Review of My Living Will
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Smriti Sawal
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- Latest Review: My Living Will by John Trautwein
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Review of My Living Will
[Following is a volunteer review of "My Living Will" by John Trautwein.]
"Dear Will, Thanks for visiting me in my dream last night. I haven't seen you in what seems like forever. I needed that hug ... It was great hearing your voice again ... I miss you too, I wonder every day if you miss me as much as I miss you. There isn't a second where I'm not thinking of you. I freaking miss you man." This excerpt from the book sums up everything one needs to know about the book My Living Will: A father's story of loss and hope. The author, John Trautwein, has given a glimpse of his life from the time when his eldest son, Will, committed suicide. The author, and the distraught father, has not only penned down his emotions, and sufferings from that chapter of his life, but has also given the readers the real story of how "The Will to live foundation" came into existence.
The story starts with the author and his family finding out that their son has committed suicide and is dead. The story then continues to give details on how the family dealt with the trauma one day at a time. It has honest recollections of what it's like to lose a family member and the reader can feel the pain of the family through the written words. The struggle of informing everyone of the tragedy, the challenge of arranging a decent, and meaningful funeral service while still in shock, and most importantly moving on with life without that person's presence. All this can leave you devastated and hopeless and so was the author, and his family for some time. But, the author summoned all his courage, and strength, and with the support of his family and friends, he started the "Will to live foundation" which spreads awareness on teen suicide and tries to prevent this from happening to others.
There isn't a single thing that I did not like in this book. It is perfectly edited, there are no errors, and it is so easy to read. The concept of life teammates is a very meaningful approach towards friendships. It also mentions the phrase "love you man" which was initially something Will and John, the author, told each other at times but has now become a well-known phrase used frequently by the foundation supporters. There are so many occurrences of this phrase in this book and all of those show sportsmanship, togetherness, love for every human, and most importantly, love, and respect for Will.
When you lose someone close, you might start questioning God and why he did it you and the same thought crossed John's mind as well and this is what he answered himself "So where was God on the fifteenth of October? I'll tell you where. He was in every friend who came to our house that day. He was in every kind gesture we received that weekend. In every letter, every card, every hug, and every kind word." This gives a very strong message that God isn't the one to cause hardships in your life, but he is the one who picks you up when you fall and shows you to walk again. Through the book, we experience the love, and support John received after the incident. This was what motivated him to guide others and raise awareness about how serious depression can be and teen suicides can be minimized if we just look around us and be life teammates to our close ones.
Because of the reasons mentioned above, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book is not just a story of how the will to live foundation came into existence, but it's someone's heart poured out. It gives so many good messages like faith in God, dealing with a major life tragedy, the importance of high school friendships, mourning someone doesn't always have to be about tears and sadness. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those who have recently lost someone close and are looking for motivation to move on in their lives.
******
My Living Will
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"Dear Will, Thanks for visiting me in my dream last night. I haven't seen you in what seems like forever. I needed that hug ... It was great hearing your voice again ... I miss you too, I wonder every day if you miss me as much as I miss you. There isn't a second where I'm not thinking of you. I freaking miss you man." This excerpt from the book sums up everything one needs to know about the book My Living Will: A father's story of loss and hope. The author, John Trautwein, has given a glimpse of his life from the time when his eldest son, Will, committed suicide. The author, and the distraught father, has not only penned down his emotions, and sufferings from that chapter of his life, but has also given the readers the real story of how "The Will to live foundation" came into existence.
The story starts with the author and his family finding out that their son has committed suicide and is dead. The story then continues to give details on how the family dealt with the trauma one day at a time. It has honest recollections of what it's like to lose a family member and the reader can feel the pain of the family through the written words. The struggle of informing everyone of the tragedy, the challenge of arranging a decent, and meaningful funeral service while still in shock, and most importantly moving on with life without that person's presence. All this can leave you devastated and hopeless and so was the author, and his family for some time. But, the author summoned all his courage, and strength, and with the support of his family and friends, he started the "Will to live foundation" which spreads awareness on teen suicide and tries to prevent this from happening to others.
There isn't a single thing that I did not like in this book. It is perfectly edited, there are no errors, and it is so easy to read. The concept of life teammates is a very meaningful approach towards friendships. It also mentions the phrase "love you man" which was initially something Will and John, the author, told each other at times but has now become a well-known phrase used frequently by the foundation supporters. There are so many occurrences of this phrase in this book and all of those show sportsmanship, togetherness, love for every human, and most importantly, love, and respect for Will.
When you lose someone close, you might start questioning God and why he did it you and the same thought crossed John's mind as well and this is what he answered himself "So where was God on the fifteenth of October? I'll tell you where. He was in every friend who came to our house that day. He was in every kind gesture we received that weekend. In every letter, every card, every hug, and every kind word." This gives a very strong message that God isn't the one to cause hardships in your life, but he is the one who picks you up when you fall and shows you to walk again. Through the book, we experience the love, and support John received after the incident. This was what motivated him to guide others and raise awareness about how serious depression can be and teen suicides can be minimized if we just look around us and be life teammates to our close ones.
Because of the reasons mentioned above, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book is not just a story of how the will to live foundation came into existence, but it's someone's heart poured out. It gives so many good messages like faith in God, dealing with a major life tragedy, the importance of high school friendships, mourning someone doesn't always have to be about tears and sadness. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those who have recently lost someone close and are looking for motivation to move on in their lives.
******
My Living Will
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: My Living Will by John Trautwein
