Parents live in perpetual, subconscious fear of losing a child. For Gunnar Skollingsberg, this ultimate nightmare has come true not once, but twice. In his memoir, Don’t Cry, Pappa, he chronicles his journey from devastating, suicidal depression to tentative, fragile healing. Gunnar was able to work through his darkest periods and recover the drive to live beyond his children’s deaths. He eventually refocused his life’s purpose to bring moments of happiness to other children. A refreshingly honest and evocative memoir, this book is filled with unimaginable heartbreak as well as pure love and joy. Truly, Don’t Cry, Pappa works just as well as a self-help book as it does a memoir. With universal themes and an innate structure, this is a good read. This is a poignant and often insightful book that is both heartrending and ultimately bittersweet. The fact that the author is able to be so open about his thoughts and feelings (even those that might be hard to admit), is what makes this a memoir worth consideration.