Reviews


Beautiful in Black is powerful, compelling, inspiring and above all it is an innocent and genuine, true story.

by Carol Kaufman Segal

Sara Shai is a successful artist, writer and freelance journalist, painter and sculptress. And now her latest endeavor is her first book, which deals with coping after a loved one commits suicide. Beautiful in Black, Conversations with Suicide was written over a 35-year period. After her husband committed suicide, she said, "I just put my thoughts down and I put it away and I would take it back and rewrite it. Every five, ten years I would rewrite it, and last year I finally deiced it had to come out."

Sara grew up in Israel. She left home after graduating elementary school and, through her own resourcefulness, completed her schooling and became a teacher. What fortitude for such a young girl! When she met Dan, a well-known journalist in Israel, he was charming and attentive and they had a wonderful courtship. But Sara was unaware of his many mood changes and his controlling persona until after they married. He often spoke of death, which puzzled her since they were both so young. Her live with Dan proved to be challenging. When he committed suicide, it was a shock to everyone and left Sara, a very young woman, confused. Because of the stigma she felt from everyone around her, she decided to begin a new life and immigrated to Los Angeles.

Sara's book engulfs the universal struggle where women must survive to follow their dreams, as well as touching with depth the issue of suicide and its effect on those that are left behind.

Beautiful in Black explores the human longing for love, acceptance and freedom, and at the same time, it is an important contribution to those who have suffered from suicides in their families. It is also an uplifting experience to read about her accomplishments despite many adverse circumstances. The book is available at www.Amazon.com or directly from the publisher at www.BeautifulInBlack.cm or www.SaraShai.com