Launching on 13 July 2021, The Grief Handbook by Bridget McNulty, will be available to South Africans on Takealot.
Says McNulty: “When my mom died very suddenly in 2019, I had no idea how to handle grief. It all seemed so unreal! She had been perfectly fine and then, 13 days after she was diagnosed with cancer, she was gone. Of course, when my mom died, nobody could have predicted a global pandemic was on the way. Sadly, The Grief Handbook is now even more necessary than when I wrote it.”
McNulty’s mother was cared for by Highway Hospice in Kwazulu Natal. “R10 from each book sold will go to Hospices via the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa,” says McNulty. “They were such a help and comfort to my family during my mom’s final days.”
Ewa Skowronska, CEO of the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) says: “We are so grateful to Bridget for her generosity. The pandemic has hit hospices hard. They have been caring for their usual patients, as well as patients with Covid-19 complications, throughout this challenging time. We are very dependent on donations, and with the economic situation in South Africa, it has unfortunately resulted in the closure of 14 hospices in 2020 and 2021. So, funds from a book that has so resonated with us, is a great gift.”
At the time of her mother’s passing, McNulty found that all the books she could find on grief were “either too dense and philosophical, or too religious”. In her quest for an honest exploration of how to deal with the worst thing possible, she wanted short and succinct explanations of what grief is and how to survive it. “I was looking for some space to be really angry and really sad and channel that in some way, and some words of hope and inspiration to get me through the darkest days. I wanted a handbook – literally a hand to lead me through my grief. I couldn’t’ find it, and so I wrote it.”
The Grief Handbook weaves McNulty’s personal experience with expert psychological insights and practical advice to enable you to navigate your grief in your own way. “There is no one-size-fits-all recovery process for bereavement. Understanding that each experience of grief is so personal and unique allows you to stop worrying about how you ‘should’ be feeling,” says McNulty. “It’s an interactive journal that offers you the room to explore your feelings at your own pace, helping you not to shy away from the enormity of your heartbreak.”
Concludes Skowronska: “We have read The Grief Handbook and can honestly say that it is gentle and beautiful. At those difficult times when we don’t know how to help or what to say, Bridget’s book can also be a thoughtful gift. Our hope is that it will help so many, both currently and in the future, who are navigating the journey of life and death.”
The book is available for R190 on Takealot.
More about the book is at www.griefhandbook.com.
