Ron Marasco

Brian Shuff

About Grief is an unorthodox learning approach to a difficult and profoundly human experience. The authors are not physicians or psychologists, so the book is without clinical jargon. It is not a memoir of personal grief, so there is no wrenching saga to work through. And it is not a touchy-feely inspirational book, so, as the authors put it, "There are no doves on the jacket." Using a variety ofsources from literature, drama, poetry, music, and interviews with grieving persons, the authors distill into plain terms and a user-friendly format some of the unspoken discoveries about grief. The book looks past the solemnity of grief to its messier aspects: the practical matters to sort out, the high-maintenance relatives to wrangle, the ugly feelings to vent. And it looks past the sadness of grief to its epiphanies: the personal lessons, the transformations, the intensifications of love. About Grief is composed of four chapters, each made up of straightforward essays that can be read in a single sitting. Chapter 1 explains the new normality that a grieving person experiences (e.g., stigma, presence, empathy), Chapter 2 talks about processing those things honestly (e.g., panic, sentimentality, shame, mistakes). Chapter 3 identifies some of the common consolations that grieving people find to help them soldier on (e.g., indulgence, sports, cynicism, rest). Chapter 4 explores grief's various forms of expression (e.g., self-narrative, gender, religion, music). As a bereavement group leader recently said of About Grief, "This book is different. I can't recommend it highly enough." Different in approach, perspective, style. We begin with a moment from the last scene of Shakespeare's King Lear. In Act V the elderly monarch walks on stage carrying his daughter Cordelia, dead in his arms. This is an iconic image of tragic loss, a metaphor for "the weight of grief." Grief is weight.

Insights, Setbacks, Grace Notes, Taboos

About Grief

"No one expected Barley to have an encounter with the Messiah. He was homeless, hungry, and struggling to survive in first century Jerusalem. Most surprisingly, he was a dog. But through Barley's eyes, the story of a teacher from Galilee comes alive in a way we've never experienced before. Barley's story begins in the home of a compassionate woodcarver and his wife who find Barley as an abandoned, nearly-drowned pup. Tales of a special teacher from Galilee are reaching their tiny village, but when life suddenly changes again for Barley, he carries the lessons of forgiveness and love out of the woodcarver's home and through the dangerous roads of Roman occupied Judea. On the outskirts of Jerusalem, Barley meets a homeless man and petty criminal named Samid. Together, Barley and his unlikely new master experience fresh struggles and new revelations. Soon Barley is swept up into the current of history, culminating in an unforgettable encounter with the truest master of all as he bears witness to the greatest story ever told"--

The dog who was there

"Do you have any notes for me?" Actors always ask for notes on their performance, and they will take them from just about anyone. Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor grew out of the actor's profession. In his years as an actor, scholar, and teacher of acting, Mr. Marasco found that most acting books were either outdated classics that were rarely read, or quasi-textbooks that actors only "skimmed." So he developed Notes to an Actor, a compact, user-friendly book geared specifically to the way actors work. The book is based on the innovative idea that notes, given one on one, are the essential tool of creative learning.

Notes to an Actor

No one expected Barley to have an encounter with the Messiah. He was homeless, hungry, and struggling to survive in first century Jerusalem. Most surprisingly, he was a dog. But through Barley’s eyes, the story of a teacher from Galilee comes alive in a way we’ve never experienced before. Barley’s story begins in the home of a compassionate woodcarver and his wife who find Barley as an abandoned, nearly-drowned pup. Tales of a special teacher from Galilee are reaching their tiny village, but when life suddenly changes again for Barley, he carries the lessons of forgiveness and love out of the woodcarver’s home and through the dangerous roads of Roman-occupied Judea. On the outskirts of Jerusalem, Barley meets a homeless man and petty criminal named Samid. Together, Barley and his unlikely new master experience fresh struggles and new revelations. Soon Barley is swept up into the current of history, culminating in an unforgettable encounter with the truest master of all as he bears witness to the greatest story ever told.

The Dog Who Was There

Apoyándose en la psicología, pero también en ejemplos tomados de la literatura, la música, el teatro y la poesía, Marasco y Shuff se adentran mediante un lenguaje claro y sensible en el duelo. Para ellos esta experiencia límite no es ajena a ningún ser humano, pues todos debemos enfrentarnos a ella en algún momento de nuestra vida. La idea es tratar de entenderla, manejarla y hallar el consuelo que necesitamos. Para ello recurren también a entrevistas con hombres y mujeres que, tras vivir dicha circunstancia, describen sus vivencias, inquietudes y zozobras. En el fondo de lo que se trata es de hablar de aquello que, por lo general, no somos capaces de expresar. "El objetivo de este libro –explican los autores– es tender un puente sobre ese silencio y tratar este tema abrumador de una forma directa y conversacional." Lo que se busca no es solamente vivir el duelo y superarlo, sino también aprender de él, pues el duelo nos enseña mucho sobre nosotros mismos.

La pérdida, el consuelo y el crecimiento interior

Sobre el duelo

Supported by psychology, but also taking examples from literature, music, theater, and poetry, Marasco and Shuff penetrate this topic by means of a clear and sensible language regarding mourning. This limited experience is not foreign to anyone, because we must all face this situation at some point in our lives. The idea is to try to understand it, deal with it, and find the solace that we may need. They have also employed interviews with men and women who, having experienced these circumstances, describe their experiences, uncertainties, and sinking feelings. The substance of what it is about is to be able to talk, but in general, it is something that we cannot express. What we are looking for is to not only live with mourning and overcome it, but to also learn from it, because mourning teaches us something about ourselves.

Ron Marasco

About

Books

Join the club