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Bookshop Genres Losing Tina by Ingrid Jarvis
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Book details
  • Genre:BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY
  • SubGenre:Personal Memoirs
  • Language:English
  • Pages:152
  • Paperback ISBN:9781667823195

Losing Tina

by Ingrid Jarvis

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Overview
This is a memoir about my sister Tina Helsell who died by suicide. It is a story about our very close relationship and its eventual disintegration as she became ill.
Description
The memoir follows the lives of Tina and Ingrid from childhood through Tina's death by suicide at the age of 51. The book explores the history of depression, starting with their maternal grandparents and their mother's struggles with bipolar disorder, drug and alcohol abuse. Threaded throughout the book is the reality that Tina was a remarkable human being until life circumstances and severe depression robbed her of joy, talents, and the will to live.
About the author
Ingrid received her BA from Stanford University and her Masters in Teaching from Seattle University. She is passionate about learning; she has been a teacher, an educational consultant, and a major gifts officer for her local school district Foundation. From the minute she learned to read, the universe opened its doors. Ingrid lives with her husband Eric in Sammamish, Washington. They have three children, Henry, George and Hazel. Since her beloved Tina died by suicide, she has wanted to share her story for anyone who has lost a loved one, no matter how or why.

Book Reviews

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Antonia 		A poignant, authentic account full of insights This is the moving and very real story of an intense, complicated bond between Ingrid and Tina, sisters just a year apart in age who grew up in a family that from the outside appeared to "have everything" -- wealth, good looks, intelligence -- but with a mother who had serious mental health struggles. Starting in childhood and ending seven years after Tina took her life, Ingrid Helsell Jarvis writes in a vivid but straightforward style that doesn't mince words yet is imbued with compassion for everyone involved. I felt the exuberance, humor, sorrow, fury, and love as though Tina and Ingrid's story was happening in my own heart. This is an honest exploration of mental health struggles in a loving family and the passionate push-pull that made many of the relationships challenging to negotiate, and Jarvis acknowledges when mistakes were made – by herself and others. It’s clear that she has done the hard work to understand her sister in the context of her life as well as to understand herself and other family members, and to find forgiveness and appreciation for all. These are painfully earned realizations she shares. In addition to being admirably fair to everyone in the story, Jarvis explains the important truth that we all respond, cope, and grieve in different ways -- and should strive not to judge each other about our different journeys. While I’m very fortunate to come from a family that is relatively untouched by mental illness, I still got so much from reading this book – insights that help me understand myself and my own loved ones better -- for, as humans, we all share certain joys and struggles. I recommend this book to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide but also to anyone interested in the complexities of human nature and relationships. Read more