Normal Broken
The Grief Companion for When It's Time to Heal but You're Not Sure You Want To
by Kelly Cervantes
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Nov 07 2023 | Archive Date Nov 30 2023
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Description
In Normal Broken, Kelly Cervantes isn’t trying to tell you what to do, how to feel, or the right way to heal. She’s also not flinging sunny thoughts, vibes, and prayers at you. After losing her daughter to epilepsy, she knows that grief is many things. It’s weird. It sucks. It’s all-encompassing. Something everyone will have to deal with. But never linear. Just as what we are grieving varies, so do our journeys to process it.
Normal Broken was born out of this desire to meet people where they are in their grief journeys, to lend a hand, or maybe to just sit in the dark with them. To acknowledge your brokenness and to feel broken together—never pressured to “move on” or “think positive.”
With chapters that can be read in any order, Normal Broken is divided into “moments” of grief that will allow you to choose what you need at any given time—such as:
- When you’re not sure if you want to heal
- When your greatest fear is socializing
- When you’re facing anniversaries and other meaningful dates
- When you’re ready to be okay
Kelly also shares stories from her ongoing journey, along with advice she wishes someone had given her, and simple exercises to help you reflect on where you are. Normal Broken is designed to serve as a companion through your own grief journey, whether you are mourning the loss of a child, a friend, a family member, or anyone special in your life.
Featured Reviews
Suzy C, Librarian
I have experienced different grief than Cervantes, but I think that's what makes this book so relatable. She talks about how grief affects you, but also affects everyone differently. I liked that she talks about going through the stages, but that you can also read these chapters out of order if you are at a different point.
Her grief over a child is something I hope to never experience, but I think she handles it with grace. And I liked that she has put it out there for others who can relate.
We can all be normal and broken, but that doesn't change our need to be understood.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.
Farah G, Reviewer
This is an interesting and useful guide on how to navigate profound loss in a person's life. In the book, Kelly Cervantes does not, thankfully, take a prescriptive approach. That would be both tone deaf and disingenuous.
What this book does have to offer is a whole range of tools with which to analyse and come to grips with the emotions that a person may be struggling with in the wake of a loss.
One of the book's strengths is that it acknowledges the differences that exist in the needs of people experiencing the various stages of grief. Because of this, you understand that the author is not judging anyone for what they feel, or how long they feel it.
And that is very important. Grief is a universal experience, but it is not experienced in the same way by different individuals. Each person must battle it in their own way, and find a path through the misery that they are enduring. This book has help to offer anyone undertaking that journey and is a good addition to the existing literature on this topic.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review
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