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A stack of five books titled 'The Side Effects of Dying' by Cheli Lange, with the top book standing upright showing the cover.

NEWLY PUBLISHED

The Side Effects Of Dying

A memoir of illness, identity, and the search for meaning at the edge of life

In The Side Effects of Dying, Cheli Lange offers an unflinching yet tender account of her mother’s final days, a six-day crescendo of love, grief, and unexpected clarity. What begins as a daughter’s desperate rush to her ailing mother’s side evolves into a profound meditation on family, autonomy, and the messy beauty of letting go. Lange, a psychotherapist and mother of three, wields her professional lens and personal vulnerability with equal grace, crafting a narrative that is both deeply specific and achingly universal.

“…Ms. Lange’s plain-spoken, emotionally-bare, and always honest narrative takes us to transformation we did not expect — with lessons for us all.”

—Joseph Sacco, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Connecticut Hospice

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Praise for The Side Effects Of Dying

  • “Facing the loss of a loved one with wit and wonder, this life-giving memoir will make you laugh—and just might make you live more fully.

    Reading these stories helped me strengthen my relationship with my own mom while being more mindful of the way I’m raising my daughter.”

    —Andrew Tarvin, CEO, Humor That Works

  • “Everyone who is terminally ill dies as they lived, and Cheli Lange’s mother, “Gaga,” is no exception; loving, graceful, a strong-willed, old school stoic.

    ‘There will be no talk of my illness. There will be no crying,’ she demands of her daughter as family gathers for her final days. ‘Yeah, that’s not going to work for us,’ explains Cheli, only child, primary caregiver, and licensed professional counselor. Will this tension resolve — will truth, compassion, and love overcome the conflicts and grief confronted by this — and every — family facing a beloved member’s death? Read on. Ms. Lange’s plain-spoken, emotionally-bare, and always honest narrative takes us to transformation we did not expect — with lessons for us all.”  

    —Joseph Sacco, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Connecticut Hospice

  • “Through the beautiful and honest rendering of her mother’s last stage of life, Cheli invites us into the often dreaded topic of dying in a way that fills the heart and challenges the reader to look within for the value of clarity, love, and connection.”

    —Laurie Roberts, Ph.D, Grief and Loss Counselor

  • “An elegant illustration of interdependence. Cheli’s deep exploration of care for self and others offers an open-hearted view into how she’s practiced this difficult balancing act in her own life.”

    —Stephen Diana, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; Author of Of Leaf, Wing, and Water

  • “In her mother’s last days, Cheli’s loving questions, dialogue, and humor brought their relationship to a beautiful apex and serves as an example for those yearning to connect with a loved one.”

    —Beth Schave-Bemis, Gerontologist

  • “This book is at once an adult daughter’s love-letter-eulogy to her mom and an essential guidebook for self-reflection and growth amid the joys and challenges of family and relationship.

    Lange speaks to us through an integrated voice that honors the childhood daughter she was, the adult daughter who chose to stay present to her mother’s dying, and the still evolving mother of three, therapist, and daughter to a mother now gone. Deeply aware that her voice continues to develop, she generously and vulnerably invites us to look at, listen to, be with, and feel into the interiors and exteriors of her development—even as she navigates the final hours of her mother’s journey.

    The Side Effects of Dying is a gift for anyone who has or has had a mother.”

    —Reggie Marra, Author of Healing America’s Narratives: The Feminine, the Masculine, & Our Collective National Shadow and Enough with the Talking Points: Doing More Good Than Harm in Conversation

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Book titled "Spotlight of Love" by Cheli Lange, LPC, on a wooden table, accompanied by a red coffee mug, a gray glasses case, a pair of glasses, a brown striped notebook, and two yellow pencils.

A GUIDE FOR COUPLES

Spotlight of Love: Insights and Skills for Couples

A practical guide for those seeking improved communication, connection, balance, and clarity.

Informed by research, professional practice, and personal experience, this book helps the reader answer questions such as: Why do the same negative cycles keep repeating, and what shifts can I make? How do I hold onto me and reach for you at the same time? And how can we build or rebuild our trust and connection?

“In a world filled with so much uncertainty and strife, Cheli offers deep insight in easily understood language that can be readily applied to couples (or anyone) wanting to heal or strengthen their relationships.”

—Deborah A. Thomas, PhD, Psychologist

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Praise for Spotlight of Love

  • “If the foundational relationship of your life could use a little attention – and really, whose couldn’t?

    – then this book is an absolute treasure. It is a roadmap through the fog, a helping hand to pull us out of the ruts which we unconsciously return to. We are in the gentle and caring arms of a master. Cheli Lange gives us the toolbox, then teaches us how to use everything inside it, and inside ourselves, to finally stop the cycles that limit and harm our most important relationships. Her compassion and insight shine through on every page of this vital book.”

    -David Lloyd, ESPN Sportscenter Anchor

  • “Just yesterday I was describing the Spotlight to a new couple, and within minutes the husband said, ‘Oh wow. I realize I’ve been so selfish.

    I kept grabbing the spotlight when she needed it.’ Trust me—that sort of instant insight is rare. Cheli’s beautifully elucidated model distills her deep and broad knowledge into an elegant, straightforward recipe for quickly improving your relationship.”

    -Macdara MacColl, LMFT

  • “I will definitely buy this book for my adult children.”

    -Julia Lawrence, Mother of Two


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