A father recounts the loss of his youngest son to suicide at 33, chronicling the family’s year of grief and the warning signs they wish they had recognized.
St Simons island GA, 4/30/2026 Parker Publishers has released Love Is Not Enough, a memoir by James Chess documenting the death by suicide of his youngest son, Danny, at age 33, and the aftermath his family of 8 navigated in the year that followed.
Danny Chess was the youngest of 6 children raised in the Atlanta area. He played sports through high school, attended Georgia College in Milledgeville, and later managed one of the family’s 2 AAMCO transmission centers in metro Atlanta. He had struggled with depression and addiction for years, entering rehab in 2013 and appearing, to his family, to have stabilized. On September 13, 2024, Danny died after jumping from a parking garage at the residential lofts he shared with his older brother Matt. He was 33.
The book follows a roughly chronological structure, beginning with Danny’s childhood and the close bonds of a large Catholic family, then moving through his high school and college years, his time in rehabilitation, and the deceptions his addiction enabled in the years that followed. Chess writes with candor about the family’s experience during “Family Week” at Danny’s rehab facility in 2013, the gradual reemergence of Danny’s substance use, and the earlier suicide attempt in February 2024 that the family interpreted as a cry for help rather than a plan. The title reflects the central tension of the book: Danny knew he was deeply loved by his parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews, but that knowledge alone could not overcome his depression and addiction.
Chess devotes sections of the book to suicide statistics and mental health data, noting that death by suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 50,000 deaths in 2023. He writes that 90% of people who die by suicide have a mental health condition, and that suicidal crises often pass if access to lethal means is limited. The book urges readers who suspect someone is struggling not to let it go unaddressed. Chess describes learning the term “died by suicide,” which frames the act as the result of a disease rather than a personal failing, a distinction he found reassuring and accurate.
Much of the second half of the memoir focuses on how the Chess family processed their grief. Chess and his wife, Marybeth, leaned on daily routines, particularly their morning beach walks on St. Simons Island, and on each other. Their children took varying paths to acceptance, some reaching it sooner than others. Chess also writes about what he calls “The Dead Son Effect,” describing the invitations, phone calls, and acts of kindness from friends and community members that might not have happened otherwise. He credits full disclosure about the circumstances of Danny’s death, including the addiction, depression, and suicide, with helping the family move forward and connecting them with others who had experienced similar losses.
“This book is about more than our son Danny’s death,” Chess writes. “We thought he’d beaten depression and addiction, but sadly, it was more than he could overcome. If you think someone is having issues, I’d urge you not to let it lie. Get them to talk to somebody. We thought Danny was ‘doing great,’ and likely misread the room. Hopefully, there are helpful lessons for anyone reading this.”
Love Is Not Enough is available through Amazon and other major book retailers. Chess’s previous publications, Beers at the Nifty 2024, Just Lucky to be Here and Queenie and PA: Adventures in Grandparenting and Other Topics, are also available on Amazon.
About the Author
James Chess is an author and retired business professional who spent 35 years with the Coca-Cola Company. He lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia, with his wife, Marybeth. Chess writes a weekly Sunday column at BeersattheNifty.com, covering topics ranging from family life to current events. He has published over 300 posts on the site. His previous books, collections drawn from those writings, are available on Amazon. Love Is Not Enough is his first full-length memoir.
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