Some are crippled by shyness after missing day-to-day interactions, get left behind as their friends grow up or face the anger of so-called '
survivor guilt.'.
They may also be going through emotional turmoil, with feelings such as guilt ('
survivor guilt'); shame and embarrassment (my parents and family members - indeed, everyone now knows that I was married off and have returned with a baby); suicidal ideas (maybe I should have died, so that I will be saved from the humiliation and taunts); misinterpreting looks as reflecting that everyone is whispering behind their backs; as teenagers, wondering if they will ever be able to live a normal life, have a career, get married, among other concerns.
An insightfully complex cast of characters, engaging dialogue and an original storyline that masterfully tackles weighty subjects such as
survivor guilt, loss, love and acceptance make this novel a welcome, highly readable addition to every YA lover's bookshelf.
She said they are plagued by "
survivor guilt" and would need help for 30 years.
Michael Goertzen, who now teaches abroad, mixes prose and poetry for a picture of Hilda, who fled the Russian Civil War after the Revolution, with a dose of
survivor guilt: "In a silent struggle, she grappled with her own Anabaptist traditions, songs and those abandoned farms of the Molotschna Colony and other communities where she and her ancestors had lived."
Some have led lives dominated by
survivor guilt, feelings of inadequacy, or perfectionism, while many others have come to terms with family grief and have effectively established their own identities.
The battalion suffered heavy losses; he suffers heavy
survivor guilt.
Simon Holland Roberts plays Chris, the surviving son, whose
survivor guilt after a messy war is tearing him apart.
One of the ending chapters is Hot Topics Q & A, offering typical questions of teens experiencing loss and grief, asking what is "normal," or to be expected, and how to deal with
survivor guilt. Also helpful is a list of other resources in the United States and Canada including phone numbers and web sites.
Added to the themes of suicide, death, and
survivor guilt is the advocacy of Mel's mother regarding the death penalty and strong views about death row.
Especially heartbreaking are her interviews with family members of the dead, and with rig workers who recall their terror, their
survivor guilt, and, above all, their betrayal by the companies to which they gave their best years.