Sign-In
Cart
Telling the Bees
Paperback
Publisher: Hillhelen Group LLC
Published: Dec 29 2025
Pages: 186
Weight: 0.75
Height: 0.51 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Barbara Fowler's memoir, Telling the Bees, traces her family's extraordinary journey from 1988 to 2004-a span of years in which their seemingly Norman Rockwell life was upended by unimaginable events. The story begins in 1988, when the Fowlers' youngest child, Barrymore, is diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer. Faced with the devastating possibility that he might not survive, the family enters a world of hospitals, uncertainty, and fear.
At St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Barbara becomes part of a community of families, patients and medical staff who bond together in this life-altering experience. From nurses and doctors who offer kindness and excellent medical care to mothers and fathers who help each other through dark times and rejoice in the good times. She becomes friends with a mother and her child from Russia who are glad to share small moments with an American mother who speaks Russian.
When Barrymore falls into remission, they believe they have emerged from the storm-until life delivers another blow. At just fourteen, Barrymore is gravely injured in a car accident, suffering a traumatic brain injury that changes the course of his life forever.
But the most shattering events are still to come. In 2004, Bradley-the Fowlers' middle son-dies suddenly of myocarditis, a loss that fractures the family's sense of stability and spirit. In the wake of these cascading crises, Barbara writes with unflinching honesty about how she, her husband, and their remaining children learned to navigate a world that no longer resembled the one they knew.
Throughout the memoir, Barbara pays tribute to the friends, extended family, school communities, and church members whose steady presence softened the harshest edges of each tragedy. She reflects on the deep depression into which she fell and the divine intervention she believes lifted her from that abyss. Her evolving, resilient relationship with God becomes a central thread, offering both solace and tension.
Drawing inspiration from writers such as Joseph Conrad, e. e. cummings, Joan Didion, and others, Barbara illuminates the emotional terrain of fear, grief, endurance, and gratitude. Telling the Bees is ultimately a testament to survival-not of the body alone, but of the spirit-and a reminder that even after the darkest nights, it is possible to move forward.
Also in
Death & Dying
On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nursers, Clergy, and Their Own Families
Kbler-Ross, Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
Paperback
Before All Is Said and Done: Practical Advice on Living and Dying Well
Miles, Pat
Watson, Suzanne
Hardcover
Healing from Great Loss: Facing Pain and Grief to Recover Your Authentic Self
Clark, Ann J.
Paperback
When God Doesn't Fix It: Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Can't Live Without
Story, Laura
Paperback
The Orphaned Adult: Understanding and Coping with Grief and Change After the Death of Our Parents
Levy, Alexander
Paperback
All My Dead Cats and Other Losses: Practicing Good Grief in a Culture That Fears Mourning
Smith, S. E.
Paperback
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
Magnusson, Margareta
Hardcover
It's Ok That You're Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
Devine, Megan
Paperback
The Grief Recovery Handbook, 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses
James, John W.
Friedman, Russell
Paperback
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover
How Will I Ever Get Through This?: Evidence-Based Tools to Help You Heal from Hardship, Grief, and Loss
Hone, Lucy
Paperback
When the Ache Remains: Lessons on Tending to the Unfixable and Finding Beauty Anyway
Olivera, Lisa
Hardcover
In the Absence of the Ordinary: Soul Work for Times of Uncertainty--Essays on Grief, Change, and Sacred Transitions
Weller, Francis
Paperback
My Parents Are Dead: What Now?: A Panic-Free Guide to the Practicalities of Death
Robison, Becky
Paperback
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief Workbook: Tools for Releasing Pain and Remembering with Love
Kessler, David
Paperback
Through a Season of Grief: 365 Devotions for Your Journey from Mourning to Joy
Leonard, Kathy
Dunn, Bill
Paperback
The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss
O'Connor, Mary-Frances
Paperback
The Greatest Love: Lessons for Living with Extraordinary Courage--Even After the Worst Day of Your Life
Brown, Tim
Hardcover
Tiny Beautiful Things (10th Anniversary Edition): Reese's Book Club: Advice from Dear Sugar
Strayed, Cheryl
Paperback
The Aubreigh Wyatt Story: A mother's fight for justice, love, and lasting change
Wyatt, Heather
Paperback
From Here to the Great Unknown: Oprah's Book Club: A Memoir
Keough, Riley
Presley, Lisa Marie
Paperback
Twilight of Camelot: The Short Life and Long Legacy of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy
Levingston, Steven
Hardcover
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences
Levine, Peter A.
Paperback
Liliana's Invincible Summer (Pulitzer Prize Winner): A Sister's Search for Justice
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through
Sinise, Gary
Hardcover
Welcome to the Afterlife: A No-Nonsense Tour for Those in Mourning or the Merely Curious with Denise, Heaven's Receptionist
Smith, Taryn Delanie
Hardcover
The Other Side of the Straitjacket: A Daughter's Story of Mental Illness and Assisted Dying
Duncan, Alicia
Paperback
Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End
Walker, Darnell Lamont
Paperback
On Death & Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy & Their Own Families
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth
Paperback
The VSED Handbook: A Practical Guide to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking
Christie, Kate
Paperback
The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise
Gallot, Benoît
Paperback
Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart
Wolfelt, Alan
Paperback
Reimagining Grief: A New Path to Finding Healing, Strength, and Joy After Loss
Bliss, Sara
Doerge, Kate
Hardcover
The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us about Living Fully
Ostaseski, Frank
Paperback
Navigating Grief Workbook: Evidence-Based Exercises to Move Through Grief and Heal
Darbonne, Anna, PsyD
Paperback
Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real about the End /]Calua Arthur
Arthur, Alua
Paperback
Las Bendiciones del Quebrantamiento: Por Qué Dios Permite Que Atravesemos Tiempos Difíciles
Stanley, Charles F.
Paperback
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller: 30th Anniversary Edition
Rinpoche, Sogyal
Paperback
La Niña a la Que Se Le Vino El Mundo Encima / The Girl Whose World Came Crashing Down
Pérez Islas, Gaby
Paperback
All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work
Campbell, Hayley
Paperback
Now Departing: A Small-Town Mortician on Death, Life, and the Moments in Between
Sweeney, Victor M.
Hardcover
No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth
Henderson, Artis
Hardcover
On Grief & Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss
Kessler, David
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth
Paperback
The Understanding Your Grief Journal: Exploring the Ten Essential Touchstones
Wolfelt, Alan
Paperback
Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin
Rosenbloom, Megan
Paperback
Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children (Gift Edition)
Stickney, Doris
Hardcover
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying
Kelley, Patricia
Callanan, Maggie
Paperback
Now That She's Gone: A Daughter's Reflections on Loss, Love, and a Mother's Legacy
Ohlemiller, Chelsea
Paperback
Final Exit (Third Edition): The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying
Humphry, Derek
Paperback
The Wound Makes the Medicine: Elemental Remediations for Transforming Heartache
Lighthorse, Pixie
Paperback
The Good Death: A Guide for Supporting Your Loved One Through the End of Life
O'Brien, Suzanne B.
Hardcover
Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart: Hope and Healing After Losing Your Partner
Roe, Gary Gary
Paperback
Death Does Not Exist: What Science and Spirituality Can Teach Us about the Afterlife
Allix, Stéphane
Hardcover
In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife
Junger, Sebastian
Hardcover
Celebration of Life - Family & Friends Keepsake Guest Book to Sign In with Memories & Comments: Family & Friends Keepsake Guest Book to Sign In with M
Funeral Guest Books, Briar Rose
Hardcover
The Families: 9/11 Anthology of Love, Loss and Lessons of Resilience
The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund
Paperback
Do More: How to Fully Love and Celebrate Your Special People While They Are Still Here
Capurro, Brad
Hardcover
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
Fagan, Kate
Paperback
The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing
O'Connor, Mary-Frances
Hardcover
This Is Body Grief: Making Peace with the Loss That Comes with Living in a Body
Mattingly, Jayne
Hardcover
Resilient Grieving, Second Edition: How to Find Your Way Through Devastating Loss
Hone, Lucy
Paperback
52-Week Devotional Journal for Grief: Prompts and Prayers for Navigating Loss
Bronstad, Debbra Sell, Lmft
Paperback
Of Course I'm Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving
Forsythia, Shelby
Hardcover
The Girl on the Bathroom Floor: Held Together When Everything Is Falling Apart
Smith, Amber Emily
Hardcover