New Amazon.com review for "A Child Lost in Flight"

Amazon.com review 5.0 out of 5 stars: Nicely written, fast, satisfying read, August 27, 2012
By LindaLikesItOrNot
This review is from: A Child Lost in Flight : Moving on after tragedy on Flight 229 (Kindle Edition)
For me this was a curious read. I would not normally pick up a book that talks about the loss of a child--being a parent myself I don't want to imagine that! But I did pick this up. And it was a fast read, as the other reviewers have mentioned.

What surprised me were the fascinating cultural insights into this true Indian/American drama. This is a real, gut-wrenching story of a man trying to find answers, and finally moving on.

The author does not devolve into sentimentality, but still manages to convey the immensity of his loss. Perhaps the dogged determination of trying to find answers is what does it. Or perhaps it's the author's ability to convey a lot in a few words. At any rate, I'm glad I read it. This is a satisfying book that left me with a feeling of hope...and made me want to hug my kids.

Surviving Survivor Guilt: From Natural Disasters to Layoffs, Today’s World is Full of Tortured Survivors, Physician Says

There wasn’t a name for the syndrome before the 1960s, when psychologists started recognizing a condition among patients who all happened to be Holocaust survivors. It came to be known as “survivor guilt.” 
The affliction also affects those who have endured war, natural disasters, the suicide of a loved one, epidemics and even employment layoffs. Eli Nussbaum, recently named among the top pediatric pulmonologists, is keenly aware of the circumstances surrounding this subset of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I am a consequence of the Holocaust – both of my parents lost their families during those years,” says Nussbaum, author of The Promise, a novel that begins in Poland on the eve of World War II and follows three generations through the aftermath.
He is among the group known as the “Second Generation” – children born to survivors anxiously trying to rebuild the families they’d lost. Nussbaum was born in Poland to a man who’d lost his first wife and four children, and a woman who lost her first husband and child, during the Nazi’s genocidal regime.    
“Because of my family background, I am intimately aware of life’s fragility and how a devastating experience can affect a person emotionally,” he says. “As a Second Generation, I too was shaped by my parents’ trauma. While being raised by survivors made some of us more resilient and better able to adapt and cope, it made others distrustful of outsiders and always on the defense.”
For anyone profoundly affected by loss, he says, it’s worth the effort to work at transitioning from guilt to appreciation of the gift that is their life. He offers these tips:

• Seek treatment early: The sooner counseling is provided, the more preventable or manageable guilt may be. Early methods may recognize a survivor’s feelings and eventually offer alternative perspectives. The hope is to get the survivor to see the loss of colleagues, friends or family as the result of misfortune that has nothing to do with personal culpability.  

• Watch for delayed reactions – even years later: No two individuals are identical, and some survivors do not show symptoms until long after a traumatic event. If you or a loved one has experienced a life-altering change or loss and later develop problems such as clinical depression or a prevalent sense of self-blame, be aware they may be rooted in past trauma and share that information with a counselor. Other problems that could be signs of survivor guilt: nightmares, unpredictable emotional response and anxiety.
• Don’t turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with uncomfortable feelings: Many people suffering post-traumatic stress-related disorders try to self-medicate or somehow will themselves into a better mental state. Drug addiction is often the result, which is why those who suspect a problem should seek professional help. One-on-one therapy, as well as group talk and possibly doctor-prescribed medications are frequently used to help survivors move past guilt.

“Whether people are dealing with the loss of life from combat, or an accident, or suicide, they may not consider themselves ‘victims.’ So they don’t seek help,” Nussbaum says. “They may also feel that no one has been through the same experience.
“That’s why it is important to be surrounded by loved ones who can offer love, support and perhaps the perspective to seek professional help.”
Because their families were gone, many Holocaust survivors did not have that option, which Nussbaum says made the writing of his novel that much more imperative.
“Only they can know just what it was like – but suffering is a universal experience to which we can all relate,” he says. “Life can get better, and the story of my parents, and the fortune in my life, is proof of that.” 

About Eliezer Nussbaum, M.D.

Eliezer Nussbaum, M.D., was born in Katowice, Poland. He is a professor of Clinical Pediatrics Step VII at the University of California and Chief of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine and Medical Director of Pediatric Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Memorial Miller Children's Hospital of Long Beach. He has authored two novels, three non-fiction books and more than 150 scientific publications, and was named among the top U.S. doctors by US News and World Report in 2011-12. 

Book Review: A Child Lost In Flight

This was a wonderfully written book. Author Mohan did a beautiful job with a tender and poignant subject. You, the reader, could feel the pain and suffering – the sorrow – felt by the parents. The frustration at the "not knowing". It was a brilliant job, and Author Mohan should be exceedingly proud.

- blogged by Jilda Leigh

Book Review for A Child Lost in Flight: Journeys Through Grief Newsletters

Review for Book "A Child Lost in Flight" posted on Journeys Through Grief Newsletters

A short narrative of 57 pages, A Child Lost in Flight moves with urgency causing this normally ponderous reader to fly through the pages, anxious to find out what happened to this family. The author’s simple, transparent prose disappeared behind the quick flow of the story.

Remaining in the present, allowing oneself to recharge, to breathe … this, to me, speaks of someone open to the flow of life’s journey, through the tumultuous to the hope of a new place. Mohan and Suja were open to transformation, the healing power of allowing grief to take its course.

There is much wisdom in A Child Lost in Flight that can apply just as easily to people of faith as to people with little or no faith. Little Aditya will never be forgotten but his memory can serve as a reminder and a guide to this couple of life, death and renewal: the most basic, and most profound of mysteries.

Thank you Peggy Sweeney for the review.

Book review for "A child lost in flight" by blacklilackitty

Book review for "A child lost in flight" by blogger blacklilackitty 

This book is a heart wrenching story.  A story that no parent wants to endure: death of a child.

Although Aditya died when he was four-months old, he will not be forgotten, especially by his loving father.
I would recommend this book for anyone who conducts grief counseling sessions.