Grief and bereavement booklist
Whether you're looking for a self-help guide, a thought provoking novel, or just thoughts and wisdom on grief, bereavement, death and dying, this booklist offers a wealth of different offerings from novelists, respected academics and those who have had first hand experience.
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In Grief Works we hear stories from those who have experienced great love and great loss - and survived. Stories that explain how grief unmasks our greatest fears, strips away our layers of protection and reveals our innermost selves.
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In 2015, former England football star Rio Ferdinand suddenly and tragically lost his wife and soulmate Rebecca, aged 34, to cancer. It was a profound shock and Rio found himself struggling to cope not just with the pain of his grief, but also with his new role as both mum and dad to their three young children. Thinking Out Loud is written in the hope that he can inspire others struggling with loss and grief to find the help they need through this most difficult of times.
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Several days before Christmas 2003, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their only daughter, Quintana, fall ill. She was put into an induced coma and placed on life support. Days later – the night before New Year’s Eve –the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the hospital when John suffered a massive and fatal coronary. This powerful book is Didion’s ‘attempt to make sense of the weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness … about marriage and children and memory … about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself’.
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This self-help guide offers an examination and explanation of the grieving process and outlines clinically-proven strategies, based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to help you adjust to life without a loved one.
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Megan reveals a path for navigating grief and loss not by trying to escape it, but by learning to live inside of it with more grace and strength. Through stories, research, life tips, and mindfulness-based practices, she offers a unique guide through an experience we all must face. Here she debunks the culturally prescribed goal of returning to a normal, "happy" life, replacing it with the skills and tools to help us experience and witness the pain of loss in ourselves and others.
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This collection of short contributions tells the very individual story of 12 people's individual experience of bereavement when facing the death of an adult sibling. There isn't very much written about the death of a sibling and this book seeks to change that by sharing personal stories and offering insight and wisdom.
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Giving an accessible introduction to modern day grief theory, this book is a guide to grief for counsellors, anyone wishing to support the bereaved, or the griever curious to how their grief works. Debunking commonly believed myths with information on how grief can vary from person to person, advice on communicating with the bereaved and details on the different kinds of grief, this book is aimed at anyone working with the bereaved.
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In plain language, this book tells you how to manage your grief following a life-changing loss. It tells you what to expect in the coming weeks, months and years. It is based on the real experience of grieving people whose stories have been made anonymous.
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In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him.
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In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and lays out an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances - a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heart-breaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
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Dr. Kubler-Ross first explores the now-famous stages of death: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Through sample interviews and conversations, she gives the reader a better understanding of how imminent death affects the patient, the professionals who serve that patient, and the patient's family, bringing hope to all who are involved.
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With one brief entry for every day of the calendar year, this little book by grief counsellor Dr. Alan Wolfelt offers small, one-day-at-a-time doses of guidance and healing. Each entry includes an inspiring or soothing quote followed by a short discussion of the day’s theme.
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Dr. Rando offers the solace, comfort, and guidance to help you accept your loss and move into your new life without forgetting your treasured past.
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Whether you're grieving the sudden loss of a loved one or helping someone else through their grief, I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye offers a comforting hand to help guide you through the grieving process, from the first few weeks to the longer-term emotional and physical effects. It then reveals some of the myths of the grieving process and what really happens as you navigate through the pain.
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In this deeply personal, easy-to-read book, you will discover how to:
- Manage the up-and-down, roller-coaster emotions of grief (sadness, shock, anger, anxiety, fear, guilt, frustration, depression, etc.).
- Deal with feeling misunderstood, judged, and even rejected by those around you.
- Navigate all the relationship shifts and upheavals that occur with a close loss (relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbours, other widowed spouses, etc.).
- Find the support you need to grieve in healthy ways, heal, and grow.
- Live with purpose and meaning, even while hurting.
- Face the future with hope.
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Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in; he could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir; it is a book about making the most of your time on earth.
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This intimate journal chronicling the Narnia author's experience of grief after his wife's death has consoled readers for half a century. The latest edition features responses from authors like Hilary Mantel, Francis Spufford, Rowan Williams, Jenna Bailey.
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One person, two perspectives on grief. Plunged unexpectedly into widowhood at just 49 years old, psychotherapist Sasha Bates describes in searing honesty the agonisingly raw feelings unleashed by the loss of her husband and best friend, Bill. At the same time, she attempts to keep her therapist hat in place and create some perspective from psycho-analytic theory.
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When Cathy Rentzenbrink was still a teenager, her happy family was torn apart by an unthinkable tragedy. In A Manual for Heartache she describes how she learnt to live with grief and loss and find joy in the world again. She explores how to cope with life at its most difficult and overwhelming and how we can emerge from suffering forever changed, but filled with hope.
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When the Reverend Richard Coles's partner died suddenly, shortly before Christmas in 2019, what came next took Richard by surprise. Despite his years of experience assisting his parishioners in examining life's moral questions, Richard now found he needed guidance himself. Much about grief was unexpected: the volume of 'sadmin' that must be undertaken, how much harder it is travelling solo for work, the pain of typing a text message to your partner - then remembering they are gone. This deeply personal account of life after grief will resonate, unforgettably, long after the final page has been turned.
