A Life Undone, A Father's Journey Through Loss Now Available

NEW YORK, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- When Barry Kluger's only child moved from New York to Arizona to join him and his second wife, all seemed perfect. Then, in 2001, he experienced every parent's worst nightmare when the 18 year-old, Erica, died in a sudden car accident near their home. A Life Undone, A Father's Journey through Loss is a memoir that celebrates Erica's life and chronicles the process of a man learning to live with a profound loss.

A Life Undone is a no-holds-barred retelling of the highs and lows of Erica's life and the circumstances preceding her horrible death, as well as how her father experienced their unique relationship and all the varying emotions - pain, despair, anger, shock, humor and a sense of lost love - as he grieved for his child.

"By sharing his most loving memories of his daughter, Barry Kluger has written a powerful book filled with humor, heartache and an unflinching form of introspection," wrote Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of The Last Lecture, in a jacket flap comment. "In his words, we see our own losses, and possibilities of life, too."

Decidedly not a how-to, and nowhere near an advice tome, A Life Undone weaves together a narrative with journal entries, letters, poems, emails from friends, family and Erica, and personal photos that combine to share details of a young woman's ordinary and remarkable life. These additions provide readers with the intimate knowledge of her struggles with addiction, her death, and the father's experiences rethinking life and faith afterwards.

A Life Undone opens with a poignant foreword by Elaine Miller Holstein, who lost her son Jeffrey in the Kent State shootings of May 1970. The candid experiences Kluger shares in this memoir translate to families dealing with faith and the realities of life and death, regardless of the specific circumstances they face.

"We all grieve differently, some with more grace and control than others," explained Kluger, a veteran senior media executive with the USA and MTV Networks in New York, and now a well-regarded media consultant.  "By sharing my experiences, I'm celebrating Erica's life and the joy she brought to those who were lucky enough to know her."  

The book is now available for purchase; for a signed copy of A Life Undone, A Father's Journey through Loss and/or to learn more about author Kluger and Erica, please log on to: ALifeUndone.com.  A portion of proceeds from the book will go to The Erica A. Kluger Dance Scholarship at Spotlight Dance Academy, and to Kluger's chosen charity, Autism Speaks^™.

About Barry Kluger

New York native Barry Kluger, a veteran media executive who is now a consultant at large, writes for the Arizona Republic, Jewish News, Arizona Woman, Phoenix Business Journal and on occasion The New York Times. He has written more than 250 columns on a variety of subjects, which have been reprinted in A Life Undone. He lives with his wife, Hope Kirsch, a trial attorney, and their two Cockatoos in Scottsdale, Arizona.

SOURCE Barry Kluger