Finding Comfort During Hard Times

Starred review from April 1, 2020
There have been both natural and man-made disasters throughout history, but fires, floods, and mass shootings seem to be daily events in the twenty-first century. On the scenes of catastrophes are men and women willing to hand out coffee and blankets, provide medical attention, put out fires, and listen to the survivors. Johnson, an openly gay hospital chaplain and one of the founders of the Spiritual Care function in the American Red Cross, has himself comforted survivors at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, counseled AIDS patients, and provided spiritual help to 9/11's first responders. In this thoughtful book, he uses his experiences to lay out guidelines for offering solace and support to victims and caregivers alike the first day, first week, even the first year following a disaster. Wanting to help isn't enough, says Johnson, because untrained volunteers can instigate more harm than aid. And the scene of a disaster is not the time to preach. Rather one should provide security and attention by working through established agencies. Opportunities to help are all around, and Johnson suggests ways to reach out to others who are suffering loss, illness, and loneliness. Disasters will continue, and Johnson's informative and moving book will help readers offer succor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)