The Write Way to Grieve

The death of a child is one of the deepest traumas known. When a child commits suicide, the trauma strikes deeper because of the guilt, social stigma and unanswered questions associated with suicide. How did everyone miss the signs of this child’s emotional turmoil? Why did this happen? There is no right way to grieve the death of a loved one. The Write Way to Grieve tells the story of one mother’s journey through grief in the years that followed her fourteen-year-old son Ryan’s suicide. Author Terri Johnson’s journal of poetry, prose, and pain reveals the steps and setbacks in her journey. The discovery of Ryan’s journal at school empowered her to find the truth in what happened and what might have happened if the journal had been treated differently. The Write Way to Grieve is one mother’s answer to her son’s cry for help. Suicide should never be the answer. Terri Johnson wrote from her experience to inform others of suicide awareness, prevention and intervention so Ryan’s death would not be in vain.