Hannah's Gift

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Hannah's Gift - Lessons From a Life Fully Lived
Hannah's Gift book cover
Author Maria Housden
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Inspiration
Publisher HarperCollins (reprint)
Publication date February 2002
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 240
ISBN 0007155670

Hannah's Gift - Lessons From a Life Fully Lived is a non-fiction book by Maria Housden.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Hannah's Gift tells the story of Hannah Catherine Martell, a young girl who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer at age two, and died at age four. The author, Maria Housden, is Hannah's mother, and the book documents her struggle to come to terms with her daughter's sickness and inevitable death while making changes in her own life that she never thought possible.

[edit] Reception

Reactions to Hannah's Gift have been largely positive. While some reviewers focus on the book's message of living life to its fullest[1] and resource for bereaved parents,[2] others laud it for showcasing Hannah's ability to understand what was happening to her and accept it.[3][4]

The book's religious overtones in dealing with death have been a point of contention for some readers. While one critic was perturbed by the Christian perspective, she did acknowledge that she was perhaps not the target audience for the book.[1] Another reviewer noted that, as a Muslim, her feelings towards Allah were bolstered, regardless of the Christian message.[5]

Hannah's Gift has been recommended as a grief-coping book by the BBC,[6] while Hannah herself was the inspiration for an award at the Riley Hospital for Children.[7] Since writing Hannah's Gift, Housden has become a sought-after speaker on the subject of grieving parents.[3][8]

[edit] Aspects

The themes below are used as chapter titles

[edit] Publication history

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Reading-Addiction.com: Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  2. ^ Hannah's Gift by Maria Housden: ThePost.ie. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Kara Grief Support and Education for Our Community. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  4. ^ literary 2-03 BOOK REVIEWS. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  5. ^ BabyHana-AbiDee-BundaNadNuTs - Hannah's Gift - Lessons from a Life Fully Lived. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  6. ^ BBC - Relationships - Coping with grief. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  7. ^ Hannah's Gift - Riley Hospital for Children. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  8. ^ DOME:Working with Grief. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.

[edit] External links

  • Hannah's Gift official site (includes "The Heart of Hannah's Gift" forum)