Mourning the Dreams is an accessible and moving account of parents' experiences of grief and recovery after losing an infant during pregnancy, childbirth, or within the first month of life. Drawing from the sociology of emotions, health research and psychology, her own experience, and a range of qualitative methods, Claudia Malacrida finds that bereaved parents not only grieve their child and its unrealized potential, but often find their personal experiences are at odds with social forces and prevailing assumptions about the nature of their loss and how they should react to is. She explores the meanings parents create as they face denial, silence, and other reactions from friends, family, communities, coworkers, the medical community, and even within spousal relationships. She also describes the courage and creativity of parents who create and negotiate meanings that help them grieve, recover, and manage relationships.

About the Author
Claudia Malacrida is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge and author of Cold Comfort: Mothers, Professionals, and Attention Deficit Disorder (2003 University of Toronto Press).


Book Information
ISBN 9781598742879
Author Claudia Malacrida
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Left Coast Press Inc
Publisher Left Coast Press Inc
Weight(grams) 249g