I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye, Ivan Maisel
I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye, Ivan Maisel
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye
A Memoir of Loss, Grief, and Love

Author: Ivan Maisel

Narrator: Ivan Maisel

Unabridged: 7 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/26/2021

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

In this deeply emotional memoir, a longtime ESPN writer reflects on the suicide of his son Max and delves into how their complicated relationship led him to see grief as love.

In February 2015, Ivan Maisel received a call that would alter his life forever: his son Max's car had been found abandoned in a parking next to Lake Ontario. Two months later, Max's body would be found in the lake. 

There’d been no note or obvious indication that Max wanted to harm himself; he’d signed up for a year-long subscription to a dating service; he’d spent the day he disappeared doing photography work for school. And this uncertainty became part of his father’s grief. I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye explores with grace, depth, and refinement the tragically transformative reality of losing a child. But it also tells the deeply human and deeply empathetic story of a father’s relationship with his son, of its complications, and of Max and Ivan’s struggle—as is the case for so many parents and their children—to connect.

I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye is a stunning, poignant exploration of the father and son relationship, of how our tendency to overlook men’s mental health can have devastating consequences, and how ultimately letting those who grieve do so openly and freely can lead to greater healing. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on July 08, 2021

I read an early copy of this and cannot recommend it enough. I will admit - I am biased (as his daughter)! But I deeply believe this is a moving memoir about what it’s like to lose a child and all the ways that loss reverberates through your life - and the lives of those you love. I think anyone can......more

Goodreads review by Alice on September 06, 2021

This book took me on a journey that I did not expect. It was visceral and immediate. I find the story deeply moving, tender and raw at the same time. More than that, it is something that any reader can relate to. This is an odd statement since is the story of the author's account of his mentally ill......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on September 19, 2021

I was able to read an early copy of this book and highly recommend it. Maisel takes readers on his personal journey through the grief of losing his son. Maisel is highly aware that grief hits everyone differently, including the members of his family. As a writer by trade his way of dealing with the......more

Goodreads review by kenneth simmons on November 03, 2021

The loss of a child There are no words to describe the loss of a child. My son died from excessive alcohol abuse and depression. I have felt all along he struggled with a “pain” that he could never share with me. He is now free from that pain just as Max is free. The love that we have for our children......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on July 05, 2021

Poignant and compelling! Maisel lays bare his personal devastation on the suicide of his son, Max. He shares his reflections on his struggle to cope and offers hope and insight to those who’ve had similar experiences. I found this book to be brutally honest but was intrigued that he came to understa......more


Quotes

"At the center of this beautifully written memoir by a father about his son Max, is a loving, devoted family. Ivan is a sportswriter, his clean, direct writing style is riveting and emotional. One winter day, when his son goes missing on purpose, the family unspools first in shock, then grief, and finally redemption as the author finds a letter written to him from Max from happier times. There is so much love in this memoir, the reader too, is redeemed. There is humor and grace as the Maisels find their way in the world without this beautiful soul in their midst. The family holds their memories of this original, one of a kind young man in their hearts. You will too. I couldn't put it down."—Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife

“This is a poignant memoir about the love that propels us to carry on and move forward after loss. Ivan Maisel gives voice to emotions that many of us have felt but few have been able to articulate.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and coauthor of Option B

“This is a story about grief, and loss and sorrow, yes. But it is also a story about triumph over those things, about love, devotion and grace.”—Wright Thompson, New York Times bestselling author of Pappyland

“Having lost a child myself, it’s hard for me to imagine a parent experiencing anything that is more painful. Losing a child to suicide adds another layer to the grief because we can’t understand why it happened. In I Keep Trying To Catch His Eye, Ivan Maisel shares his family’s story of losing a son to suicide. He examines some deep issues that aren’t easy for us to talk about—suicide, mental health, grief, and recovery.  This book will be helpful to anyone dealing with the loss of a loved one but especially to those who have been impacted by suicide.”—Tony Dungy, NBC Sports, former NFL player/head coach and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

"Loss and grief create a division between the uninitiated and those who speak the language. Maisel's gem of a book bravely bridges two worlds to help translate the many facets in grieving a child's death. Unvarnished and unsparing, this award-winning sportswriter turns the lens on his own journey to make sense of the unimaginable, demonstrating how we get through it without ever getting over it."—Lee Woodruff, #1 New York Times bestselling author of In An Instant