Editorial Reviews From Library Journal The death of one's parents is "the ultimate equal-opportunity" experience; becoming an orphan as an adult happens to nearly everybody. Yet despite the flood of self-help books on death and the grieving process, very little (with the exception of Hope Edleman's Motherless Daughters) has been written on parental loss. Incorporating his own personal experience with the accounts of others who have lost their parents, psychologist Levy examines this profound life-changing event with compassion and understanding. Since our parents "project an illusion of permanence," writes Levy, their death forces us to confront our own mortality (we are next in line to die) and to adjust to our new identities as orphaned adults. Indeed, he argues that this stripping of our childish beliefs is the first step toward true adulthood: "Perhaps only after parents have died can people find out what they are going to be when they grow up." This wise and caring book is recommended for all collections.AWilda Williams, "Library Journal" Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review Levy examines this profound life-changing event with compassion and understanding...[A] wise and caring book.-- "Library Journal" About the Author Jeff Steitzer is an actor and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. He has appeared on Broadway in Inherit The Wind with Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy, and in Mary Poppins in regional theaters around the country. In films and television, he can be seen on The Fugitive, Law & Order, 30 Rock. He is also the voice of the multiplayer announcer for all the Halo video games.Alexander Levy has been a psychologist in private practice for over twenty-five years. After his parents died, Levy began to think, Someone ought to write a book about this experience. Published in 1999, The Orphaned Adult, has become an essential resource for those who have lost their parents. Read more