Anna: A Daughters Life

Loizeaux began this intimate, harrowing journal weeks after the death of his five-and-a-half-month-old daughter Anna from VATER syndrome, a rare condition involving congenital deformities of the heart, kidneys and esophagus. Anna, who died on July 4, 1989, underwent surgery and intensive care, and was able to spend her last four months at home as ``a normal kid'' despite a colostomy bag and a need for intravenous antibiotics. Written with luminous clarity and heartbreaking candor, this journal is an exorcism of grief, an outpouring of a father's fiercely tender love and an agnostic's attempt to come to terms with what seems a senseless, devastating tragedy. As Loizeaux and his wife, Beth, cope with their daughter's death, they endure painful, empty holidays and attend adoption classes while trying to have another baby. In a postscript the author, a Maryland teacher, reports the birth of his second daughter, a healthy girl named Emma. Those coping with the loss of a loved one will find this resonant book a source of strength. (Feb.)