Carrying the Tiger - by Tony Stewart (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Winner, GOLD MEDAL, Global Book Awards - Editor's Pick, Publishers Weekly

When Tony Stewart and his wife Lynn learned that she had incurable cancer, they faced an impossible truth: their time together was running out. What followed was an extraordinary journey through fear, heartbreak, and profound grace, as they learned to live fully in the shadow of death.

Carrying the Tiger chronicles their final years together with unflinching honesty and deep tenderness. Through Tony's eyes and excerpts from the posts he wrote to keep friends and family informed, we witness the intimate moments that matter most: hands held across the kitchen table; difficult decisions made with courage and hope; love, laughter and dancing at midnight; and the honor and privilege of being present for Lynn's final breath.

But Carrying the Tiger doesn't end with Lynn's passing. It continues into the wilderness of grief: the shattering disorientation, the guilt, the slow and uncertain path back toward life. Tony shares what many of us experience but rarely speak aloud: that healing doesn't mean forgetting, and that opening your heart again doesn't diminish the love you carry.

If you're caring for someone with terminal illness, this book walks beside you. If you're navigating the aftermath of loss, it offers the comfort of shared experience. And if you're simply wondering how to keep living when everything has changed, these pages remind you that even in darkness, light breaks through.

This is the book Tony wished he'd had. Now it's here for you: honest, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful.

• GOLD MEDALIST at the Global Book Awards
• Finalist for the AmericanBookFest Best Book Award
• Finalist for the Indie Author Project/Library Journal best memoir award
• Semi-Finalist for the BookLife Prize (a perfect 10.0 in all categories)

"A beautiful and very human love story which breathes an extraordinary generosity of spirit." - David Newman, author of Talking with Doctors

"Captures emotions and experiences that will be familiar to anyone who's stood by a loved one facing a cancer diagnosis. But here, too, are quiet moments of joy and triumph; this is a work that will strengthen all who read it." - Khalid Dar, MD, Oncologist, Mount Sinai Morningside

"A remarkable odyssey of learning to 'live fully in the shadow of death.'" - Publishers Weekly (Editor's Pick)

"A masterclass in facing life's hardest moments with grace." - IndieReader

"Heart-wrenching... beautifully describes the couple's unique relationship" - Kirkus Reviews

"Tony Stewart writes with unflinching honesty about love and loss at the deepest level. The book is both devastating and hopeful as we accompany Tony through his wife's diagnosis and illness and his subsequent discovery that joy and grief can live hand in hand." - Jessica Fein, author of Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Review Quotes

"Stewart crafts a beautifully devastating memoir honoring his late wife, Lynn Kotula, and their journey of navigating her terminal cancer... A remarkable odyssey of learning to 'live fully in the shadow of death.'" - Publishers Weekly (Editor's Pick)

"The author seamlessly weaves real-life scenes, emails, internet posts, and photographs from his life with Lynn into a varied and intimate narrative... A heart-wrenching cancer memoir..." - Kirkus Reviews

"An emotive, intimate memoir about ... coping with loss, finding a community, and seeking a happily ever after in the wake of grief." - Foreword Clarion Review

"Anyone in their own battle against this dreaded disease - whether as a patient or caregiver - will draw hope and inspiration from this account." - BlueInk Review

"A moving memoir that explores love, loss, and resilience... more than just an account of illness and grief; it's a masterclass in facing life's hardest moments with grace." - IndieReader

"Carrying the Tiger delivers a gut-wrenching tale of love and loss, while also inspiring others. Though marked with sadness, it also serves as a testament of healing." - Amy Wilson, NovelsAlive