Swan Lessons: A Bereaved Mother's Story of Courage and Discovery by
Joyce A. Harvey is an account of military harassment, a series of poor
decisions, and the desperate suicide of a young Lance Corporal. It
describes the daunting challenge of a bereaved mother attempting to
proceed with a public career in the midst of profound grief. It is also
an amazing story of ongoing communication with the spirit of her
daughter Jennifer, through dreams, signs, and spiritual mediums,
including George Anderson. The author tackles tough subjects such as
whether to pursue a wrongful death suit with the military. She also
takes on clichés that are typically said to the grief-stricken and helps
readers understand why they are better left unsaid. She shares dreams
where she was "warned" that she might lose Jennifer and dreams in which
Jennifer "visits" following her death. Ms. Harvey tells readers early in
the book about her association of Jennifer's death with the song
"Vincent," which refers to Vincent van Gogh's suicide. Could the
seemingly "coincidental" appearances of the song and references to Van
Gogh be vehicles Jennifer uses to communicate with her mother from the
afterlife? There are individual books on grief, suicide, dream work,
after-death communication, spirituality, and abuse of power in the
military. However, the author hasn't found any examples written by a
bereaved parent that combine all of these subjects into one book, as
Swan Lessons does, helping readers to put it all together. As the book
winds its way through the canyons of grief, it offers glimpses of hope,
moments of utter astonishment, and examples of courage. The author
skillfully weaves journal entries, as well as letters to and from
Jennifer, to tell the story of a mother-daughter bond even death cannot
sever.
