This brave book is about so much more than grief....

 Claudia Putnam begins her long essay/book with a simple fact. “Three decades ago, my first son was born, and three days later, he died. He died of a broken heart.” That’s the story. Putnam’ son died from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which basically means the left side of his heart was so defective it was incapable of pumping oxygen throughout the body.

But Putnam’s essay is more than a story about her baby’s broken heart, it’s more than story about a mother’s broken heart. Her discussion transcends broken hearts. Claudia Putnam takes on death—society’s innate fear of it-- exacerbated by our confusion over the definition of living--spirituality and existentialism, informed by the musings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and others. She even brings in research and speculation about the natural chemical –N,N-dimethyltriptophan (DMT) and the possibility that it is the source of not only near-death experiences, but also, our “soul.”

Putnam shares her erudite ponderings with bold candor, rarely infusing the discussion with treacly maternal musings. Her maternal passion and grief are, however, all over the writing, particularly when she discusses a complicated, and brave, decision no parent should have to make about her infant’s life. She and her husband make the decision, taking into account the ultimate questions-- What is life? What is death?

I don’t believe I have read such a thoughtful discourse on grief, death, and life. It is a bold, frank, difficult read. It’s also important.