Why Are the Casseroles Always Tuna? A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Grief by Darcie D. Sims

by Darcie D. Sims

new excellent condition

Genres: Grief

Paperback

First published August 1, 1990

Reviews

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to put a humorous spin on death and grief, but Darcie Sims has the gift and insight to do so. The book will make you laugh, cry, and learn a lot about yourself and others in times of grief. I met Darcie at a Grief Retreat for Parents of Murdered Children in Pine, AZ and she is awesome!

=^..^=
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[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone I love who is grieving mentioned hating tuna casseroles, and that made me think of this book, "Why Are the Casseroles Always Tuna?" It had been one of my favorite grief books 18 years ago precisely because it didn't try to fix everything, but simply found gentle humor in the painful things that were.

I know that a humorous book on grief sounds tacky or disrespectful, either to the deceased or to the grieving, but it wasn't either of those things really, managed to be respectful to all, and I loved it.

That made me wonder if maybe I should send this book to my grieving loved one, but before I did, I wanted to reread it to make sure it was appropriate for her situation as well. I found that some of the humor wasn't as funny or endearing to me the second time around. It didn't wear well in places since I already knew the punch lines. Or maybe one just has to be in the throes of a harsher grief to appreciate it. It also does take a rare personality to appreciate humor in grief.

But on the other hand, there was nothing off-putting about it, and at the very least, she will know that she is loved as I am thinking of her and sending it. I had texted her about the book, and she'd said, "Sounds like a great book. Laughter releases endorphins which relieve pain." And she always did love to laugh.

I am still giving this 5 stars since I loved it on my initial read, and because loving a book enough to reread it is an automatic 5 stars for me.

I had thought when I first read it, that I would never give someone the book when they are in the early stages of grieving. It's only when the grief has gone on and on and on that we'd appreciate something like this, because there's nothing funny about losing a loved one or the shock of it, even if the after-shocks can have some funny anecdotes.

The book isn't particularly a religious one, and at one point, the author says, "Believe whatever you want, but ..."

Some of this book, the second time around, reminds me of some of Barbara Johnson's writings, such as "Laughter from Heaven," or "Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy," or "Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life," all of which I'd recommend.

The other issue is where to shelve a book like "Why Are the Casseroles Always Tuna?" on my physical shelves, either in grief or in humor. In the end, I chose to shelve it in grief because of the topics involved. I also shelved "Laughter from Heaven" in grief, but I shelved "Stick a Geranium in Your Hat" and "Splashes of Joy" with humor.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little book about learning to live with grief. The author speaks from her own loss of her child. She writes about the reality of loss with a bit of humor and a lot of hope!