Waking up, alive cover

Waking up, alive

by Richard A. Heckler

In this extraordinary book, psychologist Richard A. Heckler tells the whole story of the descent, the attempt, and the return to life. He gives new depth to our understanding of the descent - the withdrawal from relationships, the facade of normalcy, and the suicidal trance. For the first time, we comprehend the determination and clarity of that fatal choice. And then, because this is a book that tells us more, we read of the accidents that saved lives - the gun that failed to shoot, the car that ran out of gas, the dog whose cries alerted the family. Finally, and gloriously, we read of the return to life. And the stories of how certain individuals have taken hold of life once again, slowly leaving the pain behind, changing their situations, finding new reservoirs of strength and determination.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?