The Silence of Morning: A Memoir of Time Undone

... here is much meaning, peace, and - yes - hope. ―John DeDakis, novelist, editor, journalist
... a new path. Holy and beautiful and heartbreaking. ―Susan Pohlman, Halfway to Each Other
... the gift of a spiritual seeker's brave inquiry. ―Richard Gilbert, Shepherd: A Memoir

Caught up in our culture's fierce and dangerous obsession with drugs, The Silence of Morning navigates the tragic loss of a 27-year-old son from suicide; yet, it's a hopeful story, as author and poet Daisy A. Hickman shares how the terrifying silence of loss can lead to something more--something unexpected. A profound, deeply moving memoir emerging from a son's hard-fought struggle to beat the odds, the author reminds us that despite death, "We all get our moment in the sun."

An insightful, luminous narrative, here is a mother's journey of spiritual inquiry, as she seeks an inspired path through loss and grief in our frenzied, get-there-now culture. Each life reflects vast mysteries lodged in silence and ambiguity. Yet, here we have a powerful memoir that penetrates that silence, as Hickman strives to find a way beyond its fierce echo, while also coming to realize that, one day, she must embrace it.

Despite a crushing loss ... here we have a warmth of spirit, understanding and compassion in a distancing world. ―Madeline Sharples, Leaving the Hall Light On

Knowing that suicide actually points to the searing challenges of the human condition, the author steps beyond the personal dimension to probe our culture and society for answers. With a spiritual and sociological lens, Hickman explores timeless and formidable issues. In fact, this far-reaching story offers a piercing look at the complexities of the human experience: the innumerable ways in which we struggle to understand something of our lives.

But why is the author passionate about the need for a deeper perspective on critical societal issues? Why does she dig deeply for greater spiritual awareness in the aftermath of unthinkable tragedy?

Knowing her son's untimely death is a mystifying, yet forceful, catalyst―an urgent call to unravel the deeper story of loss―this life-affirming memoir reflects the author's concern for the human struggle to find peace and contentment amidst chaos, discord, tragedy. Delving into harrowing subjects, Hickman writes with clarity and tremendous insight about suicide, grief, spiritual inquiry and realization, addiction, culture--even the insidious nature of time and how it exacerbates our suffering.

An unforgettable meditation on life and death: the powerful role love plays in attaining spiritual freedom. ―Matthew Peters, PhD, novelist

Delving into the mysteries of existence, here is a brilliant memoir that transports the reader into many dimensions, while courageously exploring how we find our way when circumstances overwhelm us. We are all on the same journey, one this story illuminates with patience and wisdom. Even if loss isn't part of your world today, we need books that compassionately bridge moments and events that time carves out for each of us. Just over the next hill, who knows what we'll encounter or experience. The unexpected, without fail, always awaits.

No one avoids great, heartrending loss, but Hickman's memoir offers warmth and friendship to anyone navigating these perilous waters. A book to treasure. ―Lynne Morgan Spreen, author



"We are a world born of connection, and yet our misdirected culture tends to blame, and focus on, the addict. We, as a world and global population, as humanity itself, created this tragic reality; addicts, per se, did not. A chaotic and troubled world that favors escape, excitement, and excess as solutions must evolve and mature if we are to ever unravel the tangled roots of addiction in its endless forms, guises."

THE SILENCE OF MORNING, a compelling memoir about life and loss, culture and society, shares how the author, in the face of tragedy, chooses to confront the mysteries of existence in search of deeper understanding. Every ending is a beginning, but finding an illuminating thread when “grief is at the wheel” is a daunting challenge, one that causes the author to question everything, even as she dreads the stream of difficult days ahead. "Like a prairie windmill silenced by time, life felt heavy and still." By articulating challenges faced by every family, every individual, the author manages to shine a bright and compassionate light on the vagaries of the human condition.

Each life is a reflection of the many mysteries we are all born into. Mysteries lodged in silence. And ambiguity. Yet this book manages to penetrate that silence, as the author initially survives its fierce echo in the face of her son's sudden death, and then realizes she must, one day, embrace it.

Hickman notes, however, that she wasn’t remotely prepared for the curious demands of loss. But then, who is, she wonders: “Would a saint be prepared, someone braver than I, perhaps, or someone who simply moved on with a heavy shrug of the shoulders, a fierce sigh, a wistful expression?”

So how does the author navigate an agonizing maze of sorrow so that her tentative steps feel true to the moment? Why does she insist on the long view, instead of succumbing to generic cultural standards of moving on or getting over it? In deciding that her son’s suicide at 27 is a mystifying, but forceful, catalyst for spiritual growth, Hickman also accepts an unspoken challenge to unearth the deeper story, the universal message, so others can benefit.

Her son’s struggle to find meaning and purpose in a chaotic world that serves up escape, excitement, and excess as “solutions,” also leads the author to question the viability of a contemporary culture that points so many in the wrong direction. Do we understand the role of addiction in society, or why this age-old problem assumes an endless variety of destructive, life-threatening forms? Stepping beyond the personal dimension—we are a world born of connection—the author considers the profound influence of culture and society, noting the existence of a rather toxic climate of addiction.