Against the Dying of the Light: A Parent's Story of Love, Loss and Hope

By Leonard J. Fein

Book Overview

A father's struggle to understand his daughter's sudden death becomes a ruthlessly honest, lyrical and wise exploration of life. Takes the experience of loss beyond the confines of the personal, finding universal meaning and hope in the details of grief.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580231101
• ISBN13: 9781580231107
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A wonderfully sensitive book

Fein's book takes you through the agonies of the death of his daughter, but comes out of the experience with a remarkably sensitive approach to death .... and life. I found great compassion with his suffering. I was startled at the profound insights he has after the experience.

A "self-help" book for everyone

This is a book everyone needs to help in confronting the most unfair aspect of life: death. Specifically, this gem of a book is about the loss of Fein's daughter, Nomi, and how he has come to terms with it. But the wisdom in this book will benefit anyone who faces death, their own or the deaths of their loved ones. I imagine many people try to avoid a book like this because they assume it is depressing. This one isn't. The loss of Nomi was tragic, terrible, but her life was such a gift. You read this book and understand that we are promised nothing in terms of longevity; we must make the most of whatever time we have. That Nomi dead and so did her father. An important message Fein conveys whether intentionally or not is that the pain of losing someone you love is unbearably painful but far more bearable if your love has been expressed openly during life. Fein loved his daughter and told her so, over and over again. His recollection of that simple fact keeps him going. Pain, yes. Guilt, none. There is an important lesson there. This book is a must.

Not to be missed

This book is a gem, a small masterpiece. Not quite a memoire, and not exactly philosophy, it is a genre unto itself. You will keeping turning the pages, alternately choking back tears and feeling utterly exalted. Leonard Fein's astonishing contemplation on the death of his daughter is pure poetry.

Triumph over Grief

I found this book both touching and inspirational. It is a must for anyone stuggling with the existential questions of life and death. Fein deals with the ultimate horror, the death of a child, with insight and sensitivity. The book alternates between memories of her death and life enabling the reader to share the sense of loss expressed by the author. Anyone who reads this book will be touched by the author's pain, but in the end we recognize that it is memories that lead to healing. I recommend this book for everyone.

an extraordinary book

I have rarely been as deeply moved by a book as I was by this meditation by Leonard Fein's on the death of his remarkable daughter, who suddenly and unexpectedly died at the age of 30, a young wife and mother of a 14 month old daughter. The book moves between Nomi's life and the process of dealing with her death. As a "sceptic," Fein struggles to understand the "meaning" of this death. He does this with an honesty, eloquence, and vulberability that is truly remarkable. The book takes the reader on a journey to discover how it is possible to construct meaning in the face of loss. Fein reflects on this process as a Jew, but his insights ring true well beyond the confines of a single culture or religion. This is a beautifully written and deeply felt work that I would recommend as a wonderful read for all of us who must inevitably struggles with issues of meaning