Jim Davis, Author
Coming-of-Age Novelist &
Teaching-and-Learning Scholar.
I am a retired professor and dean emeritus at the University of Denver, now retired from teaching and administration to work full time on writing. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, I moved with my family to Bradford, Pennsylvania, at age 10 and graduated from a terrific consolidated high school there when study was serious and fun was wholesome. I went on to earn degrees from Oberlin College and Yale University, as well as the Ph.D. from Michigan State University. I now reside in the beautiful state of Colorado.
Five Lessons for Learning from Loss
A Resource for Mourners and Handbook for Providers of Help
When someone dies, others are left to cope with that loss, and each mourner’s grief is different. The tasks of grieving have now been studied thoroughly, and the professional literature is summarized here and presented in five readable lessons.
Mourners, as well as those who help them, can use what they learn here about loss to facilitate telling the story of what happened, exploring things that may help, and building a new life.
Checklists, activities, quotes from famous authors, and dialogues between a mourner and counselor make this book easy to use as well as easy to read. Grief often involves a lonely walk down a long path to an unknown destination, and those who mourn welcome companions who understand loss.
Why I Write These Books
As a professor, I had the opportunity to travel widely in the U.S., Europe, and East Asia. Ten years ago I began buying time-share weeks in Mexico with my wife Adelaide, originally from Brazil, thus initiating our interest in Mexican culture and the people of Mexico, those who live there and others we encounter living in Colorado.
After writing and publishing eight academic books (publish or perish), I can say that nothing is as difficult as writing fiction, particularly a novel. I have had excellent help from writing consultants, but how could I succeed without the inspiration of my beloved wife, Adelaide Bouchardet Davis, who makes my characters dance in ways I could never imagine.
