The death of a child is seldom discussed. This is for those who experience such tragedies, the shock and the loss.

A painful but necessary book. -- The Catholic Herald ... a valuable collection not only for the 3,000 families affected by the death of a child each year in the United Kingdom, but for all those who seek to understand the dynamic and structure of grief... The collection as a whole provides our pain-denying culture with a new map of mourning. -- Times Literary Supplement Every contributor, in describing his or her efforts to accept the unacceptable, shares personal wisdom and experience in a way that demands our gratitude, respect, and admiration... a brilliant book on a potentially harrowing topic. -- Church Times Here is a series of chapters contributed by some well-known people and some who are completely unknown. They cover all aspects of the death of children from a wide variety of perspectives - from parent to sibling to grandparent and godparent. -- Bulletin The overwhelming waves of emotion in this collection of articles by bereaved parents may not surprise you, but what might take you back is the level of optimism which can accompany them, and the genuine, grave wisdom about the nature of parental love herein. -- The Big Issue's Review Of The Year A top pick for psychology and general libraries. -- The Midwest Book Review All [stories] are written with deep love and recognition that life will never be the same again... Recognising the depth and longevity of grief by others can be supportive, and at the end of the book is a glossary of useful organisations. -- The Good Bookstall

Peter Stanford is a writer, broadcaster and biographer, whose books include biographies of Lord Longford, C Day-Lewis, and the Devil and the travelogue, The Extra Mile. A former editor of the Catholic Herald, he writes for The Daily Telegraph, The Independent on Sunday and The Observer and has a regular column in The Tablet. www.peterstanford.co.uk

Editor's introduction \ 'Mid-Term Break' by Seamus Heaney \ 1. 'Carrot' by Carol Drinkwater \ 2. Eoin by Catherine Dunne \ 3. Jennifer Jane by Sarah Brown \ 4. Clare by Joanna Moorhead \ 5. Paul by Mary Craig \ 6. Charles by Louise Patten \ 7. Tracy by Kim Meade \ 8. Archie by Robin Baird-Smith \ 9. Jimmy by Barry Mizen \ 10. Cosmo by Richard Davenport-Hines \ 11. Lorenzo by Augusto Odone \ 12. Pauline by Wendy Perriam \ Afterword by Dorothy Rowe \ 'Sad is a place' by Michael Rosen \ Glossary of useful addresses