Danielle Crittenden

If you’re an adult, you’ve probably had an experience with grief. Coming to terms with the death of a loved one isn’t easy, and there’s no magical answer for your sorrow. Having said that, I am going to keep my copy of Dispatches from Grief by Danielle Crittenden forever and will probably buy more copies for relatives and friends. The account of her daughter’s untimely death is heart-breaking and very real. Her world is blown apart. She feels she is living in an “Alternative show more Universe…The Land of Grief” where no one can perceive the surreal anguish of her loss. The book proceeds through Ms. Crittenden’s search for answers, meaning and help in her ongoing despair, but inevitably, there is nothing or no one who can handle this sadness for her. Although this description of her account may sound bleak, it is told so sensitively and ultimately, so positively, that the reader is uplifted and comforted by her experience. The book is so compelling that you won’t want to put it down until the author finds some kind of solace in her life. And she does. show less

A memoir of Danielle Crittenden's experience the first year or so of her 30-something yr old daughter's unexpected death. It is raw and honest and beautifully (economical -not long) written. I read it in one sitting. Danielle and her husband are Jewish & that was an interesting take on the funeral/bereavement practices of Judaism, although, in the end, Daniel From, (her husband and writer for the Atlantic) and she decided to move their daughter's remains from the Jewish graveyard to another show more one near their summer home outside Toronto. Heart rending but without being at all self pitying. Gave to my sister. Hope it gives her some moments of recognition - if not comfort. Her son Zack died the week of Christmas in 2025 and it's been a very tough, tough winter/spring for her. show less

The loss of a child is truly emotional anguish , I can so relate to her grief journey as I lost my 25 year old
son in an accident. There is no goodbye to your child. It leaves a hole in your heart. It was so comforting to read about her experience with losing her 30 year old daughter so suddenly. She writes about her struggles with her grief as she went about each day. She also writes about her husband and her other children who through their own grief they reached out to her when she needed show more them when she was overwhelmed with grief. There is no true path to conquering grief. It is so deep and despairing. It lurks in your soul and comes out when you are not expecting it. No parent should have to go through this. 15 years later and I still have moments of grief. This is a book that I will reread more than once.

This is a book that I will recommend to other grieving parents. show less

This book is an honest look at grief and how a mother copes with the sudden loss of her eldest daughter. She touches on her husband and other children, but most of the book is her experience. Her words are heartbreaking, but not sugar-coated. It isn't a 'how-to' book, it's how one mother first crawled then walked her way through grief. She emphasizes there is no avoiding grief - you need to meet it, but not surrender to it (my favorite sentence in the book). It is a quick, emotional read.