Two Kisses for Maddy (Book review)

Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love

by Matthew Logelin

Pub Date: April 14, 2011

US/Can: $24.99 / $27.99

Format/Sub: HARDCOVER BOOK

Pages: 272

ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK

Book Description: In the spirit of The Last Lecture and Tuesdays with Morrie, Matt Logelin writes a courageous and searingly honest memoir about the first year of his life following the birth of his daughter and the death of his wife.


Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. The pair settled together in Los Angeles and they had it all: the perfect marriage, a beautiful new home, and a baby girl on the way. But just twenty-seven hours after they welcomed Madeline into the world, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and instantly died, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Faced with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt coped by returning to the small blog he had created to keep friends and family updated on Liz’s pregnancy, which today has become a place for him to share with over a million curious readers the day to day of two lives bound by loss and love. But there is more to his story than just raising a daughter alone: Matt Logelin is an extraordinary human being. Having been sustained through tragedy by the kindness and generosity of strangers, he is now dedicated to helping others in difficult situations by reaching out and inspiring those facing loss or adversity. A heartwarming and heartbreaking story punctuated by beautifully recollected— and often humorous— memories and anecdotes, TWO KISSES FOR MADDY unquestionably has something to offer any reader who has experienced grief, and has sought the courage to live again.

My take: Heartbreaking.  Inspiring. Gut-wrenching. Uplifting.  Two Kisses for Maddy can be described equally well with those words and more (I particularly liked Mr. Logelin's phrase "This fucking sucks," myself).  As you know, I was widowed myself at a young age (when I was 28 after almost 5 years of marriage) and I remember thinking, "thank goodness I don't have children because I can barely get myself out of bed."  And here was Mr. Logelin with the exact opposite thought - he was happy to have a baby to have a reason to stay alive.  I have to say, he is the smarter of the two of us.  Because such a gift he has with Madeline Elizabeth (by the way, I LOVE that she is named after both of her parents).  Such a gift that kept him going all those terrible days after the loss of dear Liz, the only woman he ever loved.

And after reading this book, I have to say I feel like I've been missing out on a great blog; unlike the rest of the world I think, I have never read Mr. Logelin's blog.  Sure, I heard about it around the blogosphere, you'd have to be in a coma not to, but I actively avoided reading it, afraid of dreading up painful memories of my own loss.  But once the book was published, I knew I had to read it.  I had to read an account of widowhood from another young widow/widower - and let me tell you, I will recommend this book to the local young widow/widowers groups for reading.  At the time of my husband's death, I could only find one book on young widowhood and it was no where near as real and in-your-face, no holds barred, as Two Kisses for Maddy (and it certainly had nowhere near the "salty" language).  Mr. Logelin's loss is certainly a gain for the rest of us looking for guidance and meaning in a world turned upside down by the loss of our loved ones.  And his foundation, The Liz Logelin Foundation, ensures that financially at least, widows and widowers will have hope for the future.

P.S.  7 was Liz's favorite number.  Help celebrate her life with $7 on the 7th and make a monthly donation to help young widows and widowers with families.  I did.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born and bred in Minnesota, Matt Logelin was a project manager at Yahoo! until he left the company to focus on writing this book and raising his daughter, Madeline. The two live in Los Angeles, traveling often to see as much of the world as possible. Please visit them at www.mattlogelin.com and on Twitter. {You can "Like" the book on Facebook here}

This review was sponsored by Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books) who provided the book for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary book.