Review of My Living Will

[Honest-reviewer]

[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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Mental illness is something people are not comfortable accepting or even talking for that matter. Keeping this as focus, the author, John Trautwein has written a nonfictional book, My Living Will. This is an optimistic story about the author himself, how he dealt with the suicide of his eldest son and used it to aid many lives.

The author considers him as a happy-go-lucky man. He always looks at the brighter side of life. But one day, the suicide of his eldest son, Will Trautwein, turned his world upside down. It was hard for him to believe that his son, who seemed happy all these days hanged himself to death. Regardless of this, the author had faith in the divine and turned his tragedy into a triumph by starting the “Will To Live Foundation” to create awareness about the mental issues among teenagers and induce hope in them. To know the complete journey of the author, you will have to read this book. I bet you will not regret it.

The book, My Living Will, is 225 pages long with 13 parts, that are divided into 47 chapters. Every part starts with a beautiful quote that sets the tone for the rest of the chapters. The author has used simple language that makes it easier for everyone to read. It contains various photographs of the author and his family which makes it more real and relatable.

This book is truly exceptional. I highly appreciate the author’s strength and willpower to turn something as sad as a son’s death into something helpful and amazing. The best thing about this book is that it encourages people to look at the positive aspect of everything. The author perfectly shows how being optimistic does not mean not mourning over someone’s death, rather it is about how you bounce back and use it to make a difference in your life and also of others. The author has also included the signs of possible depression, like obvious unhappiness, isolation, self-neglect, etc. This will greatly help people prevent and cure depression during the initial stage itself. This book also fosters faith and trust in the supreme power that is essential in dealing with critical times. The author’s story gives a sense of hope to people who have lost their will to live.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience reading this book. It was quite inspiring and insightful. There is nothing that I disliked about this. The book seems to be professionally edited, as I did not find any errors. With that being said, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

This book is suitable for people who enjoy reading inspirational and motivational stories. I recommend this to anyone who is grieving the death of their loved ones and those who are looking for some sort of hope in their lives. This book includes death and mourning, so I do not recommend this to people who are sensitive to such subjects.

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My Living Will
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[Kaushiki Parihar]

This book will help people to overcome mental and suicidal thoughts. Great review!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

This sounds like a beautiful outcome regardless of the horrific events on the background. Mental health issues are so difficult to deal with. If this book gives hope to someone, the author’s son did not die for nothing.

Thanks for introducing this inspiring book!

[Ruchi Raina]

It's heartbreaking to read about young souls having such dark thoughts. The ignorance we display regarding mental health leaves them feeling alone. But I applaud the author for the courage he showed by talking about this agonizing topic and doing so much to make sure there's no other Will. Thanks for the amazing review.

[Reader-247]

Although it is sad, the passing away of his son, I can't help but appreciate the title, the play on his son's name and the "will" he has to keep on living and giving, and to keep the memory of his son alive is very touching, thanks for a wonderful review.

[Priya_Singh]

It is sad to see the suicide cases in teenagers and adults increasing day by day. In these tough times, books like this light a hope. Thank you for your wonderful review and thank you to the author for sharing his grief and helping others.

[Ellylion]

I loved this book so very much despite the hard topic. The author did a great and very important job. Thank you for this amazing review!

[Katie Blackmore]

I can commend the author for sharing such a difficult experience. Losing a child causes unimaginable pain and trauma. I hope this book brings mental illness and suicides to light and help someone else prevent the same ending. Well done on the wonderfully written review.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

You're very right. Will's dad showed that his optimism didn't mean not grieving, but giving meaning to the grief. I also loved that he never neglected his other kids.
Thank you!