Never Can Say Goodbye - by Darnell Lamont Walker (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Compelling narrative that highlights the importance of a death doula and generational traumas faced by the Black community.

Embedded within the fabric of American society are deeply ingrained taboos surrounding death, further intensified by historical injustices and systemic disparities. For African Americans, these taboos are compounded by a complex interplay of factors that make conversations about death even more elusive. The echoes of systemic racism, unequal access to healthcare, and the enduring impact of generational traumas have created an environment where death is often seen as a subject best left untouched.

Darnell Lamont Walker, in his debut book Never Can Say Goodbye, delves into the reasons behind the silence surrounding death within the Black community, narrates his personal experiences of holding space for individuals at the end of their lives, guiding those navigating through grief, and comforting those who silently mourn. Walker shares personal stories from his role as a compassionate guide navigating the delicate space between life and death. These narratives unfold as intimate accounts of individuals, each seeking solace, closure, and the opportunity to share the stories that define them.

Never Can Say Goodbye captures the essence of these profoundly human moments while exploring the connection between the grieving and their doula, revealing the transformative power of storytelling in the face of mortality. Walker helps you process feelings and emotions from past losses and instills wisdom on how you can hold space and provide your loved ones with the closure they deserve.

This book is for anyone wanting to witness the healing that unfolds when someone is afforded the chance to articulate their life's journey, find closure in their own narrative, and ultimately, face the inevitable with a newfound sense of peace.

Review Quotes

"This master storyteller shares the lessons of loss that have found their way into his heart (and now these pages), offering us a captivating and wise guide to a good life and a good death. Anyone who seeks a rich life and accepts that we will all die should read Never Can Say Goodbye." ? -- --Dale G. Larson, PhD, J. Thomas and Kathleen L, McCarthy Professor, Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University; Author, The Helper's Journey: Empathy, Compassion and the Challenge of Caring

"Darnell Lamont Walker is a storyteller for the ages, weaving threads of life and death into a tapestry that reminds us of the beauty that's possible in our endings. Never Can Say Goodbye is the field guide for the walk we will all take, the must-have death resource for every human." -- --Helen Bauer, BSN RN CHPN, End of Life Educator and Advocate, Host of The Heart of Hospice podcast, Owner of Hospice Navigation Services

"Never Can Say Goodbye should be required reading for every single human being. With poetic precision and radical tenderness, Darnell Lamont Walker invites us into a sacred threshold where love and loss meet. This is a guidebook for the heart." -- --Justin Michael Williams, Grammy-nominated artist and author of Stay Woke

"A profoundly engaging and inspiring exploration of what it means to hold space and accompany people at the end of their lives. Walker expertly weaves together a remarkably beautiful blend of personal and professional narratives that remind us that we all have the capacity to be a death doula. These stories are tender, inspiring, and sometimes sprinkled with humor, always inviting us to show up compassionately with our full humanity for people facing the hardest days of their lives." -- --Lisa Keefauver, author of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch

"Never Can Say Goodbye is a loving and gentle reminder that as long as we're breathing, we still have time to live our lives in the ways we've always wanted, making even the smallest pieces of our dreams come true, and creating something even better than what we'd imagined." -- --Lisa Deaderick, columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune

"In Never Can Say Goodbye, Darnell Lamont Walker assembles a cast of characters that could be easily you or me. Providing snapshots of their interactions with death while living or being no more, we catch glimpses of what it means to be human on the verge of transition and human bearing witness to that process." -- --Kwame Otu, Professor, Author of Amphibious Subjects

"Never Can Say Goodbye is deliciously woven from threads of guidance, memory, and devotion to the sacred labor of holding space at the end of life. With clear-eyed tenderness and his signature storyteller's grace, Darnell Lamont Walker makes the complex, often unseen work of the death doula accessible and deeply human. Through quiet moments and honest reflections, he offers not just insight, but presence--a reminder that death, too, deserves care, clarity, and compassion." -- --Alua Arthur, Author of Briefly Perfectly Human