Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19

By Elizabeth Jaeger

When the world first went into lockdown, on a lark, Jaeger started a blog. Then, on Day 12, the unimaginable happened. Her dad got sick and she rushed him to the hospital. What followed was a close look at what it was like to watch a loved one suffer from COVID. After a nineteen day battle, her father died and the family was stricken with grief. But grieving during the pandemic was drastically different than in a time of normalcy. There were no funerals. No religious services. No ability to mingle with friends. Just the heavy feeling of loss, which at times was suffocating. Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19 captures life in New York City - the constant sound of sirens, the new graves dug daily, the eerie silence and desolation of local playgrounds - the epicenter of the virus. In flashbacks throughout the narrative, vignettes illustrate her dad in happier times-a doting father, an adoring grandfather, a man who always put family first. It depicts encountering COVID up close and places it in a political and personal context. While the story is about one family, it is not unique. COVID touched everyone's lives and many endured a similar experience.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 196311549X
• ISBN13: 9781963115499
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Unsolicited Press
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A reminder of the lives, relationships, and legacies that continue to matter

Elizabeth Jaeger does what very few writers can do: she draws you in from the very first page and keeps you there until the final moment. While the book is deeply personal, it opens outward, connecting her family’s experience to a time the entire world shared. Against the backdrop of the COVID era, with empty city streets and everyday routines suddenly transformed, Jaeger thoughtfully weaves in the story of her father’s life. Through her writing, we come to know him not through loss, but through love, purpose, and presence. His role as a devoted father, his joyful bond with his grandson, and the quiet strength he carried through life are painted with warmth and dignity. Rather than allowing him to be remembered as part of a statistic, Jaeger ensures her father is remembered as a full, vibrant human being. His story stands as a reminder of the lives, relationships, and legacies that continue to matter long after the moment has passed. The result is a moving tribute not only to one man’s life, but to the enduring connections that define us all.