NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23, 2026 – Some books are written from research. Some are written from imagination. And then there are the books that can only come from a life lived in the fire books born out of the kind of suffering that no one asks for and few ever talk about openly. UnBAREable Grief: Grief We Would Like to Be Able to Hide is exactly that kind of book. Written by Pastor Keith D. Childers and published by Authors Publishing House, this deeply personal memoir arrives as a quiet but powerful word of hope for the millions of men and women who have carried grief in silence, convinced that their burden was simply too shameful, too heavy, or too complicated to share with anyone else.
The Story Behind the Book
Thirty-eight years ago, Keith Childers’ world collapsed without warning. After the heartbreak of his wife’s infidelity came to light, the couple spent thirty-two agonizing days trying to find their footing until his wife, overwhelmed by shame and emotional pain, died by overdose at the age of thirty-one. Her final words to those she loved: “I’m tired of hurting and tired of hurting the people I love. I just want it to be over.”
For Keith, the hurting was only beginning.
In the decades that followed, grief never stopped knocking at his door. As a pastor, he was expected to have the answers. But privately, he was drowning. In 2012, he picked up a pen not to write a book, but to survive to give words to a pain he had spent years trying to bury. What emerged was a manuscript of startling honesty and unexpected grace.
“I started writing in an attempt to find help in dealing with the pain and grief I was living in — no, dying in.” — Keith D. Childers
A Journey Through Eight Dimensions of Grief
Organized across eight thoughtfully titled sections: Grief Defined, Grief Experienced, Grief Endured, Grief Survived, Grief Shared, Grief Exposed, Grief’s Lessons, and Grief’s Scope, the book walks readers through every dimension of a long and painful journey. Childers does not rush past the darkness or offer neat theological answers where none exist. Instead, he lingers in the difficult moments with transparency and quiet faith, naming things that most people are too afraid to say aloud.
The book’s title is itself a play on words un-BARE-able rather than unbearable. Because for Keith, and for so many others, grief isn’t just hard to endure. It’s hard to expose. To lay bare. To allow another human being to see. The shame, the embarrassment, the fear of judgment these are the very forces that trap people in silence while grief slowly destroys them from the inside out.
Post-scripts to the original manuscript chronicle the trials that continued long after the first draft was written: a cancer scare in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, a pacemaker implantation, and a double bypass open-heart surgery in 2023 from which he nearly did not emerge. Each chapter in this ongoing story of loss and survival reinforces the book’s central conviction: grief is not the end of the story.
Who This Book Is For
UnBAREable Grief speaks directly to two kinds of readers: those who are drowning in grief themselves and desperately need someone to tell them they are not alone, and those who love someone in that place and feel helpless to reach them. It is also a meaningful resource for pastors, grief counselors, and mental health professionals the book even includes an appendix written specifically for counselors.
The book does not require the reader to share Childers’ faith to feel its impact though for those who do, it will resonate on an even deeper level. His willingness to let God’s presence coexist with real human pain and confusion, rather than rushing to tidy spiritual conclusions, gives the book a rare and earned authenticity.
What Others Are Saying
“Few have experienced the pain and grief of unfaithfulness, helplessness, hopelessness and death as [Keith] has. This is not just a story of survival; it is a story of hope and faith. It will inspire you and fill your hopelessness with God’s incredible hope.”
— Dr. Woodrow Kroll, Former President, Back to the Bible International
“Keith walks you through his story of grief and his road to personal recovery. It’s a book that will benefit any person who has walked through any ‘valley of the shadow of death.’”
— Dr. Ike Reighard, Lead Pastor, Piedmont Church, Marietta, Georgia
“Anyone who has experienced the sudden and unexpected loss of a spouse can certainly identify with Keith and be encouraged by how the Lord has guided him on his personal road to recovery.”
— Dr. Don Wilton, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, SC
About the Author
Keith D. Childers is a pastor, Bible teacher, and public speaker who has spent decades walking alongside people in their darkest moments. He served as a church pastor for nearly forty years and has since taught Bible and public speaking at the high school level. Having survived personal tragedy, cancer scares, open-heart surgery, and the many quiet storms of ordinary life, he writes not as a distant authority but as a fellow traveler. He resides in the southeastern United States with his wife and family.
For inquiries and review copy requests send an email via support@authorspublishinghouse.com
Publication Details
Title: UnBAREable Grief: Grief We Would Like to Be Able to Hide
Subtitle: One Pastor’s Raw and Redemptive Journey Through Loss
Author: Keith D. Childers
Publisher: Authors Publishing House, New York, NY
Format: Paperback, Hardback, eBook
Genre: Christian Living / Grief & Loss / Personal Memoir
Media Contact
Company Name: Authors Publishing House, New York, NY
Contact Person: Keith D. Childers
Email: Send Email
Phone: (855) 624-0155
Address:1178 Broadway, 3rd Floor
City: New York
State: NY 10001
Country: United States
Website: www.authorspublishinghouse.com