The Sadness Book - A Journal To Let Go

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Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie’s story—Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect. I went in with the expectation that this would be a non-fiction story that discussed mental illness/clinical depression. Instead it discusses the importance of balanced, rational emotion alongside Russell's personal struggles. It talks about how sadness is the most normal thing and yet the most vilified and compares the experiences of friends and celebrities with critiques from a variety of psychologists. With a ‘how to’ title, I was worried that this would come across too much like self-help, but for me it didn’t seem like that, although there is of course information on what might be helpful in response to sadness. I feel like we are never given the chance to actually learn about our emotions, just told what to do to fix them if they’re not ideal, so actually learning about sadness was incredibly refreshing. I finished this book feeling like sadness might actually be...okay?! I don't think this book is for everyone. If you want something that will mollycoddle your feelings of sadness or justify bad behaviour caused by mental illness, this isn't for you. It's self-aware, informative, heart-breaking and incredibly helpful. I am putting a list of the major trigger warnings though because this book discussed a LOT of things. Helen’s style is warm and approachable, she lays everything on the table. She is joined throughout by the most amazing combination of ‘experts’; some professionals in their field, others expert by experience, and the mixture works beautifully.

In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd, swept up by the tides of the Great Migration, flees Georgia and heads north. Full of hope, she settles in Philadelphia to build a better life. Instead she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment, and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins are lost to an illness that a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children, whom she raises with grit, mettle, and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them to meet a world that will not be kind. Their lives, captured here in twelve luminous threads, tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage—and a nation’s tumultuous journey. I loved this book. It’s very real in how it validates sadness in its many forms. There are a lot of relatable scenarios, such as when a grieving person apologises for becoming emotional, and they are basically apologising for feeling and being human. Yes!! been there, done that! Why do we even do that?! 🤷‍♀️ the details of her suffering with childlessness and how adoption wasnt even on the table but that this also shouldnt be examined or questioned was pretty nauseating. how unhappy straight women are in marriage also comes as no surprise to a lesbian who has to observe her friends date and marry diaper clad foghorns disguised as Manly Men.. and sometimes (much of the time) i have to be the therapist they refuse to see, but hey, this book isnt written for me or women that dont identify like the author. thats pretty clear early on and most authors i read arent LGBTQ: ive just never felt so much as the grey mass you occasionally realize many straights remember you as when reading a book. The story of a stranded pilot, an extraordinary little boy, and their remarkable friendship, The Little Prince has become a cherished fable for generations of readers. As enchanting as it is wise, this beloved classic captures the mysteries of the heart and opens us to the meaning of life and the magic of love.Trish Doller is a go-to contemporary romance author for us with easy-to-digest, engaging stories along with the rescuing of animals. Jesmyn’s memoir shines a light on the community she comes from, in the small town of DeLisle, Mississippi, a place of quiet beauty and fierce attachment. Here, in the space of four years, she lost five young men dear to her, including her beloved brother—lost to drugs, accidents, murder, and suicide.

If you are in the mindset to read sad books that will teach you more, grab the tissue box for this reading list. When Isabel Allende’s daughter, Paula, became gravely ill and fell into a coma, the author began to write the story of her family for her unconscious child. In the telling, bizarre ancestors appear before our eyes; we hear both delightful and bitter childhood memories, amazing anecdotes of youthful years, and the most intimate secrets passed along in whispers. With Paula, Allende has written a powerful autobiography whose straightforward acceptance of the magical and spiritual worlds will remind readers of her first book, The House of the Spirits. Other topics she covers include perfectionism, bullying, Victorian mourning culture, and happiness by country – a topic she’s written a whole book about.

Tillie hates those early morning wakeups, much of the sport, and the fact that her parents show no interest in her life. The skating moms are just wretched too. Complimented by detailed appendices offering further reading, tools and tests to try for yourselves and possibly some of the most entertaining ‘referencing’ work I’ve ever read, this book is a must read for everyone – especially those who don’t like non-fiction...you’re in good company and will find out why you’re right...by reading it.

This book has left an indelible imprint on how I see sadness and has undoubtedly given me tools to cope with and experience sadness. She did a great job fusing her personal story alongside empirical data to edify us on sadness.

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I loved the writing style of this book - because it is part memoir, the author is incredibly open, honest and warm about her own experiences and struggles and this doesn’t come across as one of those clinical types of self-help books which are just too boring to get through. There are some very relatable elements to the book which make it a surprisingly comforting read. Plus, if you enjoy road trip books or Ireland books, Off the Map is a must – just have the tissues ready. had it remained true to one element it wouldnt have felt as offensive. i have respect for anyone that dares identify how brits are conditioned to treat pain as virtuous but processing it taboo, however this was such a confused mixture of Helens World and Factoids that i felt dizzy putting it down. Ambrose Young was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She’d been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have…until he wasn’t beautiful anymore.