Patricia Nowak

The Abc's of Widowhood Patricia Nowak

One morning you get a call- your husband has been killed by an uninsured motorist. You are instantly alone, saddled with debt, bombarded with questions, required to make decisions, and completely clueless about most of what it takes to manage personal and family affairs. And if that wasn't enough, eighteen days later your home burns to the ground, destroying the remains of your sanctuary. If this seems like a harrowing, mind numbing situation to you, imagine how it feels to the 700,000 women, who join the existing 11.3 million over the age of 15, to become new widows each year in this country. A few are prepared, some are able to cope, but for most, their time of personal anguish becomes a living, overwhelming hell. It needn't be that way. The ABC's of Widowhood is a book that every woman should read before she is widowed and which every widow needs at her side when the time comes. Written by a woman whose life was turned upside down by her husband's sudden death, it the voice of experience in an easy to read, easy to access alphabetical format. Pat Nowak, a successful public relations executive, thought she had a handle on her life. She discovered how unprepared she really was. No widow has the time, or the inclination, to wade through the text of the numerous books out there today written by psychologists or financial writers to find the answer that she needs. The ABC's give her direct, honest, and succinct answers. One doesn't have to 'read the book', you can simply look up the answers by topic as the questions arise. This is not a book in the traditional sense; it is a dictionary for living. Besides practical advice, a new widow needs solace and hope. The ABC's of Widowhood brings her that with first hand, anecdotal messages about the feelings a new widow finds herself feeling - or not feeling. It allows her to take comfort in the fact that others have had exactly the same feelings - or lack of feelings - and that their experience