At the End of Words is a
collection of poems and reflections by high school student Miriam Stone on the
illness and death of her mother. Martha
Stone had cancer, and she gradually lost the fight. Her final days were spent in a hospice. Her daughter Miriam records her fear, sorrow, anger and pain as
Martha endured treatment until they made the decision to stop. The book is so short that it does not build
up a detailed picture of the relationship between mother and daughter. Nevertheless, Miriam’s words are poignant
and sad. More importantly, they do
manage to provide a sense of the resolution she arrives at after her mother’s
death. The book ends with her leaving
for college, Columbia University. At
the End of Words may be helpful for other teenagers who are going through
similar losses.

© 2003 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on philosophical
issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Memoirs, Grief, Children