Books - A Peep Into The Lives of Others...

A few weeks ago, I was browsing and saw a book advertised. Zachary's Choice: Surviving My Child's Suicide by Suzy LaBonte. I was repelled by the title and in the same breath attracted by it. Numerous questions ran through my mind. Why would a young person commit suicide? What were the circumstances? Why was the child's mum writing about it? What was it like for her? How was she coping with it?

Source:Christianbook.com

I searched for and located the book in my favourite ebook store,  and added it to my wish list. Every now and again I looked at the book. I read the reviews from others who had read the book. Eventually my curiosity got the better of me. I just had to find out what the story was in this book. I clicked on the "Buy Now" button and the book was in my library. 

I turned the page and started to read. Indeed, Suzy's teenage son, Zachary had committed suicide. As I read the first chapter, I felt like I had been kicked repeatedly in the stomach. I shared Suzy's distress as she discovered that her son had not only died but had killed himself. In the following chapters, I sat with Suzy as she recounted how she walked through those dark days of coming to terms with her son's death.

She wrote, " Suicide now lives in my house as surely as my son did not. It was a scandalous dirty word to me, an unclean taboo, full of fearful stigma, a social leprosy of repulsion and terror. In my naive mind, suicide has always been a dishonourable method of death associated with those who were in trouble or who had no one to love them and nowhere to turn.Suicide wasn't a word to be associated with a treasured child, loved by his siblings, adored by his parents and treasured by his relatives.It wasn't a word to be linked with a kind talented child who who had tremendous gifts to offer the world.Yet that ghastly word was in my daily vocabulary and had already rolled off my tongue far too many times. Shame on me for my smug and arrogant assumptions. Shame on me for my ignorant and misinformed criticism."

I realised that she wasn't alone in those assumptions and criticism. I was right there with her. Was that not why I was repelled at first by the title of the book? 

I thank Suzy for giving me a peep into her life by writing the book and sharing her experiences. I am now wiser and will deal more sensitively with others who hurt around me. I don't always know the details of their circumstances. 

I also am glad that I read the book, Zachary's Choice. I would never have dared to write or talk publicly about suicide had I not read the book. According to Suzy, suicide is a tough subject and not fun to talk about.However, bringing up this tough subject in conversation with another can open the door to a frank discussion. When suicide and other tough subjects are discussed, taboos are lifted and the powerful chains of silence and isolation are broken. By so doing, maybe, one person would rethink their desperate intention and a life would be saved. Maybe warning signs could be identified and safety measures and counselling could be put into practice.

Just maybe...