The Story
Loosely organized around the familiar Kübler-Ross model of Five Stages of Grief, Braving the Fire uses these stages to help the reader and writer through the emotional and writing tasks before them, incorporating interviews and excerpts from other treasured writers who’ve done the same. Insightful contributions from Nick Flynn, Darin Strauss, Kathryn Rhett, Natasha Trethewey, and Neil White, among others, are skillfully bended with Handler’s own approaches to facing grief a second time to be able to write about it. Each section also includes advice and wisdom from leading doctors and therapists about the physical experience of grieving.
Handler is a compassionate guide who has braved the fire herself, and delivers practical and inspirational direction throughout.
