Gr 8 Up—Feder manages the near impossible—a memoir about joining "the Dead Moms Club" that's palpable in its
depiction of grief yet also exuberant, uplifting, and funny. Using a pastel-infused palette and creatively placed lists,
asides, and diagrams, she lovingly remembers her mother, explores the less talked about aspects of loss, and offers
a balm to anyone confronting the death of a parent.

As a member of the club for folks who were weirdly young when they lost a parent to cancer - this book is everything. ( )

Tyler Feder was 19 when her mom died of cancer. This memoir describes her life with and without her mom: closeness with her two younger sisters and her dad, the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva, the awkwardness of conversations with other people, the closeness she feels with others in the dead mom club.

Quotes

I still find myself searching for a book (or movie or website or, I don't know, snap story??) that cradles my grief without smothering it. (8)

"Was that it?" one of us asked the nurse. I don't remember who. She nodded.
And that was it. (69)

But the hardest question was: [Tyler standing in a black dress, gray background, surrounded by "How are you?" speech balloons] (98)

Dos and Don'ts for Dealing with a Grieving Person (list, 110)

It was my first real taste of the shadow of her death laid over every aspect of my life, even the totally unimportant ones. (124)

The New Normal is like the old normal, except that everything is tinged with a secret sadness. (148)

As the years continue to pass, I worry that I'm forgetting her. I feel like I'm on one of those moving walkways at the airport and I can see her getting smaller and smaller as I travel slowly into the future without her. (183) ( )

This debut memoir in graphic form is a funny, sad, confidently illustrated meditation on grief. It’s both a tribute to Tyler’s wonderful mom, who died of breast cancer at the age of 47, and a guide to Jewish mourning practices. A singular achievement. (Sydney Taylor Young Adult Book Award) ( )

I wish I could give this book 10 stars. Where was this book when I needed it the most? (When my sister died when I was 23) This book should be read by anyone, at any age.. who has lost someone they loved. I can empathize with Tyler, trying to maneuver through the strange waters when losing someone. She hit the mark when she wrote the list of Do’s and Don’ts for dealing with a grieving person. Every single thing listed is what I experienced. The illustrations, along with the captions, reflected the love the author had for her mother and her struggle through the grief process. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone who has experienced loss. ( )