Dear Jack: A Love Letter

by Barbara Bates Conroy, Jackson Scott Conroy

Dear Jack, Barbara writes to her son. Through these letters and raw prose sections relating to them, she recounts the past and explores questions of motherhood, responsibility, guilt, and spirituality. In Dear A Love Letter to My Son , Barbara Bates Conroy shares her highly personal and tragic experiences with drug addiction, family discord, loss, and grief. When her son, Jack, passed away from a heroin overdose in 2015 after struggling with substance abuse for years, Barbara continued to write letters to him. She always had, ever since he was a baby, through his difficult teenage years. It seemed the only thing to to keep writing to him, to keep trying to reach him. When her son died, the unimaginable for a parent, Barbara invested herself in grief workshops and alternative healing modalities, and found herself on a new spiritual path, one that proved crucial to moving her life forward, and to coping with her past. With the aid of psychics, mediums, intuitives, and her cultivated powers of introspection and recognition, Barbara comes to terms with her own pain and power, as well as Jack s. Her unconventional memoir is an intimate, moving and unforgettable story. *All proceeds from Dear Jack go to The Jackson Scott Conroy Foundation, which was established following the tragic death of Jackson from an overdose at the age of twenty one. The Foundation is dedicated to support teens and young adults suffering from opioid and heroin addiction. Costly treatment centers are often out of reach, and we will award scholarships and partial scholarships to fund treatment through an application process.  

222 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2018

Reviews

[Sally Cordovano · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a heartfelt, brave and poignant book. Barbara Conroy writes the most personal description of hers and Jack’s and their family’s heartfelt efforts to cope with Jack’s addition struggles, before, during, and after. While most living people are aware of what a national epidemic the opioid epidemic is, for those who aren’t directly touched by it, it’s hard to imagine the layers of anger, sorrow, guilt, and of course love that are intertwined in addiction. I have watched from afar several family’s tragic journeys and my heart goes out to them all for their suffering, love, and brave courage to move forward. Barbara Conroy is a strong and amazing woman and mother, and her love for Jack and her family is evident. Thank you for sharing your love of Jack and his/your journey.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book on a mother 's love

Barbara so bravely bears witness to her son's addiction and his death. She holds nothing back and is totally transparent. I want to give her a hug. Thank you for your honesty in searching for healing and in being
High-level honest in living your new normal. Grateful to you for helping end the stigma.

[Lisa Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrifyingly similar to my stepsons life with addiction and criminal behavior. Thank you for sharing your insights and knowledge to prepare everyone dealing with this some new ideas for helping the addict as well as self care -and for sharing your story, so very sorry for your loss.

[Kate Hinnant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really emotional read for me. I grew up in Rowayton with Jack, and remember numerous events mentioned in the book. Mrs. Conroy does an amazing job combining a mother’s love with the battle of addiction. I applaud her courage to tell her very personal story.

[Barbara Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning account of heroin addiction and a page turner for anyone who has gone through, is going through or knows anyone going through any kind of addiction. So this book is for everyone. Barbara explains what she went through and combined that with letters written to her son Jack. I have written hundreds of letter to my son and this page turner could be anyone's life raising kids today.