Review of My Living Will
9 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "My Living Will" by John Trautwein.]
What would you do if someone dear to you committed suicide? What if, one morning, you find them in their room, hanging from the ceiling or with their wrists cut? Can’t imagine it? I can’t either, but this is something that the author, John Trautwein, had to go through. He, like all of us, never thought a situation like this would ever arise. Whenever we talk about suicide, we all share the same thought - Oh! This would never happen to me or us; We all are strong and always there for each other. This was what the author thought too until his fifteen-year-old son committed suicide. This book is about how, after the death of his son, he and his family coped and learned to live again.
Will Trautwein was a fifteen-year-old happy-go-lucky guy, or that’s what everyone thought. He was a loving son, a cool brother, and a trustworthy friend. Everybody loved him, and he loved them back. He had everything a fifteen-year-old would ever want. He had a great family, good grades, was the ‘popular’ kid, and was a skilled lacrosse player too. If everything was all good, then what made him commit suicide? That’s what the author and his family kept asking themselves. The answer was simple - Depression. This brought them more heartache and agony. Why did he not say anything? Why did he not talk to them about it? These questions kept on swirling inside their heads, but there were no answers. However, they didn’t let this incident break them, it gave them strength - strength to fight. They channeled their grief into making sure that no other family went through what they had to. This led to them establishing the Will To Live Foundation with the motto - For the kids, through the kids, by the kids. It emphasized the importance of ‘life teammates’, being someone’s ‘Clarence’, and talking to an adult. They helped so many children and parents, and this served as their pain reliever. They found peace in helping other kids, making them realize that it’s okay to not be okay, to not have everything figured out, and to feel weak. This novel brings forth the social stigma of mental illness and depression, and how we all can work together to eradicate it by just talking about it.
My Living Will is such an emotional and heartbreaking book that I had to read it in parts. I started crying just after reading the first few pages. The author has openly expressed the guilt he felt, the feeling of ‘maybe I didn’t do enough’. Fortunately, he’s surrounded by people who reassured him that none of it was his fault. The deep-rooted grief and suffering of this family were palpable in his words. I can’t even imagine the pain and heartbreak they felt looking at their jolly fifteen-year-old son's dead body, the trauma they suffered looking at him hanging from his closet door, lifeless, knowing their world would never be the same.
I loved the inspiring and motivational turn the author gave to this tragedy, the one that made him a part of the ‘saddest club on earth’. He didn’t let it make him leave God’s hand, instead, he believed God is carrying him in these tough times, inspired by a famous poem. Also, the words of Dave, Will’s uncle, ‘some stars are too bright for this earth’ resonated with me. There were pictures of the family with Will, which made me feel connected to them as if I knew them. It was a very touching book.
There was nothing worth disliking in this memoir. There was a bit of repetitiveness though, which is expected, as the author wanted to emphasize those things. I would gladly give this book four out of four stars, as I found only one error, and it seemed professionally edited. I would like to applaud the author for the initiative he took by writing this book and for all his efforts at spreading awareness regarding mental illness.
I would recommend this memoir to all audiences, except those who are sensitive to such themes, as it sends an important message that we all are surrounded by people who love us. If circumstances make us think of suicide, all we need to do is reach out to them and trust them to hold onto us. After all, as the author said - All we need is our Clarence.
******
My Living Will
View: on Bookshelves |
What would you do if someone dear to you committed suicide? What if, one morning, you find them in their room, hanging from the ceiling or with their wrists cut? Can’t imagine it? I can’t either, but this is something that the author, John Trautwein, had to go through. He, like all of us, never thought a situation like this would ever arise. Whenever we talk about suicide, we all share the same thought - Oh! This would never happen to me or us; We all are strong and always there for each other. This was what the author thought too until his fifteen-year-old son committed suicide. This book is about how, after the death of his son, he and his family coped and learned to live again.
Will Trautwein was a fifteen-year-old happy-go-lucky guy, or that’s what everyone thought. He was a loving son, a cool brother, and a trustworthy friend. Everybody loved him, and he loved them back. He had everything a fifteen-year-old would ever want. He had a great family, good grades, was the ‘popular’ kid, and was a skilled lacrosse player too. If everything was all good, then what made him commit suicide? That’s what the author and his family kept asking themselves. The answer was simple - Depression. This brought them more heartache and agony. Why did he not say anything? Why did he not talk to them about it? These questions kept on swirling inside their heads, but there were no answers. However, they didn’t let this incident break them, it gave them strength - strength to fight. They channeled their grief into making sure that no other family went through what they had to. This led to them establishing the Will To Live Foundation with the motto - For the kids, through the kids, by the kids. It emphasized the importance of ‘life teammates’, being someone’s ‘Clarence’, and talking to an adult. They helped so many children and parents, and this served as their pain reliever. They found peace in helping other kids, making them realize that it’s okay to not be okay, to not have everything figured out, and to feel weak. This novel brings forth the social stigma of mental illness and depression, and how we all can work together to eradicate it by just talking about it.
My Living Will is such an emotional and heartbreaking book that I had to read it in parts. I started crying just after reading the first few pages. The author has openly expressed the guilt he felt, the feeling of ‘maybe I didn’t do enough’. Fortunately, he’s surrounded by people who reassured him that none of it was his fault. The deep-rooted grief and suffering of this family were palpable in his words. I can’t even imagine the pain and heartbreak they felt looking at their jolly fifteen-year-old son's dead body, the trauma they suffered looking at him hanging from his closet door, lifeless, knowing their world would never be the same.
I loved the inspiring and motivational turn the author gave to this tragedy, the one that made him a part of the ‘saddest club on earth’. He didn’t let it make him leave God’s hand, instead, he believed God is carrying him in these tough times, inspired by a famous poem. Also, the words of Dave, Will’s uncle, ‘some stars are too bright for this earth’ resonated with me. There were pictures of the family with Will, which made me feel connected to them as if I knew them. It was a very touching book.
There was nothing worth disliking in this memoir. There was a bit of repetitiveness though, which is expected, as the author wanted to emphasize those things. I would gladly give this book four out of four stars, as I found only one error, and it seemed professionally edited. I would like to applaud the author for the initiative he took by writing this book and for all his efforts at spreading awareness regarding mental illness.
I would recommend this memoir to all audiences, except those who are sensitive to such themes, as it sends an important message that we all are surrounded by people who love us. If circumstances make us think of suicide, all we need to do is reach out to them and trust them to hold onto us. After all, as the author said - All we need is our Clarence.
******
My Living Will
View: on Bookshelves |
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