Friday, March 15, 2013

Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman 306.88 Aik

     Becky Aikman was in her forties when she lost her husband following a battle with cancer.  After about 15 months she decided she needed to get on with her life and attended her first grief support group.  She went thinking she would meet a group of people who wanted support in going forward. That is not what she found.  In fact they seemed to be rather hostile towards her. The next day she contacted Jonathan, the social worker who had led the meeting.  After a brief conversation he said, "You seem unhappy with the group. Maybe you just don't fit in. Maybe you shouldn't come back." She didn't but she still wanted to connect with other widows. Eventually she rounds up six women.  After a bit of a rocky start the first night she decided it might just work.  The only thing they had in common was their widowhood. Some dealt with a sudden death others a lingering one.  Some had kids and some didn't.  At some level they all wanted to move on.  They met once a month and were able to say or ask anything - it is often easier to talk to strangers about some topics. It was a very readable book and I enjoyed it.  It provides some insight into the territory of widowhood although it is in no way a ''what to do when your husband dies" book. 

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