Rise Above

“This is a story that nobody should ever have to tell, yet Matthew Schnipper does so with grace, rawness, and beauty.”—Hua Hsu, Pulitzer Prize winning and New York Times bestselling author of Stay True

“In Rise Above, Matthew Schnipper faces the unanswerable question of how to live in the aftermath of impossible grief. It is a sensitive, moving memoir, an exquisite portrait of a beloved child, and a testament to the relationships that sustain and bolster us in times of need.”—Yaa Gyasi, NBCC Award-winning and bestselling author of Homegoing and Transcendent Kingdom

“Astoundingly intimate, generous, and tender, Rise Above is both a balm to despair and a bridge toward hope. With hard-won wisdom and honesty, Schnipper writes about the effort and unexpected joy of staying open to the world after profound loss through friendship, music, and memory. This is a story that explores the choice to keep loving life as an act not only of courage but of imagination. I am forever changed by it and deeply grateful it exists.”—Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters

“So much writing about grief feels gauzy, platitudinous, simple. But Matthew Schnipper recounts the contours of his seismic loss with such a staggering amount of tenderness and honesty. I’m astounded by his capacity for love and earnest self-reflection in the face of bottomless pain; this book is a serious gift for anyone feeling unmoored and alone.”—Amanda Petrusich, author of Do Not Sell at Any Price

“This pain-filled memoir is both a record of the author’s coming to terms with the unspeakable through conscious struggle and the natural effects of time. It’s also a remarkable tribute to the memory of a young child’s potent presence during the time he was alive. It’s a gift, intentional or not, to any reader who has suffered a loss of like magnitude and also to those who want to understand such loss.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A wrenching account of his toddler’s sudden death . . . [Schnipper] wisely avoids tidy takeaways, offering readers a portrait of unresolved anguish that’s both raw and artful. It’s a powerful record of a broken heart.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review