Modern Loss, Rebecca Soffer
Modern Loss, Rebecca Soffer
List: $23.99 | Sale: $16.79
Club: $11.99

Modern Loss
Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.

Author: Rebecca Soffer, Gabrielle Birkner

Narrator: Meredith Mitchell, Josh Bloomberg

Unabridged: 7 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Harper Wave

Published: 01/23/2018

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Inspired by the website that the New York Times hailed as ""redefining mourning,"" this book is a fresh and irreverent examination into navigating grief and resilience in the age of social media, offering comfort and community for coping with the mess of loss through candid original essays from a variety of voices.At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it’s clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map.Let’s face it: most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We’re awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit.Enter Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner, who can help us do better. Each having lost parents as young adults, they co-founded Modern Loss, responding to a need to change the dialogue around the messy experience of grief. Now, in this wise and often funny book, they offer the insights of the Modern Loss community to help us cry, laugh, grieve, identify, and—above all—empathize.Soffer and Birkner, along with forty guest contributors including Lucy Kalanithi, singer Amanda Palmer, and CNN’s Brian Stelter, reveal their own stories on a wide range of topics including triggers, sex, secrets, and inheritance. Each contribution provides a unique perspective on loss as well as a remarkable life-affirming message.Brutally honest and inspiring, Modern Loss invites us to talk intimately and humorously about grief, helping us confront the humanity (and mortality) we all share. Beginners welcome.

About Rebecca Soffer

Rebecca Soffer is the cofounder and CEO of Modern Loss. A former producer for the Peabody Award-winning Colbert Report, Rebecca is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of loss and resilience. She is a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumna and contributes regularly to books, magazines, and other media. Rebecca lives in New York City and the Berkshires with her husband and two children.

About Gabrielle Birkner

Gabrielle Birkner is the co-founder and executive editor of Modern Loss. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and writes regularly for national newspapers and magazines. A journalist and digital content strategist, she has served as managing editor at JTA, director of digital media at the Forward, and features editor at The New York Sun. Gabrielle lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Thomas on February 11, 2023

I overall liked this essay collection centered around grief, ranging from the loss of a parent, child, romantic partner, and from what I can recall one essay about a friend. I appreciate how Modern Loss normalizes the ongoing grief process and refutes outdated stereotypes that grief is just somethin......more

Goodreads review by Mariah on July 09, 2018

Thank goodness our college library has unlimited renewals for books if there isn't a waiting list. I checked this out and then didn't want to face the fact that I, indeed was experiencing modern loss after my dad died. Alas, I cracked it out on a camping trip and breezed through it in about 4 hours.......more

Goodreads review by Geraldine (geraldinereads) on July 27, 2022

A collection of essay written by different people that have experienced grief. A lot of them are the type of essays that will make you laugh, and you'll feel comfort knowing others have felt the same way you do.......more

Goodreads review by Regina on February 07, 2019

After eight months of trying to avoid loss in books, I decided to just lean into it. I’d never heard of the Modern Loss website but thought the book from its creators seemed like a good place to start. I was expecting self help, but it’s actually a series of essays (some by pseudo-celebrities). Whil......more

Goodreads review by Bri on August 04, 2022

Diverse range of grief experiences, which I really appreciated. Hit those spots of connection that I need when I feel isolated in my grief. Didn’t give this 5 stars because there was randomly SO much fatphobia, it was honestly egregious.......more