History of a Suicide Book Reviews

AUTHOR
Jill Bialosky
SCORE
3.5
TOTAL RATINGS
168

History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky Book Summary

“It is so nice to be happy. It always gives me a good feeling to see other people happy. . . . It is so easy to achieve.” —Kim’s journal entry, May 3, 1988

On the night of April 15, 1990, Jill Bialosky’s twenty-one-year-old sister Kim came home from a bar in downtown Cleveland. She argued with her boyfriend on the phone. Then she took her mother’s car keys, went into the garage, closed the garage door. She climbed into the car, turned on the ignition, and fell asleep. Her body was found the next morning by the neighborhood boy her mother hired to cut the grass.

Those are the simple facts, but the act of suicide is anything but simple. For twenty years, Bialosky has lived with the grief, guilt, questions, and confusion unleashed by Kim’s suicide. Now, in a remarkable work of literary nonfiction, she re-creates with unsparing honesty her sister’s inner life, the events and emotions that led her to take her life on this particular night. In doing so, she opens a window on the nature of suicide itself, our own reactions and responses to it—especially the impact a suicide has on those who remain behind.

Combining Kim’s diaries with family history and memoir, drawing on the works of doctors and psychologists as well as writers from Melville and Dickinson to Sylvia Plath and Wallace Stevens, Bialosky gives us a stunning exploration of human fragility and strength. She juxtaposes the story of Kim’s death with the challenges of becoming a mother and her own exuberant experience of raising a son. This is a book that explores all aspects of our familial relationships—between mothers and sons, fathers and daughters—but particularly the tender and enduring bonds between sisters.

History of a Suicide brings a crucial and all too rarely discussed subject out of the shadows, and in doing so gives readers the courage to face their own losses, no matter what those may be. This searing and compassionate work reminds us of the preciousness of life and of the ways in which those we love are inextricably bound to us.

👋 Do you love History of a Suicide books? Please share your friends!

share facebook whatsapp twitter pinterest telegram email
Book Name History of a Suicide
Genre Biographies & Memoirs
Published
Language English
E-Book Size 4.1 MB

History of a Suicide (Jill Bialosky) Book Reviews 2024

💸 Want to send money abroad for free?

We transfer money over €4 billion every month. We enable individual and business accounts to save 4 million Euros on bank transfer fees. Want to send free money abroad or transfer money abroad for free? Free international money transfer!

History of a Suicide. The book brought some answers to the tragic questions to a family who lost a loved one to suicide. Not an Answer, but a confirmation of several recurring reasons that gave a permission to forgive ourselves... Strongly suggest the book as a tool in mourning process!

History of A Suicide. I enjoyed reading the story, and learning about the author and her family growing up in Cleveland. I enjoyed how she chronicled her sister Kim's story, while intertwining her research with literary references on such a complex topic. It helped me to begin to understand how, why, and what goes on in the mind of a suicidal person.

Courageous and Compelling!. History of a Suicide: my sister’s unfinished life by Jill Bialosky is a compassionate yet discomforting memoir. Bialosky seeks to solve the mystery of her sister’s suicide so that she can move through the endless grief. But there is no solution, other than to consider that Jill’s sister, Kim, found her life unbearable. The result for the reader is a sad but satisfying examination for those who mourn a friend or family member’s self-annihilation. Bialosky says that, “Suicide should never happen to anyone. I want you to know as much as I know. That is the reason I am writing this book.” Within the family unit, there is death (of Jill’s biological father); depression (Jill and Kim’s mother) and abandonment (by Kim’s biological father). Kim unwittingly recreates this destructive foundation in a relationship with an abusive boyfriend (who killed himself five years after Kim’s suicide). Jill deals with unbearable losses related to having children. This is only a brief summary of a discomforting family history. The scope of Bialosky’s work on this memoir is extensive. The author even consults with Dr. Edwin Shneidman, who wrote The Suicidal Mind, for a psychological autopsy on Kim. Bialosky also summarizes studies so the readers don’t have to, and there’s information we might not otherwise learn: “...the rate of suicide was twice as high in families of suicide victims as in comparison families.” Throughout the book, Bialosky weaves research with literature, inserting poetry and prose to compliment the narrative. For example, Bialosky uses the metaphorical concepts of Melville’s Moby Dick in the midst of her memoir. The style worked to help her understand the act of suicide, and that is of utmost importance. The variety of writing methods serves to reach a multitude of readers: What does not communicate well with one reader may be the catalyst for insight for another reader. As the author of a book about suicide in the family, and my own suicide attempts, I found History of a Suicide compelling and courageous. It is a labor of love to dig so deep to try to come to grips with the finality of suicide. Review completed by Lynn C. Tolson, author of Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story

💰 A universe of opportunities: Payoneer

Did you know that you can earn 25 USD from our site just by registering? Get $25 for free by joining Payoneer!

🧠 Join the movement! Experience the world's No.1 brain supplement

Imagine you at your best. All the time. Picture yourself at your sharpest and most productive. Your most alert and focused. Your most lucid, creative and confident. At work. At play. In every area of your life. Add Mind Lab Pro® v4.0 to your daily routine and uncap your true potential. Buy Now!

👉 Are you looking for an Adsense alternative advertising platform?

Adsterra is the most preferred ad network for those looking for an alternative to AdSense. Adsterra is the ideal choice for new sites with low daily traffic. In order to advertise on the site in Adsterra, like other ad networks, a certain traffic limit, domain age, etc. is required. There are no strict rules. Sign up!

Please wait! History of a Suicide book comments loading...

Jill Bialosky - History of a Suicide Discussions & Comments

Have you read this book yet? What do you think about History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky book? Ask the bookpedia.co community a question about History of a Suicide!

History of a Suicide E-book (PDF, PUB, KINDLE) Download

History of a Suicide ebook history-of-a-suicide (4.1 MB) download new links will be update!

History of a Suicide Similar Books

Book Name Score Reviews Price
Down the Rabbit Hole 4.5/5 4,428 $16.99
Released 0/5 0 Pre-Order
Steve Jobs 4.5/5 20,993 $16.99
Wild 4.5/5 6,254 $9.99
The Life of Abraham Lincoln 4/5 786 Free

Enhance sleep, vision, cognition, flexibility, energy, long-range health and more. Performance Lab CORE Formulas support all aspects of human performance, across all walks of life. Boosts work performance and productivity with nootropics for focus, multitasking under stress, creative problem-solving and more.

Other Books from Jill Bialosky
Book Name Score Reviews Price
House Under Snow 0/5 0 $11.99
The Players 0/5 0 $12.99
The End of Desire 0/5 0 $4.99
Intruder 0/5 0 $5.99
The Deceptions 0/5 0 $12.99

Summary of History of a Suicide by Jill Bialosky

The History of a Suicide book written by Jill Bialosky was published on 15 February 2011, Tuesday in the Biographies & Memoirs category. A total of 168 readers of the book gave the book 3.5 points out of 5.

Free Biographies & Memoirs Books
Book Name Author Price
La misionera de China Monique Villen Free
The Hazeley Family Alfred Edwin Johnson Free
Klee Wyck Emily Carr Free
Theodore Roosevelt - An Autobiography Theodore Roosevelt Free
The Education of Henry Adams Henry Adams Free

Coinbase is the world's most trusted place to buy and sell cryptocurrency. Open an account today, and if you buy or sell $100 or more of crypto, you'll receive $10 worth of free Bitcoin!

Paid Biographies & Memoirs Books
Book Name Author Price
Grimoire Girl Hilarie Burton Morgan $3.99
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober Catherine Gray $6.99
The Woman in Me Britney Spears $16.99
When Breath Becomes Air Paul Kalanithi $11.99
American Prometheus Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin $14.99

Jasper is the generative AI platform for business that helps your team create content tailored for your brand 10X faster, wherever you work online.