Adventure on Joyland Road and Other Stories of Love and Grief: Memoir

by Lisa Rosenberg

Adventure on Joyland Road and Other Stories of Love and Grief

A Memoir

🏆 Chicago Writers Association — 2025 Book of the Year Honorable Mention

Lisa Rosenberg was widowed at the age of 68 when her husband, Jeff, died suddenly in his sleep beside her. Though she tried desperately to save his life, Lisa was unsuccessful; Jeff had passed away silently during the night. What followed was not only heartbreak, but an uncharted journey through grief, memory, and the quiet resilience required to keep living.

Adventure on Joyland Road is a poignant and deeply personal memoir exploring love, loss, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. In this intimate account of the first eighteen months after her husband’s death, Dr. Rosenberg offers readers an unfiltered glimpse into the lived experience of grief—its aching tenderness, and its slow, uneven movement toward healing.

Drawing on decades of experience as a psychiatric healthcare professional, Rosenberg blends compassion, insight, humor, and wisdom with storytelling that is both raw and accessible. Through small, everyday moments—shared memories, sudden absences, fleeting connections—she reflects on what it means to love deeply, to mourn honestly, and to move forward without leaving love behind.

The stories in Adventure on Joyland Road range from heartwarming to heart-wrenching, revealing how grief and love coexist, and that connection to others becomes an anchor in our darkest hours. Honest, moving, and profoundly human, Adventure on Joyland Road will resonate with widows and widowers, caregivers, mental health professionals, and anyone navigating the loss of a loved one.

Praise for Adventure on Joyland Road“Dr. Rosenberg is a gifted writer and storyteller. Adventure on Joyland Road is marvelous—straightforward, funny, and honest—written with great joy and great sadness, but also with so much wisdom. Even as a seasoned mental health professional, I came to understand more fully that grief is a process, not a pathology. The many important lessons in Dr. Rosenberg’s work need to be shared, along with the many truths that are rarely put into words. This is truly a beautiful book.”
—Karen Pierce, M.D.
Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2025

About the author

Dr. Lisa Rosenberg is a psychiatric healthcare professional, writer, and widow who never expected to navigate grief so intimately. When her husband, Jeff, died suddenly beside her in the night, she found herself confronting profound loss, love, and resilience—all of which she captures in her memoir, Adventure on Joyland Road.
With a career dedicated to understanding the human mind, Dr. Rosenberg blends deep psychological insight with raw, personal storytelling to explore the lived experience of grief. Her writing is honest, humorous, and deeply compassionate, offering guidance to anyone who has lost someone they profoundly loved.
With a master’s in Psychiatric Nursing and a PhD in Educational Psychology, Dr. Rosenberg spent 30 years as a professor at Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago, retiring as Associate Dean Emeritus. Her career includes pioneering articles on humor in healthcare, extensive presentations, and, since 2017, senior consulting for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Now based in the Chicago area, she writes, mentors, and consults, offering compassionate wisdom to those navigating grief.