, some may cry, some may not, some may experience forgetfulness, some may not, we are all different. Throughout the book the authors discuss how to be a helpful friend for those who are going through the grieving process. The book finishes with a listing of support and resource contacts. For those dealing with the loss of a loved one, or for those who want to help someone who is, this is a highly recommended read.
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