Scenes with My Son: Love and Grief in the Wake of Suicide - Paperback

by Robert Hubbard (Author), Nicholas Wolterstorff (Foreword by)

A father's stirring and tender tribute to the son he lost to suicide

After years of battling clinical depression exacerbated by autism, Auggie Hubbard died by suicide at the age of 19. In this poignant tribute to his son, Robert Hubbard--a theatre scholar and actor--stages Auggie's life in a series of vivid and tender scenes: Auggie's insatiable hunger for Accelerated Reader points. His tireless lightsaber practice in the local park. His sonorous tuba practice in the ward of his inpatient program. Through these anecdotes of Auggie's life and the days following his death, readers journey with a family shaken by mental illness and share in their hard-won joys in defiance of depression.

Refusing easy answers and clichés about "God's plan," Hubbard unflinchingly asks: Does faith matter amid such tragedy? What do you do when awareness isn't enough? When you've tried so hard to keep your child safe, but your efforts fail? His honesty and vulnerability--and his tender portrait of Auggie--are gifts to all who live with their own questions in the wake of a loved one's death.

Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award in Grief/Grieving Finalist (2023)

Author Biography

Robert Hubbard is professor of theatre at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. In addition to his scholarly work, he also directs plays and writes and performs one-person shows at colleges and Churches throughout the Midwest.