56 Years after Kubler-Ross' stages of grief, a new book rethinks finding love after loss

When hospice handed Bruce Miller a Kübler-Ross pamphlet to navigate his grief, he realized her five stages of grief did not have widowers like himself in mind.

DECATUR, GA, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After the death of his wife, Bruce Miller found Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief to be useless for survivors, so he set out to write "BONDO: A Divine Comedy about Love after Loss" – a new way to look at reinvention after loss – one that strikes a balance between pathos and humor, science and mysticism.

Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief arose from her work with terminally ill patients, but survivors face a different trajectory – the need to move through crushing emotions, a desire for meaning, a longing for connection, and the need to rebuild a life.

Bruce and his wife Karen invented the word BONDO to describe the “capacity to form and maintain intimate relationships.” After Karen died, Bruce realized he was desperate for BONDO connections.

“I was thrust into a world that felt so completely surreal that my writing began to emerge as a comedy," Bruce said. "Over centuries, Jews have coped with unimaginable tragedy by cultivating resilience through humor. I needed a space where laughter could coexist with sorrow, so in my book, I chose a fictional mentor, a Borscht Belt comedian, to confide my deepest metaphysical questions.

To Bruce's surprise, Karen emerged as a living presence – proof that love is not confined by space and time. Her friends reported on “Karen sightings,” unexpected experiences where she guided them to embrace love after loss.

As Bruce charged forward to forge new relationships, his madcap quest for connection yielded a deeper understanding of the mysteries of life.

"I prepared for this journey my whole life, but like being a caterpillar, nothing can prepare us to emerge from a cocoon with wings."

REVIEWS:
• “The warmth and understanding pop off the page and resonate in the heart. It is hard to put the book down.”
• “This book is at once heartfelt, comedic, irreverent, spiritual, and as deep as it gets. Anyone who has lost a spouse should read this book. It is a treasure.”
• “Bruce captures the upside-down world you enter as a widow or widower. His drive to reinvent himself was inspiring — something close to my heart.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Miller is a professional writer, author, marketer, screenwriter, and student of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. He is also a Whirling Dervish and the author of “Rumi Comes to America.” In this real-time memoir, Bruce draws from his richly lived spiritual journey to uncover the mysteries of grace, human connection, and eternal love. His author page is at ithou.com
• 315 pages
• 230 photos and graphics
• Publisher: Miller eMedia
• Available on Amazon.com

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