"Seaweed and Shamans: Inheriting the Gifts of Grief"

by Brenda Paik Sunoo

To order online, go to: Amazon.com Koryobooks.com (for U.S. customers) SeoulSelection.com (for Asia customers) To buy directly in California, go to: Laurel Books in Oakland Dutton's Bookstore in Los Angeles

Brenda Paik Sunoo is a freelance journalist, Reiki Master, and ShareGrief.com bereavement specialist currently living in Vietnam. To contact the author: brenda@compassionatwork.com and www.compassionatwork.com

Reviewer's Comments:

"Heartfelt and at times heart-rending, "Seaweed and Shamans" details Brenda Paik Sunoo's journey through grief into solace. Written with courage and generosity, her collection of essays traverses personal memory and Korean-American history, as well as the thoughts and drawings garnered from diary entries of the child she lost. A testimony to the endurance of faith and art, life and love. "Seaweed and Shamans" is a gift of healing."
Nora Okja Keller, author of "Comfort Woman" and "Fox Girl"

"This is a wonderful book: warm, honest, intelligent, funny, unsentimental and heartbreaking, too. Brenda Sunoo weaves the experience of her grief over the death of her son with the story of her life and family, and it works beautifully. Is it possible to heal from the loss of a child? This book says yes; to heal and to transcend, but never to forget, never to lose that child living now in your heart. This is a story that will stay with you for a long time."
Sharman Apt Russell, author of "Songs of the Fluteplayer: Seasons of Life in the Southwest"

"Brenda Sunoo has learned from her personal experience that the death of a child is one of the most painful experiences you can have. She has also learned that there are gifts in grief and shares them with the reader. But the greatest gift, perhaps, is that the bereaved can now receive comfort from such a wonderful book."
Allen Klein, author of "The Courage to Laugh: Humor, Hope and Healing in the Face of Death and Dying."

"Seaweed and Shamans: Inheriting the Gifts of Grief" gives us a most precious gift: the powerful emotional insights from a parent's worst nightmare, the death of a child. By sharing her teenaged son's life, a mother's deep love, and a four-generation Korean family's journey, Brenda Sunoo allows us to witness—and to feel—the intense heart and soul of her emotional and cultural truths. This book will sweep you away."
Helen Zia, author of "Asian-American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People."

"Brenda Sunoo writes eloquently about keeping family rituals yet at the same time, making changes after the untimely death of Tommy—son, brother, and friend extraordinaire. The reader is privileged to get a glimpse into the world of an insightful young artist and writer with a vivid imagination, who was wise beyond his years. Brenda writes with love, humor, sadness, spirituality and compassion about her family. This book is a must-read for anyone who has experienced a loss."
Sandy Lipkus, B.Ed, B.S.W., M.S.W. and founder of ShareGrief.com

"Many bereaved individuals try so desperately to hang on to the moment before their loved one has died. Brenda Sunoo's search for peace after her son's death has redefined her. She not only let that process unfold, but embraced it. While keeping her son's spirit alive, the author has also discovered deeper meaning in her life."
Joel Hetler, Ph.D., Child Psychologist and Manager of Children's Mental Health Services in Ramsey County, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

    
    E-mail: brenda@compassionatwork.com