Review of My Living Will

[Paluk Pathania]

[Following is a volunteer review of "My Living Will" by John Trautwein.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Suicide is never a viable option when faced with a difficult situation. Despite this, we continue to hear a variety of stories based on the same on a daily basis. What's causing this? Is there no way to stop it? 

The novel My Will to Live by John Trautwein narrates the tragic story of a father (the narrator himself) who lost his 15-year-old son to suicide. It was a far cry from everything the author had ever envisaged in his wildest dreams. He was living a perfect life with his wife, Susie and four lovely children when something terrible happened one day. This book follows the journey of a family as they mourn the loss of their child, strive to figure out why he died and overcome the tragedy by finding a new dream. My Living Will expresses a desire to live by preventing suicide, learning about its causes and voicing optimism for a new beginning.  

The first plus point of this book has to be its title itself. The title has been put up so nicely that it speaks up alone for everything that the author is willing to share with all of us. The next thing which I liked was the distribution of chapters. Not only are they beautifully named but each chapter starts with a quote which was a breath of fresh air to me. The author not only recounted his personal life circumstances but also expressed concern for all children in general, demonstrating what efforts one can take as a parent or guardian to avoid suicides. I was deeply moved by his decision to come up with the Will to Live Foundation because he simply didn't want his son's death to be meaningless. With the thought of raising awareness about suicides (especially among teenagers), he aimed to help parents develop better communication skills with their kids so that they could prevent something unfortunate like this. 

How can I possibly forget those pages where the author has displayed a couple of pictures of his family? I think going through those pictures finally made me teary-eyed and somehow I found it difficult to proceed from there. My heart was so heavy while I thought about the boy and his concerned family. I also admire how the author worked on the entire book and was able to explain his every opinion in the most straightforward manner which is another strength of the book.

As for the negatives, I didn't find anything worth mentioning other than the fact that the author repeated a few incidents throughout a few chapters. (For example, he referenced his son's funeral three times, which may not appeal to some members of the audience) To be honest, I don't think I can call it a negative because I now understand what the author was going through. As a result, I anticipate that the book will be with me for a long time.

I would gladly rate My Living Will with four out of four stars. It's an eye-opening but tragic narrative about someone's loss that inspires you to think that hope may exist even in the most difficult time. The book is very well written and edited. I was emotionally invested in the book until the very last page and I never felt the urge to put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to cope with a loss. The layers of emotions and the ever occurring questions will not leave you alone but the rays of hope and motivation will make you explore a new path which will be the path for every person who went through the same thing as the author did. Feel free to skip it if you are sensitive to such issues.  

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My Living Will
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[Asma Aisha Ansari]

The death of one's child is the most devastating thing to happen to anyone (and even more heart-rending if by suicide). But John is a strong and inspirational man. He uses his loss and grief to help other unfortunate souls with his foundation.
Thanks for this amazing review.

[NancyDrew12]

This book sounds truly heartbreaking. I cannot imagine the pain John has went through dealing with his sons death. It was very admirable of him to write a book about his experience. Thank you for your great review!

[Hyacinth Bella]

I think this kind of book spreads more awareness on how families or loved ones feel if they lost someone close to them to suicide. I thank the author for his honest storytelling and the reviewer for their honest review.

[Astral Magi]

Suicide is a difficult topic and it helps to read books that deal with it compassionately. Thanks for a great review.

[Bradley Shelvie]

Right from the start of this review, I could sense this should be an emotional book. I think topics on suicide may not suite sensitive readers. Nice review!

[markodim721]

It is good to talk about sensitive topics such as suicide because it is the only way to solve the problem. Thanks for the good review.

[Nonso Ok]

Must have been heartbreaking to lose a 15 year old son. Thank you for your beautiful review.

[Paluk Pathania]

The death of one's child is the most devastating thing to happen to anyone (and even more heart-rending if by suicide). But John is a strong and inspirational man. He uses his loss and grief to help other unfortunate souls with his foundation.
Thanks for this amazing review.

I agree that death is a difficult subject to address. Thank you for your kind feedback.

[Paluk Pathania]

This book sounds truly heartbreaking. I cannot imagine the pain John has went through dealing with his sons death. It was very admirable of him to write a book about his experience. Thank you for your great review!

Yes, I really wonder that how the author was able to capture every idea that he had on the subject. Thanks for your comment.

[Paluk Pathania]

Suicide is a difficult topic and it helps to read books that deal with it compassionately. Thanks for a great review.

Suicide, in my opinion, is a tricky and delicate subject to discuss. I'm hoping that this book may provide comfort to people who have gone through similar experiences in the past. Thanks for your comment!

[Paluk Pathania]

Right from the start of this review, I could sense this should be an emotional book. I think topics on suicide may not suite sensitive readers. Nice review!

I fully agree. After all, it's a difficult subject to discuss with the audience. Thanks for your feedback!

[Paluk Pathania]

It is good to talk about sensitive topics such as suicide because it is the only way to solve the problem. Thanks for the good review.

Yes, I feel that addressing such issues will aid in better communication with the audience. Thanks for the comment.

[Paluk Pathania]

Must have been heartbreaking to lose a 15 year old son. Thank you for your beautiful review.

I agree. Thankyou for your comment.

[Clare Jose]

It must have taken a lot of strength to talk about his son and his death. But it is truly good to know that the author found it in himself to spread awareness about this topic.
Thank you for your review.