"This is one of the most powerful and honest reflections on human emotion and how we construct narratives of our lives that I’ve read. Nancy Rappaport writes with grace and acuity about the effects of her mother’s suicide on the people in her life. In her reflection on this event and the surrounding events, Rappaport uses her knowledge as a psychiatrist to explore the human emotional landscape, from the complexities of marriage—as an institution, and in relevant specific cases—to the diversely complicated relationships between adolescent girls and their mothers. She interweaves her experience and that of her family members with examples from her patients and with detailed psychological research to create a powerful and full picture of the human emotion. I found this to be a tremendously rewarding read and recommend it to anyone who is interested in human emotion and mental health."
Publisher Basic Books
Publication Date 2011-07-12
Section New Titles - Paperback / Biography / All Staff Suggestions / Nonfiction Suggestions / Julia M.
Format Paperback
ISBN 9780465022137
In Her Wake is a rare thing: the story of a psychiatrist analyzing her own psychological drama. Nancy Rappaport was just four years old when her mother—a prominent Boston activist and socialite—committed suicide. Decades later, Rappaport, a child psychiatrist with three children of her own, pieced together a complex mosaic of her "mama." In Her Wake sheds light on the nature of hurting and healing, and is a potent reminder that love outlasts death.
