Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity

(Paperback)

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Description

After crashing headlong into the side of a truck while riding his motorcycle to work, Brad Tidd was rushed to the hospital where complications led to his death. In one moment, Catherine's entire life was thrown into upheaval. The future they planned together was gone and there was no road-map for how to grieve for her husband. Delving into websites and books, no one could quite relate to her experience. How do you support your children when you're falling apart How do you get a job when you have three young kids at home When is it okay to date You can use the life insurance money to buy a sports car if it makes you feel better, right This is a look at love, loss, and how we cope the changes that life throws at us.

Reviews

"This was the only helpful book that I have read about becoming and being a widow. I found myself laughing and listening to Tidd as I would listen to a friend telling her story; she has a voice that is compelling, a story that is real and a book that is an invaluable addition to grief memoirs. " - Bitter/Sweet
"Emotional memoir...Tidd combines indignation and sarcasm with humility, and the result is a moving, helpful look at how to navigate the difficult times that come with tremendous loss. " - Kirkus Reviews
"An amazing book that I couldn't put down and I would recommend to anyone whether they have lost a spouse or not because she is straightforward yet humorous (my husband is dead and Keith Richards is alive) about how her new life unfolded in the months and years following her husband's death. " - Cry, Laugh, Heal
"With wit and good humor, Tidd looks back on the time immediately following her husband's death with charming self-deprecation at her seeming inability to be a good widow. Through this, she shows readers that there is no "right way" to grieve. " - Library Journal
"There's a world of beauty packed inside Tidd's book...Her mettle: She pours the past seven years onto pages for all of us to read and learn from, particularly her "Tips for widow(er)s and those who support them." Her take-down of the empty platitudes we mutter to people who are suffering ("He's in a better place."Everything happens for a reason.") should be required reading for all humankind...We'd all do well to follow her lead." - Heidi Stevens - Chicago Tribune
"The life of a widow is ever changing and has some very odd "ticks" that come with it...and I feel like Catherine was able to get out on paper what all of us have felt at one moment or an other. This book is a must have for widows, particularly young widows; either in their first 6 months of grief or five years out. " - Susan Soares
"Heartfelt and surprisingly humorous memoir...an ultimately uplifting story, and thanks to Tidd's keen sense of humor her tale never becomes maudlin...Widowers and other readers will find inspiration and useful advice in her candid story." - Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

CATHERINE TIDD is a widow, mother, and the founder of theWiddahood.com. She is a contributing author to several anthologies focusing on grief and renewal and a writer for The Denver Post's Mile High Mamas. Originally from Louisiana, Ms. Tidd currently lives in Colorado.