The Son I Knew Too Late

A Guide to Help You Survive and Thrive

Non-Fiction - Self Help
296 Pages
Reviewed on 07/29/2020
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

Author Biography

Sally Raymond, LMFT – California, USA

Graduating top of her class in Sally Raymond’s late 40’s as-a college re-entry single mom caring for her two young sons plus her mother with Alzheimer’s couldn’t possibly prepare her for what was in store. Halfway through her licensure as a psychotherapist, Sally’s 23yo brilliant son Jon killed himself. His suicide catapulted her onto an odyssey to learn his true stories, the ones she must have missed, that somehow made sense of his final choice. Thirty years later, this longtime Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, suicide survivor, speaker and cofounder of two non-profits shares it all in her book. “The Son I Knew Too Late: A Guide to Help You Survive and Thrive” tells each of Jon's stories from birth on, while at every step giving readers the keys to help themselves and others thrive throughout life. In this way, she rebirths him to live on in print and help others survive what he and far too many others today don’t.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

As a parent, you try to do the best that you can for your child or children. But what happens when everything that seems to be going right for your child appears to go all wrong? In this heartfelt book, The Son I Knew Too Late: A Guide to Help You Survive and Thrive, author, family and marriage therapist, and mother, Sally A. Raymond begins to uncover the truth behind the life of her son. The reader will be taken on a journey with the author as she explores and unfolds the various events and accounts that led to her young son's suicide. As parents, we don't always know what's going on with our child or children but it's important to help them through their own self-discovery. As Sally looks back, she looks for clues into what led to her son's death. To help her navigate through the healing process and better understand what happened, she used developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Homburger Erikson's Eight Stages of Human Development (aka Psychosocial Development). Through this path, Sally was able to see that her son was experiencing his own identity crisis as Erikson points out.

If you're a parent, The Son I Knew Too Late is a must because it will provide you with the tools and resources to walk with your child through their lives while not being judgmental but loving and accepting. I enjoyed this book especially because, due to people being sheltered in place, individuals are suffering in many ways - from hunger and domestic violence to suicide. This book is about life and humanity that offers healing not only for Sally but for those that read this book. By seeking the answers to her questions, it allowed her to better understand the various stages of life. How can you help and provide support for your child or children if you lack full understanding? In this book, there is a Survival Guide at your fingertips with hotline phone numbers, how to deal with someone in crisis, and warning signs of suicide.

Jordan Roberts

"'THE SON I KNEW TOO LATE: A Guide to Help You Survive and Thrive,' by Sally A. Raymond, is a gold mine of information. I wish my parents read this book before they raised me. Well-done, Sally!" - Jordan Roberts, CEO/Executive Producer, Jordan Roberts and Friends & Founding Partner, Filmanthropic Group International