Summary

Everything Happens For A Reason includes two appendices. The first is a list of things which Kate advises one does not say to someone experiencing a tragedy. These include minimizing comments, life lessons, and the phrase "everything happens for a reason" (170). The second appendix is a list of suggestions for what to say or do instead. These include offers of food, statements of validation, hugs, and silence.

Analysis

With their straightforward, actionable, and honest advice, the appendices help provide practical tools for anyone who wishes to support a loved one during a time of tragedy. As such, they act as responses to much of the bad advice and insensitive comments Kate herself received, as well as useful and practical reader takeaways that readers can apply in their own lives. By listing her advice in bullet points, Bowler makes her suggestions easy to read and...