Review of My Living Will
Posted: 06 Sep 2021, 12:02
[Following is a volunteer review of "My Living Will" by John Trautwein.]
My Living Will by John Trautwein is a heart-wrenching but at the same time uplifting story about how one life changed every other life around it. The story is about a family whose world turned upside down over a night.
This book is unlike the books I have read so far. It is a pure, raw and honest recounting of the loss of a loved one. And even more uplifting, motivating and encouraging recounting of moving on from that loss. The author of the book, John Trautwein, the father of four happy children, never in his wildest dream would have thought that one day his oldest son, Will would commit suicide. Will was always a happy, charming and kind boy. He was always there whenever anyone needed him, he was the life of the party and he was a son, a brother and a friend to so many. On an ill-fated day, Will took his life and left his loved ones behind. John and his family didn’t understand it. It was impossible for them to understand a situation like this. How could their lovely boy even think of harming himself, many assumptions raced through their minds, but depression wasn’t one of them. When it was confirmed that Will took his own life and was depressed, the family broke into pieces. But, the story isn’t solely about the grief that followed Will’s death. The story is truly about even after his death, Will’s life took a new form, ‘The Will to Live Foundation,’ to help others as he did when he was alive. This foundation is the outcome of everyone who loved and believed in Will’s kindness. This foundation aims to tackle teen suicide, spread awareness and spread love.
There are many great things about this book to list all of them. But, I would like to share the best few here. First of all, the realness of a loss. The description of John making his way towards his son’s room, with his wife crying and shouting in the background, the imagery of the scene is so real that you feel like you are next to the family. You feel the pain as the family tries to come to the terms with the situation. It is heartbreak in the purest form but put down so well that they are not the only ones feeling it. Everyone reading it does.
The second is forgiving yourself. Since the book is from John’s perspective, it is normal for him as a father to question his parenting. The author successfully showed his journey from questioning and blaming himself to accepting and learning from the truth. Through this we see, when his other children needed his help, he was more careful with his response. It shows a slow but necessary process of healing oneself and healing others.
I have nothing bad to say about this book. It is well-written, well-edited and well-structured. Hence, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
I would recommend this book to every parent to at least once read this book. I will also recommend it to teenagers, especially the ones going through a hard time. Through this book, they can realize that no matter how hard it gets, together they can fight through anything.
******
My Living Will
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
My Living Will by John Trautwein is a heart-wrenching but at the same time uplifting story about how one life changed every other life around it. The story is about a family whose world turned upside down over a night.
This book is unlike the books I have read so far. It is a pure, raw and honest recounting of the loss of a loved one. And even more uplifting, motivating and encouraging recounting of moving on from that loss. The author of the book, John Trautwein, the father of four happy children, never in his wildest dream would have thought that one day his oldest son, Will would commit suicide. Will was always a happy, charming and kind boy. He was always there whenever anyone needed him, he was the life of the party and he was a son, a brother and a friend to so many. On an ill-fated day, Will took his life and left his loved ones behind. John and his family didn’t understand it. It was impossible for them to understand a situation like this. How could their lovely boy even think of harming himself, many assumptions raced through their minds, but depression wasn’t one of them. When it was confirmed that Will took his own life and was depressed, the family broke into pieces. But, the story isn’t solely about the grief that followed Will’s death. The story is truly about even after his death, Will’s life took a new form, ‘The Will to Live Foundation,’ to help others as he did when he was alive. This foundation is the outcome of everyone who loved and believed in Will’s kindness. This foundation aims to tackle teen suicide, spread awareness and spread love.
There are many great things about this book to list all of them. But, I would like to share the best few here. First of all, the realness of a loss. The description of John making his way towards his son’s room, with his wife crying and shouting in the background, the imagery of the scene is so real that you feel like you are next to the family. You feel the pain as the family tries to come to the terms with the situation. It is heartbreak in the purest form but put down so well that they are not the only ones feeling it. Everyone reading it does.
The second is forgiving yourself. Since the book is from John’s perspective, it is normal for him as a father to question his parenting. The author successfully showed his journey from questioning and blaming himself to accepting and learning from the truth. Through this we see, when his other children needed his help, he was more careful with his response. It shows a slow but necessary process of healing oneself and healing others.
I have nothing bad to say about this book. It is well-written, well-edited and well-structured. Hence, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
I would recommend this book to every parent to at least once read this book. I will also recommend it to teenagers, especially the ones going through a hard time. Through this book, they can realize that no matter how hard it gets, together they can fight through anything.
******
My Living Will
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon