The Mourning Report
Book Feature - The Mourning Report by Caitlin Garvey
HBL Note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and The Mourning Report by Caitlin Garvey is a memoir, written two years after her mother died of breast cancer. When I was in graduate school my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember walking across campus and coming across a typical scene: a group of students raising money for a cause. They held buckets in their hands to collect money from passersby. As I neared, one student asked me, “Would you like to donate to breast cancer research?” And it hit me for the first time that my mother had cancer. I wish I could say I smiled at that student and donated whatever cash I had, but I’m pretty sure I burst into tears and ran away. It was a tough semester. This book feature is dedicated to my mother, a breast cancer survivor, and to all of those who weren’t as lucky. Scroll down to read more about The Mourning Report.
Book Feature - The Mourning Report by Caitlin Garvey
Book Feature - The Mourning Report by Caitlin Garvey
From the publisher:
Two years after her mother's death from breast cancer, Caitlin, then 20 years old, was admitted to a psychiatric facility after a suicide attempt. There, a therapist diagnosed her with major depression and anxiety, and she spent time as an inpatient. Years later, still suffering from grief and depression, Caitlin decided to embark on a "grief journey," interviewing the people involved in her mother's dying process: a hospice nurse, a priest, an estate planner, a hairstylist, and a funeral director. If she figured out how they could function after being so close to her mother's death, then maybe she could learn how to navigate her own life. Each chapter of The Mourning Report is centered on each interview and the memories, anxieties, and reflections that it stimulated.
Book Feature - The Mourning Report by Caitlin Garvey
