Letters From The Ungrateful Dead
A Grieving Mom’s Surprising Correspondence with Her Deceased Adult Daughter
Memoir
By:
Deborah Shouse
How does a mom cope with the unspeakable grief of her child’s death?
Deborah Shouse never thought she would have to answer that question.
In 2021, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. Her 47-year-old daughter, Hilee, was one of them. Letters from the Ungrateful Dead: A Grieving Mom’s Surprising Correspondence with her Deceased Adult Daughter is a vibrant post-death correspondence between a grieving mother and her dead daughter.
The letters cover grief, spirituality, drug addiction, mental health issues, and family dynamics. Despite the somber topic, the book is laced with humor.
“The exchanges in this trove are astonishing in their frankness, earnest in their emotional depth, and frequently as surprising in their wry humor as they are inspiring in their worldly wisdom. To anyone who doubts the potentially transformative power of symbolic correspondence between the living and dead I say, read this book. I will recommend it to mourners seeking a healing continuing bond with those they have loved and lost, as well as to the creative therapists walking alongside them.”
— Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, Director, Portland Institute for Loss and Transition and Editor, New Techniques of Grief Therapy
“A raw and, at times, humorous journey of a mother navigating her grief. As a parent who has also lost an adult child to addiction, I can relate to the need to stay connected to my child. This book provides a cathartic tool that could help the many parents veiled in the cycles of grief find some comfort.”
— Gary Mendell, Founder & CEO, Shatterproof
“So many parents have joined a club that no one wants to be a part of the “my child died of an overdose” club. For these families, grief is often overshadowed by shame. This book will resonate with so many families, as it explores Deborah’s loss, her full-bodied love for her daughter, and the ever-lasting bond between the two of them, reminding the reader that addiction has nothing to do with morality…”
— Emily Hage, President & CEO First Call Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery