Lonely? Grieving? Bergen County Widow Will Share Journey In Funny Book Next Week

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — What happens when you lose your husband and have to face living alone for the first time, in your 70s? A Bergen County woman wrote a book about loss and laughter, and will share it in a local event next week.

Musician turned author Jacqueline Sideman Gutenberg will bring her book, "Widowhood And Other Altered States," to the Bergenfield library this Tuesday. The upcoming event is free.

The presentation is called, "Finding Humor in the Face of Loss."

"Sideman Guttman is often asked how she can write about the sadness of loss, while at the same time make readers and listeners laugh," said a release. "While grieving itself is not humorous, laughter lies in the ancillary circumstances surrounding it... When you are older and want to age in place despite some physical limitations, you set up systems to make it work, perhaps first as a caregiver and then for yourself. What does one do when the systems break down? Find the humor in the situation, of course!"

The event takes place on Tuesday at 50 West Clinton Ave. in Bergenfield, from 2 to 3 p.m.

The presentation takes place at the library’s Friends Meeting Room in the lower level and is free and open to the public.

To register for the event, contact Bergenfield Public Library’s Adult Program Coordinator Mini Pavithran at 201-387-4040, extension 2889 or register online at https://bccls.libcal.com/event/16897999.

The book can be found on Amazon and elsewhere. To contact Guttman for an event, reach out to widowhoodbook@gmail.com.