The Top Ender Magazine August September 2023 Edition

BROTHERS ’N’ BOOKS
BrothersNBooks is an online community where followers share their
own experiences and book reviews.
MANAGING GRIEF
ON FATHER’S DAY
Book Review
Book - In Order to Live by
Yeonmi Park
"How can you understand love
when there is no word for it?"
Background - You don't know
what you don't know.
Reading widely, often and with
an open mind allows us to
discover interests, passions,
research and stories that allow
us to expand our potential.
In many cultures around the
world people do not have
access to information and as a
result don't have the benefit of
knowing what does and does
not exist.
The book - Yeonmi Park was a
North Korean citizen growing up
in a lower caste family under the
Kim Jong Il dictatorship of the
country.
She speaks of her families ability
to barely stay alive due to
extreme constant famine and
the lack of electricity, resources
but more importantly
information that she and her
family had access to growing up.
Escaping the country through
human traffickers Yeonmi
experienced extreme hardship
being sold as a bride and
watching her mother be
assaulted almost immediately
once leaving North Korea.
Once Yeonmi reached China
she was able to realise that
alot of what North Korea
Propaganda was not only not
true but the opposite of what
they had said.
She fell in love with reading
and was able to come to
realise that all of her past
ideas about how the world
works and her understanding of
things were not as they seem.
Result - While we don't have to
brash the physical hardships of
what Yeonmi and other North
Koreans have suffered through.
We each have the ability to
capitalise on and be grateful for
the access to information that
we have in our lives.
On a micro level I like to think
that if we all took Yeonmi's
approach to education post
gaining her freedom, we would
be giving ourselves the best
chance for a meaningful,
interesting and maximised life.
Father’s Day Book List
Our picks for Father’s Day books that will
leave an impression on Dad!
• Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for
New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie
Hayden
• Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
• Best Seat in the House: 18 Golden Lessons
from a Father to his Son by Jack Nicklaus II
and Don Yaeger
• Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life is What You
Make It by Adam Savage
• Vacationland: True Stories from Painful
Beaches by John Hodgman
• Dadskills: How to Be an Awesome Father
and Impress All the Other Parents – From
Baby Wrangling to Taming Teenagers by
Chris Peterson
• Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son and Five
Hundred Miles Across Spain by Andrew
McCarthy
• Dad Law: The Definitive Reference for All
Things Dad by Ally Probst and Joel Willis
Congratulations Dylan!
“On behalf of Brothers N Books, I was honoured
to accept the 7 News Young Achiever Award in
the Create Change category sponsored by The
University of Queensland.
Brothers and Books is easily one of the most
simplistic and impactful organisations that can
tangibly change someone's life just as one simple
book can.
I'm always proud to be the founder of this great
movement but I'm even prouder to have this
communities support and shared belief in the
importance of education.
The charity also won the Community Choice
award where over 1000 people took the time to
vote for the organisation. A huge thanks to all of
you for voting and for B105 Brisbane for the
award.
Looking forward to many more libraries, books
and initiatives into the future.”
Father’s Day is a time to honour dads and
the connections between generations. It is
not, however, a day of joy for everyone.
For some people, it reminds them of what
they have lost, and strong feelings such as
sadness, anger or guilt may come up. It
may be hard to avoid reminders of Father’s
Day as shops, the media and friends
consider it a time of joy and celebration.
Some bereavements or losses can be particularly
difficult to navigate, and there may be unrecognised
losses such as the loss of hopes and dreams for the
future. Some people who experience grief on
Father’s Day are those who:
• Are grieving the death of their father, or a father
figure
• Have experienced the death of a child
• Are unable to become a parent
• Are estranged from their family
• Have seen changes in their father or father figure,
such as when someone has dementia or a lifelimiting
illness.
Some people may feel alone and vulnerable. It is
important to remember that grief is unique and
individual to you, however you can do some things
to make Father’s Day a little easier;
• Sometimes we have to move through our grief
and sit with our sadness. Although this can be hard,
people say that grief is their connection to the
person who has died.
• On Father’s Day, do what feels right for you, that
may be visiting the cemetery, spending time in
nature, being alone or being with others.
• Make sure you take care of yourself as you
navigate a potentially difficult time. Try to maintain
your routine, get some sleep or some fresh air.
• Read or get some grief education as it can help to
normalise what you are experiencing. Grief can
affect our health, thoughts, feelings, behaviour and
relationships. It can raise big questions of meaning
and can also impact, and be impacted by, our
spiritual beliefs.
• When it feels like everyone is celebrating, finding
ways to acknowledge your grief and being kind to
yourself, may help you get through the day.
• Remember to go at your own pace, and as long as
you are not harming yourself or anyone else, there
is no right or wrong way to grieve.
• Reach out for professional support if you need to.
Sometimes grief can feel overwhelming and you
may not have people around you who can ‘handle’
your grief. We know that grief needs witnessing
and talking to a qualified bereavement counsellor
can be beneficial.
“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be
together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there
forever.” - From Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
If you think that bereavement support may be
beneficial for you, please contact Grief Australia on
03 9265 2100 or at www.grief.org.au to talk to our
friendly staff about online or phone counselling or
support groups.
Extracted from Grief Australia
grief.org.au/ga/Content/Information-Sheets/Grief_on_
Father_s_Day.aspx
GET YOUR MERCH
Written by CAPT Dylan Conway
6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment
Available in the online store:
https://brothersnbooks.com/store/
Editor at BrothersNBooks
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