Overview

Is grief on a dial or a switch? Both. Over six short weeks in 2022, Betsy Thibaut Stephenson lost her son to suicide, mother-in-law to dementia, and family dog to cancer. Rather than succumb to grief's darkness, Betsy chose to face her losses head-on, accepting grief as an uninvited yet permanent companion in her revised life. Blackbird is a memoir composed in real time, a concise and brutally honest look at the emotional, physical, and spiritual impact of deep despair. By unflinchingly pulling back the curtain on fear and shame, Betsy's story inspires important conversations about mental health, grief resilience, and creating a path toward healing.

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9781964721293

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Blackbird is a mother's sacred honoring of her son. By courageously sharing the story of Charlie's death by suicide and how she summoned the strength to go on, Betsy Stephenson has gifted us with a refreshingly honest and trustworthy guidebook. If you or someone you care about wants help clearing the path forward after a loss, read this book."" -Ken Druck, PhD, author, How We Go On: Self-Compassion, Courage, and Gratitude on the Path Forward ""Told in a . . . style that reflects the chaos of grief, Blackbird is an affecting memoir. . . . A mother's unbridled memoir on loss, grief, and depression as well as on practical strategies for healing."" -Foreword Clarion Reviews ""Blackbird deeply resonated with both of us as a bereaved parent and sibling. . . . Her message of the importance of talking about depression, mental illness, and suicide in order to reduce their power is an important one and offers hope to many struggling through difficult losses."" -Gloria Horsley, PhD and Heidi Horsley PsyD, founders, Open to Hope Foundation ""Stephenson carries us on a journey that will both make us sob and gift us hope. A must-read for anyone who loves someone struggling with depression, grief, or the loss of a loved one to suicide."" -Addison Armstrong author, The Light of Luna Park

Author Information

Betsy Thibaut Stephenson lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and Labrador retrievers. When she isn't visiting her grown daughters in North Carolina and South Carolina, she is helping her public affairs clients tell their stories to policymakers and the media. Blackbird is her first book.

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