Meet Sherry Chapman
Sherry Chapman is a professional genealogist and owner of 1 Stop Genealogy, a scholar of colonial gravestone carvers, a budding mycologist, and the author of the multiple award-winning book, How Much Big Is the Sky: A Memoir of a Mother's Love and Unfathomable Loss.
Sherry wrote How Much Big Is the Sky following the sudden, tragic death of her only son Ryan resulting from a car crash. She touts her memoir as a love song to her son.
How Much Big Is the Sky has been celebrated for its literary excellence with multiple awards. Reviewers laud the book as "...one of those memoirs that will linger in the mind and memory..." (Midwest Book Review); and as "...heart-wrenching, descriptive, and powerful...with striking lyricism..." (The Booklife Prize); and as "a brave recollection of a shattering loss..." (Kirkus Reviews).
Sherry channeled her deep grief into her writing, while at the same time fiercely advocating for safe teen driving initiates at both the state and federal levels.
She received national recognition in 2014 from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in Washington, D.C. as a Highway Safety Hero for her contributions to saving lives, preventing injuries and making roads safer.
In 2017, Sherry was named as Connecticut's Safety Champion in recognition of her "years of exceptional advocacy and leadership on teen driving issues."
Sherry is excited about the upcoming publication of her next book involving ancient cemeteries and gravestones and stonecutters, expected to be available later this year.
"Gripping, emotional, vulnerable, beautiful."
––Caroline H.
"Wonderful book!...a must read for anyone who cares about the human condition."
––Jody D.
"...I will never forget this journey of love..."
––Barbara V.
"I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Beautiful story of a mother's love and loss."
––Sheri A.
"A very painful,
intensely honest and skillfully written account of a mother's grief and resilience."
––John L.
Click Here to Learn More About How Much Big Is the Sky
A Word From Sherry Chapman
Here are some things about me you may not learn from reading the book.
I'm shy, but sometimes an extrovert. I like detail and organization and spreadsheets. I've cataloged our 2,470-book home library in a database. It took me over a decade to write How Much Big Is the Sky.
Small talk irritates me, probably because I'm lousy at it. I don't like being cold, but I do enjoy puzzling with my husband in front of a lit fireplace on winter evenings with pets snuggled nearby.
I'm a rock hound, a budding mycologist, and a professional genealogist. I'm fascinated with ancient architecture and old cemeteries. I love to nurture. I start herbs and vegetables from seed, propagate grapevines and Rhododendron from cuttings, and spread mycelium to foster the growth of edible fungi. I used to keep honey bees, but they broke my heart.
I want you to like me.