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Words Make a Way Through Fire: Healing After My Brother's Suicide
For readers in search of emotional and spiritual healing, a courageous, gripping memoir of one woman’s journey of gradually healing her traumatized memory through poetry, swimming, and the intuited guidance of a spiritual presence named Voice.
Words Make a Way through Fire is an intimate, courageous memoir of a woman shattered by witnessing her eldest brother’s horrific suicide when she was a teenager. The book traces her creative journey of recovery and healing with poetry as a constant companion.
The primary means of Cyra Dumitru’s healing process, from age sixteen through adulthood, is writing poetry and journaling. During this decades-long journey, Cyra experiences a transcendent, loving presence called Voice who guides her and helps her imagine wholeness. She finds community with others through the sharing of poems. She studies poetry as craft and as medicine—becoming a published poet with multiple books, an award-winning college instructor of poetry writing, and a certified practitioner of poetic medicine who creates spaces where others can heal through poetry.
In Words Make a Way through Fire, Cyra explores the specific medicinal properties of poetry—giving order to interior anxiety, trusting the wisdom within—and invites her brother David to speak through her as he reflects upon his final hours. In doing so, poem by poem, she shifts gradually from being traumatized and feeling haunted to feeling empowered and spiritually expansive.
Words Make a Way through Fire is an intimate, courageous memoir of a woman shattered by witnessing her eldest brother’s horrific suicide when she was a teenager. The book traces her creative journey of recovery and healing with poetry as a constant companion.
The primary means of Cyra Dumitru’s healing process, from age sixteen through adulthood, is writing poetry and journaling. During this decades-long journey, Cyra experiences a transcendent, loving presence called Voice who guides her and helps her imagine wholeness. She finds community with others through the sharing of poems. She studies poetry as craft and as medicine—becoming a published poet with multiple books, an award-winning college instructor of poetry writing, and a certified practitioner of poetic medicine who creates spaces where others can heal through poetry.
In Words Make a Way through Fire, Cyra explores the specific medicinal properties of poetry—giving order to interior anxiety, trusting the wisdom within—and invites her brother David to speak through her as he reflects upon his final hours. In doing so, poem by poem, she shifts gradually from being traumatized and feeling haunted to feeling empowered and spiritually expansive.
- GenresMemoir
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2025
1 person is currently reading
1793 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 5, 2025
“Trauma displaces, disorients, dissociates, disorders, dismantles, disjoints, disquiets. Undoes.”
🚨 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘵: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 3𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 100% 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 4 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵…
I was at work in the ER for the call referenced above. I’ve seen it first hand. So this book hit me on a level I was not at all expecting. Wow. I am moved beyond words.
Cyra, traumatized by witnessing the suicide by fire of her older brother as a teenager, spends the rest of her life trying to survive that experience. She uses many tools. But above all, words. Words in journals and words in poetry. Her poems are both moving and powerful and brought me back to the identical trauma to her brother that I witnessed myself years ago. I, too, can still smell it, see it, and feel it. And I didn’t know him, I was just trying to save him. So to have that happen to someone you love I quite literally cannot even fathom.
“Words changed the world.”
I give this book all of the stars, man. All of them. What a powerful, emotional, devastating, and yet hopeful, look into the life of a trauma survivor. I am in awe of you. Truly. Thank you for allowing us to read your story and I sincerely hope that it helps someone in some way. And I hope that it has helped you to heal. 💞
“The ocean is both perfection and danger.”
Thank you to Booksparks for the copy!
🚨 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘵: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 3𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 100% 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 4 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵…
I was at work in the ER for the call referenced above. I’ve seen it first hand. So this book hit me on a level I was not at all expecting. Wow. I am moved beyond words.
Cyra, traumatized by witnessing the suicide by fire of her older brother as a teenager, spends the rest of her life trying to survive that experience. She uses many tools. But above all, words. Words in journals and words in poetry. Her poems are both moving and powerful and brought me back to the identical trauma to her brother that I witnessed myself years ago. I, too, can still smell it, see it, and feel it. And I didn’t know him, I was just trying to save him. So to have that happen to someone you love I quite literally cannot even fathom.
“Words changed the world.”
I give this book all of the stars, man. All of them. What a powerful, emotional, devastating, and yet hopeful, look into the life of a trauma survivor. I am in awe of you. Truly. Thank you for allowing us to read your story and I sincerely hope that it helps someone in some way. And I hope that it has helped you to heal. 💞
“The ocean is both perfection and danger.”
Thank you to Booksparks for the copy!
Read
September 4, 2025Even before I begin, I need to mention that this book comes with heavy trigger warnings. The biggest one is suicide, and not just the mention of it, but the raw and painful reality of a violent suicide. The memoir goes into detail about what happened, and it can be deeply difficult to read. While the book is ultimately about healing and finding a path through poetry and “the voice,” the trauma takes center stage first, and witnessing both the author’s suffering and her family’s grief is heartbreaking.
In this memoir, the author’s brother died by suicide right in front of her, and that image haunted her for years. It altered her life, her perspective, and her entire relationship with death. Throughout the book, she shares poems she wrote as a way to untangle and express those emotions. What struck me most was how she always gave the context before each poem—the moment in her life, the state of her heart, and the reason that particular piece of writing came to be. Poetry can sometimes feel distant, as though you are guessing at what the poet wanted to say. But here, Cyra guides the reader through her intentions, her choice of words, and the emotions behind them. The poems grow in depth as the book moves forward, and many of them stirred me deeply. I admired how she turned to creativity and expression, rather than destructive coping, to process her grief. Her dreams, journals, and inner voice all became tools to make sense of what she carried.
I also appreciated that she allowed space for her life beyond tragedy—her relationships, her family, the way everyday living continued with her brother’s absence always in the background. There is a gentle reminder throughout the book that healing is not linear. Sometimes you find yourself right back where you started, and you have to gather the pieces and begin again. But there are countless ways to support that journey, whether through journaling, movement, reading, singing, or meditation. And eventually, the pain softens, the memory shifts, and you can begin to see the trauma from a different angle.
One part that stayed with me was her honesty about guilt and confusion. For so long, the memory of her brother’s death defined her identity. When she learned to disassociate from it and reframe the experience, she also felt an emptiness, because the tragedy had shaped her for so long. That vulnerability and truthfulness made the book even more powerful.
This is not a book to rush through. It needs to be read slowly, with pauses for reflection. It is not a narrative you can consume in one or two sittings. It asks you to sit with it, to feel, to reflect, to question, and perhaps to recognize parts of yourself within it.
Overall, this memoir touched me deeply. It is painful, but also profoundly healing in its honesty and tenderness. I will not be giving this book a rating, because it is both memoir and poetry, and rating someone’s lived experience and grief feels wrong. What I will say is that it left me moved, reflective, and grateful for the courage it took to write and share. And even though this happened a long time ago, I am so sorry for the author’s loss.
In this memoir, the author’s brother died by suicide right in front of her, and that image haunted her for years. It altered her life, her perspective, and her entire relationship with death. Throughout the book, she shares poems she wrote as a way to untangle and express those emotions. What struck me most was how she always gave the context before each poem—the moment in her life, the state of her heart, and the reason that particular piece of writing came to be. Poetry can sometimes feel distant, as though you are guessing at what the poet wanted to say. But here, Cyra guides the reader through her intentions, her choice of words, and the emotions behind them. The poems grow in depth as the book moves forward, and many of them stirred me deeply. I admired how she turned to creativity and expression, rather than destructive coping, to process her grief. Her dreams, journals, and inner voice all became tools to make sense of what she carried.
I also appreciated that she allowed space for her life beyond tragedy—her relationships, her family, the way everyday living continued with her brother’s absence always in the background. There is a gentle reminder throughout the book that healing is not linear. Sometimes you find yourself right back where you started, and you have to gather the pieces and begin again. But there are countless ways to support that journey, whether through journaling, movement, reading, singing, or meditation. And eventually, the pain softens, the memory shifts, and you can begin to see the trauma from a different angle.
One part that stayed with me was her honesty about guilt and confusion. For so long, the memory of her brother’s death defined her identity. When she learned to disassociate from it and reframe the experience, she also felt an emptiness, because the tragedy had shaped her for so long. That vulnerability and truthfulness made the book even more powerful.
This is not a book to rush through. It needs to be read slowly, with pauses for reflection. It is not a narrative you can consume in one or two sittings. It asks you to sit with it, to feel, to reflect, to question, and perhaps to recognize parts of yourself within it.
Overall, this memoir touched me deeply. It is painful, but also profoundly healing in its honesty and tenderness. I will not be giving this book a rating, because it is both memoir and poetry, and rating someone’s lived experience and grief feels wrong. What I will say is that it left me moved, reflective, and grateful for the courage it took to write and share. And even though this happened a long time ago, I am so sorry for the author’s loss.
September 15, 2025
Cyra writes a deep, heartfelt journey of her pain and the road to healing in this memoir of poetry and prose.
In 1974, at the tender age of sixteen, Cyra witnesses the horrific act of her brother's suicide. This trauma took decades to navigate but through journaling, writing poetry and a spiritual presence she was able to express the emotions and find a way to heal.
This novel is powerful, raw and very real. I felt her crushing pain, the unimaginable grief, the twinge of guilt, the confusion and the numerous questions she asked herself repeatedly on how she maybe could have helped him, stopped him. If only ....
Through her prose and poetry Cyra was able to give her brother a voice and tell her story along side her journey from that fateful day. 1
Through love and loss we see her healing and how her writing morphs from pain to freedom to spiritual growth
Having gone through something similar with a family member who attempted to die in the same fashion, this book spoke to me.
I found solace in Cyra's words and a way to perhaps salvage a family falling apart due to unbearable grief.
Thank you Cyra for your bravery in sharing such a personal story.
In 1974, at the tender age of sixteen, Cyra witnesses the horrific act of her brother's suicide. This trauma took decades to navigate but through journaling, writing poetry and a spiritual presence she was able to express the emotions and find a way to heal.
This novel is powerful, raw and very real. I felt her crushing pain, the unimaginable grief, the twinge of guilt, the confusion and the numerous questions she asked herself repeatedly on how she maybe could have helped him, stopped him. If only ....
Through her prose and poetry Cyra was able to give her brother a voice and tell her story along side her journey from that fateful day. 1
Through love and loss we see her healing and how her writing morphs from pain to freedom to spiritual growth
Having gone through something similar with a family member who attempted to die in the same fashion, this book spoke to me.
I found solace in Cyra's words and a way to perhaps salvage a family falling apart due to unbearable grief.
Thank you Cyra for your bravery in sharing such a personal story.
September 9, 2025
A collection of poetry and prose, Cyra takes us on a heartbreaking journey as she tries to heal and make sense of her brother's suicide. Her story takes us from early childhood, laying the foundation of the family dynamics, as well as cherished and forgotten memories she joyfully and painfully unearths, into the pitfalls adulthood as she finds her way out of the dark into the light.
She magics together metaphors that makes you feel everything on a visceral level. As someone who also lost my brother to suicide her words resonated deeply as I was reminded of how I tried to makes sense of my own loss and grief. She gently guides and navigates us through her journey of pain and then healing and how she found a way to make peace and forgive herself and her brother.
She magics together metaphors that makes you feel everything on a visceral level. As someone who also lost my brother to suicide her words resonated deeply as I was reminded of how I tried to makes sense of my own loss and grief. She gently guides and navigates us through her journey of pain and then healing and how she found a way to make peace and forgive herself and her brother.
August 31, 2025
What a stunning memoir of the author’s journey of healing after her brother’s suicide. It is written in such a beautiful way and the authors own poetry is included in every chapter as well as journal entries. She did an amazing job of putting into words how she coped and work to heal after the trauma and even guilt of what she witnessed. there’s a magical, spiritual vibe on every page. I was struck with so much emotion while reading and while it all stems from a tragedy, the growth and healing she documents is inspiring. Thanks to Booksparks for the free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
September 8, 2025
Thank you to @booksparks & @cyra.s.dumitru for the gifted copy.
This book had me up all night reading! It was definitely a heavy read. It feels like diving into someone’s personal diary , private, intimate, and something that’s been held onto for a long time. Cyra writes about losing her brother in the most heart-wrenching way. The book lets you feel the grief, but in a very different and unexpected way. The writing is unique , poetic and spiritual at the same time. The timeline unfolds in fragments, which actually makes it feel more real. It's incredibly honest and raw, and I really appreciate that. I will say, this book isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely worth a shot.
This book had me up all night reading! It was definitely a heavy read. It feels like diving into someone’s personal diary , private, intimate, and something that’s been held onto for a long time. Cyra writes about losing her brother in the most heart-wrenching way. The book lets you feel the grief, but in a very different and unexpected way. The writing is unique , poetic and spiritual at the same time. The timeline unfolds in fragments, which actually makes it feel more real. It's incredibly honest and raw, and I really appreciate that. I will say, this book isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely worth a shot.
August 25, 2025
Such a beautifully written book, telling the sad story of the suicide of a loved brother and adding poetry for comfort. Each person grieves differently, but WORDS MAKE A WAY THROUGH FIRE by Cyra Sweet Dumitru would be a perfect read for someone struggling with the loss of a loved one or someone trying to help others deal with a difficult loss.
September 2, 2025
A beautifully written memoir. Emotional and raw and events that are so tragic. Imagining having gone through the things she went through was so sad, and how she embarked on her journey of healing was inspirational. Love how she incorporates poems throughout. Thank you for the opportunity to read!
September 10, 2025
Trigger warning: this book includes discussion of suicide and grief. 💛
I cried reading this book. While my own experience with loss is different, Cyra’s journey of grief, healing, and finding solace through poetry and her inner Voice resonated deeply. Her words capture the ache, the longing, and the small moments of comfort that follow immense pain.
Cyra’s writing is lyrical, tender, and profoundly moving. The way she weaves memory, trauma, and spiritual guidance through poetry made me pause, reflect, and truly feel every moment. This isn’t just a memoir; it’s a journey into resilience, hope, and the courage to face what haunts us. I didn’t want it to end. 🌿
I cried reading this book. While my own experience with loss is different, Cyra’s journey of grief, healing, and finding solace through poetry and her inner Voice resonated deeply. Her words capture the ache, the longing, and the small moments of comfort that follow immense pain.
Cyra’s writing is lyrical, tender, and profoundly moving. The way she weaves memory, trauma, and spiritual guidance through poetry made me pause, reflect, and truly feel every moment. This isn’t just a memoir; it’s a journey into resilience, hope, and the courage to face what haunts us. I didn’t want it to end. 🌿
September 14, 2025
Book review: Words Make a Way through Fire by Cyra Dumitru.
Published by She Writes Press — thank you to the publisher and BookSparks for my gifted ARC.
This memoir lands like a quiet storm—steady, strong, and completely unshakable. Cyra Dumitru writes from the heart of deep, lived experience, not just as a survivor of her brother’s suicide, but as someone who has spent decades rebuilding a life around grief without letting it define her. What unfolds is not just a story of personal tragedy, but a testimony to the healing power of creativity, spiritual connection, and language.
There’s no filter here. The emotions come through clear and sharp, from the surreal horror of that night in 1974 to the long, aching silence that followed. Dumitru doesn’t try to make her pain pretty. She gives it shape. She gives it voice. And through the dual current of poetry and prose, she allows us to witness a transformation—not linear, but real. What moved me most is how she keeps showing up on the page, year after year, as she wrestles with memory, faith, and the question of what comes after devastation.
One of the most haunting passages reads: “I listen in the dark for something to break the silence. A word. A whisper. A presence I can’t explain but can’t deny.” That line captures so much of what this memoir is—an ongoing conversation with something unseen, yet deeply felt. Dumitru never pushes a belief system, but she honors the invisible lifelines that helped her survive. “Voice,” the spiritual presence that guides her, doesn’t give her answers—it offers presence, which in many ways is more powerful.
What’s remarkable here is the quiet courage it takes to return to a wound over and over again, not to reopen it, but to understand it more clearly. Dumitru’s years as a poet and teacher shape every page. Her writing is precise, compassionate, and unflinching. She knows what words can do—how they can hold, carry, and eventually free you. This book isn’t just her story—it’s a lifeline for others carrying heavy grief.
Words Make a Way through Fire doesn’t offer closure. It offers something better—continuity. The past remains part of her, but it no longer swallows her whole. This is a beautiful, brave offering. I closed the final page feeling quiet, grateful, and changed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#WordsMakeAWayThroughFire #CyraDumitru #MemoirReview #GriefJourney #HealingThroughWords #PoetryMemoir #SuicideSurvivorStory #MentalHealthBooks #SpiritualHealing #SheWritesPress #BookSparksARC #FiveStarMemoir #TraumaRecovery #VoiceAndVerse
Published by She Writes Press — thank you to the publisher and BookSparks for my gifted ARC.
This memoir lands like a quiet storm—steady, strong, and completely unshakable. Cyra Dumitru writes from the heart of deep, lived experience, not just as a survivor of her brother’s suicide, but as someone who has spent decades rebuilding a life around grief without letting it define her. What unfolds is not just a story of personal tragedy, but a testimony to the healing power of creativity, spiritual connection, and language.
There’s no filter here. The emotions come through clear and sharp, from the surreal horror of that night in 1974 to the long, aching silence that followed. Dumitru doesn’t try to make her pain pretty. She gives it shape. She gives it voice. And through the dual current of poetry and prose, she allows us to witness a transformation—not linear, but real. What moved me most is how she keeps showing up on the page, year after year, as she wrestles with memory, faith, and the question of what comes after devastation.
One of the most haunting passages reads: “I listen in the dark for something to break the silence. A word. A whisper. A presence I can’t explain but can’t deny.” That line captures so much of what this memoir is—an ongoing conversation with something unseen, yet deeply felt. Dumitru never pushes a belief system, but she honors the invisible lifelines that helped her survive. “Voice,” the spiritual presence that guides her, doesn’t give her answers—it offers presence, which in many ways is more powerful.
What’s remarkable here is the quiet courage it takes to return to a wound over and over again, not to reopen it, but to understand it more clearly. Dumitru’s years as a poet and teacher shape every page. Her writing is precise, compassionate, and unflinching. She knows what words can do—how they can hold, carry, and eventually free you. This book isn’t just her story—it’s a lifeline for others carrying heavy grief.
Words Make a Way through Fire doesn’t offer closure. It offers something better—continuity. The past remains part of her, but it no longer swallows her whole. This is a beautiful, brave offering. I closed the final page feeling quiet, grateful, and changed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#WordsMakeAWayThroughFire #CyraDumitru #MemoirReview #GriefJourney #HealingThroughWords #PoetryMemoir #SuicideSurvivorStory #MentalHealthBooks #SpiritualHealing #SheWritesPress #BookSparksARC #FiveStarMemoir #TraumaRecovery #VoiceAndVerse
November 4, 2025
Quick Synopsis: A powerful memoir about healing from the trauma of her brother’s suicide through poetry and journaling. Her creative journey transforms her from a haunted teenager into an award-winning poet and teacher who uses poetic medicine to help herself and others find wholeness.
💭📖💭📖
My Thoughts: A deeply moving memoir that blends poetry, memory, and teaching into one powerful narrative of healing. Dumitru takes us through her decades-long journey of grief after witnessing her brother’s suicide, showing how writing became her lifeline when therapy was not enough. She’s honest about depression, and shows how poetry helped her untangle her emotions and find a way forward.
One of my favorite passages is when she describes the photo on the book’s cover of her and her brother. The way she reflects on the moment behind that image is heartbreaking and beautiful. For an English teacher, I have a complicated relationship with poetry. I’ll admit I often skim poems but Dumitru convinced me to slow down. She suggests reading her poems aloud and I followed her advice!
Her work doesn’t stop with her own healing. She writes with compassion about helping others process the traumatic loss of loved ones to suicide, and her natural teacher’s voice shines. It makes perfect sense that she became an instructor, guiding others through the same creative process that saved her.
Will resonate most with:
* Readers drawn to memoirs of resilience
* Anyone who has turned to writing during difficult times
* Aspiring writers looking for inspiration and practical modeling
* Readers of poetic, reflective nonfiction
If you’ve ever found solace in journaling, or wondered whether writing could help you through your own struggles, this book could be life-changing. Powerful in its own uniquely lyrical and hopeful way.
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🥰 Thank you to @booksparks for providing the book for review.
💭📖💭📖
My Thoughts: A deeply moving memoir that blends poetry, memory, and teaching into one powerful narrative of healing. Dumitru takes us through her decades-long journey of grief after witnessing her brother’s suicide, showing how writing became her lifeline when therapy was not enough. She’s honest about depression, and shows how poetry helped her untangle her emotions and find a way forward.
One of my favorite passages is when she describes the photo on the book’s cover of her and her brother. The way she reflects on the moment behind that image is heartbreaking and beautiful. For an English teacher, I have a complicated relationship with poetry. I’ll admit I often skim poems but Dumitru convinced me to slow down. She suggests reading her poems aloud and I followed her advice!
Her work doesn’t stop with her own healing. She writes with compassion about helping others process the traumatic loss of loved ones to suicide, and her natural teacher’s voice shines. It makes perfect sense that she became an instructor, guiding others through the same creative process that saved her.
Will resonate most with:
* Readers drawn to memoirs of resilience
* Anyone who has turned to writing during difficult times
* Aspiring writers looking for inspiration and practical modeling
* Readers of poetic, reflective nonfiction
If you’ve ever found solace in journaling, or wondered whether writing could help you through your own struggles, this book could be life-changing. Powerful in its own uniquely lyrical and hopeful way.
Goodreads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🥰 Thank you to @booksparks for providing the book for review.
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