Letters to My Son: Turning Loss into Legacy

by Mitch Carmody

The second edition of Letters to My Son is even more powerful than the first edition, with many more pages of valuable insights into the griever's journey. This edition also contains many more of the author's evocative pencil illustrations. This moving exploration of the process of grieving is authored by a father whose nine year old son died following a two-year battle with a recurring malignant brain tumor. During the months that followed his son's death, the author wrote letters and poems to his son as a catharsis for his grief. In that process he discovered that there is life after death on both sides of the equation and that miracles do happen. A compelling story of love, loss, and recovery that will grab your heart, nourish your soul, and open your eyes, Letters to My Son is a must-read for anyone who has experienced a great loss and is trying to find some path out of the darkness of their despair.

Genres: Grief

250 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2011

Reviews

[Deevonna Frasier · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Closure is a myth perpetuated by others uncomfortable with our grief.”

[Mallory Plotz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In September, I went to a bereaved parents conference hosted by our local chapter of The Compassionate Friends. It was my first time attending, and it ended up being such a powerful experience. I owe a lot of that to Mitch Carmody, the author of Letters to My Son. I was instantly inspired by him and curious to learn more about what he had to say. Since losing his son, Kelly, in 1987, Mitch has traveled all over the world speaking to grief groups and in hospice settings. He shared so many ideas that really made me think about grief in new ways. I’ve read in different books and learned from my own experience that the whole “Stages of Grief” concept has been taken out of context. Mitch described it in a way that made so much sense to me. He said to think of the stages more like stairs that you go up and down depending on where you are in your grief. It’s not a straight line and there’s no timeline, which I found both comforting and realistic. I also loved his “Winnie the Pooh” way of looking at different types of grievers. It helped me see where I fit and understand how other grieving parents might experience their loss differently. He also shared a few incredible stories about signs he’s received from his son over the years. Mitch has heard thousands of similar stories from other bereaved families over the last 38 years and shared several with us that day... many stories simply too ironic or unexplainable by logic to be anything other than a sign from Heaven. When I left the conference with his book, I couldn’t wait to start reading it, and it truly didn’t disappoint. Mitch shares the miraculous story of his son’s recovery from brain cancer and the surreal experience they went through to make that possible. Then, when the tumors returned months later, he includes the real, raw, unedited letters he wrote to his son as he learned to live alongside his grief. I really appreciated all the details he added, and especially his beautifully drawn “20 Faces of Grief.” They perfectly capture the many emotions that come with loss, often all at once or in no particular order. This book is honest, emotional, and incredibly relatable for anyone who’s lost someone they love.

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a beautiful testament to his son's life. It is probably much more profound for someone who has suffered the loss of a child. There were some beautiful messages sprinkled throughout the book regarding grief in general. However, there was a very strong faith/Christian belief that I found hard to relate to.

[Tomigirl44 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it hard sometimes to rate an author’s experience. It’s honest and moving, and provides a glimpse into the love and grief a father experienced through the life and death of his son.

[Mary Kenyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book for two reasons: #1) The author is a powerful speaker, and #2) I was intrigued by the fact that the author wrote letters to his son after he passed away. I was not disappointed. Mitch is just as powerful a writer as he is a speaker, and the letters that are included in the narrative of this book give the reader a glimpse into the pain of losing a child. Beautiful, inspiring story about a very painful loss.

[Brigid Wolfe O’Rielley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the first edition about 20yrs ago and loved it. Even better now that I have two sons