Kids these days are far too sheltered from the harsh realities of life and death. I think that using measured euphemisms for dying, like saying that the deceased went to live on a farm or that they took a trip to Czechoslovakia, can actually be more harmful to a child’s psyche than just flat out telling them how you backed over the family dog while pulling out of the driveway. That’s why I’m asking for help self-publishing my new book, It’ll Happen to You Too Someday.
Allow me to first give you a quick synopsis of the story. The book is about a loving grandmother who takes her two grandchildren out for a fun day at the park when she dies suddenly from an aneurysm; after that the family spends the remainder of the book identifying her body for the coroner, organizing the open casket funeral, and arguing with her life insurance company. It’s accurate and direct and doesn’t shy away from the reality that, once grandma’s will gets executed, you’re going to have relatives you’ve never heard of coming out of the woodwork looking for their cut.
Originally I had hoped to put the book out through an established publisher but had very little luck shopping around the manuscript. There was one company interested in publishing the book, but they were insistent that I take out the eleven pages of post-mortem photos which they described as “upsettingly graphic.” Still, I have no intention of compromising my message that grandma is dead and gone and more than likely in hell, so the photos have to be included.
If we reach our goal ,then I’ll have enough money to print the first edition of the book. With your support we can make a concise understanding of the reality of death a part of every child’s reading experience.