Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir of Life and Love After Unimaginable Loss by Jay

Description: Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene An unforgettable memoir of courage and transformation and "the power of love in the face of unimaginable loss" (Cheryl Strayed)."A miracle.... A narrative of grief and acceptance that is compulsively readable and never self-indulgent." —The New York Times Book ReviewTwo-year-old Greta Greene is sitting with her grandmother on a park bench on the Upper West Side of Manhattan when a brick crumbles from a windowsill overhead, falls, and strikes her unconscious. She is immediately rushed to the hospital. Jayson Greenes memoir begins with this event and with the anguish he and his wife, Stacy, confront in the wake of their daughters trauma and the hours leading up to her death. But Once More We Saw Stars quickly becomes a narrative that is as much about hope and healing as it is about grief and loss. Jayson recognizes, even in the midst of his ordeal, that there will be a life for him beyond it—that if only he can continue moving forward, from one moment to the next, he will survive what seems unsurvivable.With raw honesty, deep emotion, and exquisite tenderness, Jayson Greene captures both the fragility of life and absoluteness of death, and most important of all, the unconquerable power of love. This is a book that will change the way you look at the world. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography JAYSON GREENE is a contributing writer and former senior editor at Pitchfork. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and GQ, among other publications. This is his first book. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son. Review ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR:TIME MAGAZINE • GLAMOUR • GOOD HOUSEKEEPING • BOOKPAGE • BOOK RIOT • LIBRARY JOURNAL"A miracle. . . . A narrative of grief and acceptance that is compulsively readable and never self-indulgent." —The New York Times Book Review"A masterful literary performance. . . . Greene offers a raw, luminous portrait of suffering and partial healing. . . . [A] beautiful, devastating book." —The Boston Globe"[Greene] writes gorgeously. . . . A valuable addition to the literature of grief." —The Washington Post"Masterful and compassionate. . . . An intensely moving, life-affirming story." —Rolling Stone "[A] melodic, sensitive tribute. . . . [Greenes] emotionally transparent story resonates not just for the intense sadness at its core, but also its implicit message of perseverance." —Entertainment Weekly"What sets [this] memoir apart is [Greenes] ability to illuminate the mundane moments that become surreal in the midst of trauma and tragedy. . . . Once More We Saw Stars offers glimpses of humor, light and love amid the loss." —Time"Anyone who has lost someone can find themselves in here. . . . Greene peels the skin right back on painfully intimate truths, and lets the air at something visceral in a way that many writers on death fail to do. The result is a grief memoir of rare . . . honesty." —The Irish Times"This minutely observed memoir will surely be helpful to other people whose world changes in an instant. Greene, a journalist, never flinches from his distress and is not ashamed to describe himself as he truly is as he struggles to carry on in a world where [his daughter] no longer exists." —The Times (London)"Heart-wrenching yet life-affirming. . . . An amazing and inspirational exploration on the meaning of grief and the interconnectedness of love and loss." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Compassionate and sensitively told, Greenes story accomplishes an exceptionally difficult feat: transforming tragedy into both a spiritual journey and a celebration of wonder. . . . A poignantly uplifting memoir of moving forward after terrible loss." —Kirkus Reviews Review Quote "His writing... is a revelation of lightness and agility... A miracle... A narrative of grief and acceptance that is compulsively readable and never self-indulgent." -- The New York Times "Beautiful...heartbreaking....an answer to the question: How does one survive such a devastating tragedy...a story not just of loss, but of remarkable love...life-affirming...luminous." -- Washington Post "[Greene] unspools his pain on paper...Were drawn to stories of survival because they prove that pain and loss dont define us, but instead add a new tenor to our lives: appreciation, sadness, or faith...Suffering pulls apart lifes tapestry,yes, but then refashions it into something fundamentally new... He discovers an opening to this new universe, in which suffering is tantamount to being human." -- Elle "In the wake of unimaginable tragedy, Greene shares how he found hope. If you enjoy memoirs like Wild by Cheryl Strayed, this is the book for you." -- Good Housekeeping " Once More We Saw Stars isnt about the tragedy that befell a family--although Greene recounts with exquisite detail how he felt in the tragic days that ended his daughters life. The memoir is instead a story of a couple who faced one of the worst things imaginable and still continued to choose life." -- BookPage [starred review] "A gripping and beautiful book about the power of love in the face of unimaginable loss." --Cheryl Strayed "How do we wrest beauty out of searing pain? How, in the face of the most profound grief and sorrow, do we search for meaning and find it? Jayson Greene does just that in this soul-affirming book. Once More We Saw Stars is a stunning human achievement as well as a literary one." --Dani Shapiro "Jayson Greenes Once More We Saw Stars attains flight in a language born of sheer necessity, that of bridging the gulf between daily life and the unnamable." --Jonathan Lethem "In Once More We Saw Stars , Jayson Greene crystallizes the bravery required for parenting, the insanity within grief, the struggle and haven of marriage, the durability of love in all its forms. This is a book about how we make sense of suffering and what it means to be a family. Its funny, lucid, and deeply generous--proof that a masterful writer can make from his own specifics a universal story with lessons for us all." --Lucy Kalanithi "This stunning book reminds us that nothing--not even devastating grief--can define us as much as our deepest loves. A must read." --Kate Bowler, author of Everything Happens for a Reason Description for Reading Group Guide Exploring personal loss through Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene A discussion guide by grief specialist David Kessler Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide 1. Was there a specific passage in the book that related to your loss? If so, share the passage and how it made you feel. 2. Jayson early on talks about the challenges of telling loved ones the horrible news. What was your experience telling people? Are you still caught off guard at times having to tell someone who doesnt know? 3. Jayson writes about a list he was given about grief. It says, "Cry as often as you need. Talk as much or as little as you need." He says, "They are my first set of instruction of how to breath on this new planet." Were you given any information on grieving? What helped? What didnt? How are you doing now in your different world? 4. Jayson and Stacy used the weekend seminar to release some of their feelings of anger. Who or what are you angry about? How do you release it? 5. In my workshops, I have people not only get in touch with feelings of sadness and anger but also jealousy, such as when I had Jayson and Stacy shout, "I hate happy families." Who or what upsets you in your grief? Given that jealousy occurs even in loss, what are you jealous of? 6. Jayson says, "Grief is a world you move into. A world of softer voices, gentler gazes, closer observation and heightened compassion. It is, in many ways, a beautiful and redemptive place to spend time." Do you feel softened or gentler in any way after your loss? How has grief changed you? How has it changed those around you? In addition to your tragedy, have you found any beauty in the world of grief? 7. Loss and grief finds a permanent place in your heart. Are you able to still venture forth and go after those old or new dreams being the different person you are today? Have the dreams diminished, transformed or changed? 8. Jayson asks, "What did it mean to honor Greta?" Have you thought about what it means to honor your loved one who has died? 9. Jayson tells of his success rate in finding safe places to scream in crowded New York City. Where are your safe places? What do you do there? Cry? Scream? 10. If you have children, how will you teach them to live in this uncertain world? Can you teach them not to live in fear of loss? Have you been able to let go of the fear and move forward? 11. As we learn to gradually accept our loss, are you able to fully immerse yourself in your new and different life? Do you feel guilty for loving again too? Do you feel love is now overshadowed by loss, or are you free to open your heart and still allow others in? 12. Jayson shares that everywhere he looks, there is another place that Gretas eyes will never see. He tells her, "Greta, you would love it here." Do you feel like you take your loved one with you in life? Do you have those conversations with them like Jayson? 13. Jayson and Stacy reflect on life after their loss, that "There is no limit to what we can endure?" After your loss, are there ways you feel more fearful? Do you fear death less? 14. Grief and loss are prominent aspects of life. How has it transformed you? Do you feel more prepared to handle more difficult aspects of life as a result of your loss? 15. Have you been able to find peace in your life like you once had? If so, how long did it take? What were the hurdles then and now? 16. What is your takeaway from the book youd like to share with someone else? With whom would you share it and why? Excerpt from Book Excerpted from Once More We Saw Stars Ever since the accident, I have avoided going to the park. The park was our place, Gretas and mine -- every tree, every leaf, every passing doggy belonged to the two of us. Even within my cocoon of shock, I am sure going there would pierce my defenses, flooding me the way my first trip outside did after she died. And then, one day, just as the summer light is beginning to change, I wake up with a familiar itch. I need to go running in the park. I step outside and feel only the warmth of the sun. I round the corner on the block that leads to the parade grounds, just outside the parks southwest entrance. The street is wide, quiet, shaded. There is no one outside, no one to nod at, make eye contact with, step around. I enter the parade grounds and run past fields full of children, my eyes fixed straight ahead. To my left, a middle-school football team is doing speed and endurance drills, dancing frantically on their toes and dropping down for push-ups. Two boys swing a bat lazily to my right, smacking a baseball into the same bulged-out spot on the chain-link. It hits the fence with a loud bong as I run past, but I do not flinch. I reach the edge of the park, tennis courts to my right. There at the parks mouth, my heart stirs, and I feel a peculiar elation. I recognize her. Greta is somewhere nearby. I feel her energy, playfully expectant. Come find me, Daddy, she says. Tears spring and run freely down my face. I hear you, baby girl, I whisper . Daddys coming to get you . Elated, I enter the park and immediately spot her; she is waiting for me, hiding behind the big tree in the clearing between the Vanderbilt playground and the duck pond. She appears from behind the tree with a flourish, giggling, just like in our old game: She would run out into the hallway from the bedroom where we had been playing, either naked or in her diaper, and cast me an impish look, asking, "Wheres Greta?" I would feign great perplexity, turning over small toys on the floor to see if she was under them, peeking behind the couch, clutching my head in mock terror. "Oh no, what have we done?" I would moan. "Weve lost her!" She would laugh, run back in, and announce, "Greta came right back!" Standing in the park, staring at her, I make a strange and primal sound, deep and rich like a belly laugh, hard and sharp like a sob. You are here. You picked the park. Good choice, baby girl. Oblivious to the people around me, I run to her. She wiggles in anticipatory joy. Stooping down, I scoop her up under her soft armpits, her shoulder blades meeting at the pads of my fingers, and I lift her up into the sky. She is invisible to passersby -- to them, there is nothing in the spot next to the tree where she stands laughing and clapping but a patch of grass, and there is nothing in my arms but air. But she is not here for them; she is here for me. She gazes down at me, her smile that turned crooked at the bottom like mine crumpling her wide-open face. I bend my arms and lower her face down to mine and kiss her, slowly. Then I set her back down in the grass. You stay here, okay? I say. Daddys going for a run, okay, sweetie pie? Oh yeah, okay! she says back. I turn around and begin running hard along the perimeter of the pond, where we had dipped her hand in the water, splashing and saying, "Here we go, ducks! Here we go!" The playground recedes behind me, where I had pushed her on the swing while she sang, "Poopy, poopy, poopy poopy," to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at the top of her lungs. "If my kids saying poopy tonight," the mother next to me deadpanned, "Ill know where he picked it up." I feel her presence filling up my heart, and with it comes a strange exhilaration that I have felt often in the weeks after her death. Grief at its peak has a terrible beauty to it, a blinding fission of every emotion. The world is charged with significance, with meaning, and the world around you, normally so solid and implacable, suddenly looks thin, translucent. I feel like Ive discovered an opening. I dont know quite whats behind it yet. But it is there. I am treading ether, a new and unfamiliar kind of contact high. I have been raised secular by my parents, and Ive never set foot in a church for more than an hour. But I will do anything for Greta, I am learning. And that includes becoming a mystic, so that I might still enjoy her company. When I reach the edge of the park again, I stop and feel a torrent of words flood me. I grope for my phone, blindly choosing the most recent document, a mess of to-dos and grocery lists. Underneath a reminder to pick up pita and above a confirmation number for a UPS delivery, I write, "There will be more light upon this earth for me." Details ISBN0525435344 Author Jayson Greene Pages 256 Language English Year 2020 ISBN-10 0525435344 ISBN-13 9780525435341 Format Paperback Short Title Once More We Saw Stars UK Release Date 1900-01-01 Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2020-05-12 NZ Release Date 2020-05-12 US Release Date 2020-05-12 Place of Publication New York Publisher Random House USA Inc Publication Date 2020-05-12 Imprint Vintage Books Subtitle A Memoir of Life and Love After Unimaginable Loss DEWEY 155.937083 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:137925147;

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