by Susan E. Casey
I read this book on sibling grief when it was in manuscript form. Beautifully written, this is a great self-help guide to acknowledging sibling grief, managing the pain and finding hope and meaning after sibling loss.
Rock On is a book that focuses solely on sibling grief and loss because it’s a tragedy author Susan E. Casey experienced in her own life. On Valentine’s Day, 2014, she learned of the horrific and unexpected death of her forty-three-year-old brother Rocky who died while in Hong Kong with his wife and three-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
The author takes you on the journey of the agonizing and often mysterious death of her brother in a foreign country–a brother she adored and looked up to her whole life. While the loss is heartbreaking, it’s also hopeful as the author details her own journey from broken to emotional healing.
The second half of the book segues into several excerpts from the people she talked to that are relevant to the theme of each chapter. Each person she interviewed for these stories has a sibling who died a different way: overdose, suicide, accident, heart disease, murder, cancer and more.
Susan artfully weaves in her memories in each story and ends the chapter with her thoughts on that theme to provide additional insights to help readers on their grief journey.
This book is ideal for brothers and sisters who’ve suffered a sibling loss. It’s also a good read for parents who have lost a child and struggle to understand and provide support for the bereaved siblings, bereavement counselors, and peer facilitators.
Get the book.
ROCK ON: MINING FOR JOY IN THE DEEP RIVER OF GRIEF BY SUSAN E. CASEY
