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Best Books for Dealing with Grief: Explore Different Perspectives and Approaches to Healing



Navigating loss is no easy task, and there's no one blueprint for grief. That's why there are so many books and memoirs that share the grief experience, and offer guidance for those looking for comfort or help. If you or someone you know is struggling with a loss, here are ten very different eBooks and audiobooks to explore that might offer solace, hope, and a bit of reassurance.


In this practical and straightforward guide, Devine wants to let readers know that it's okay to feel undone by grief, and that grief is not something you should be afraid of. Although our culture sometimes says otherwise, grief is a natural part of life, and Devine uses her experience as a therapist and as someone who lost a partner to help others connect with their grief in a healthy way, and learn to rebuild their lives after loss.




best books for dealing with grief




Novelist Jesmyn Ward lost five young men who were close to her in the space of five years, and in her fog of grief she desperately wanted to know why this was happening. As she pushed through those dark days, she realized that the men she lost all died as a result of poverty and racism, and she began to explore all the ways that society failed them. This is a stirring memoir about living through loss, and reckoning with forces beyond your control.


While her daughter was in a drug-induced coma with a life-threatening illness, Joan Didion's husband suffered a massive heart attack and died. Weeks later, Joan's daughter pulled through, only to suffer another major health scare two months later. These events completely reshaped Joan's life, and she embarked upon a year of magical thinking that made her reconsider everything she thought she knew about relationships, life, death, and grief.


Co-written by the author of the groundbreaking work On Death and Dying which also introduced the five stages of grieving, this book focuses not on death, but the act of grieving and the gifts that can be found in the process. It looks at how those now-classic five stages of grief play out in our everyday lives, and the authors offer advice and reassurance to readers who are in the thick of these emotions, underscoring everything with a message of love.


Some human experiences are universal, and one of those experiences is grief. Whoever you are, and whatever else happens in your life, at some point, you will live through the death of someone you love and care about, and the pain that goes with it. Despite the fact that everyone feels grief at some point in their life, it can be one of the most isolating experiences that anyone can go through. Other people are often unsure of what to say, and grief can invoke such strong feelings that it makes many people feel uncomfortable, despite the fact that we all live through it at some point. Fortunately, because of the universal nature of grief, there are hundreds of writers who have explored the topic, in a variety of different ways, in books about grief.


In this in-depth book, Wade looks at the way grief exists on both a personal and societal level, manifesting both as a response to loss of loved ones and to experiences of systemic oppression. Drawing on her own experience of working with bereaved, traumatised, and grieving people, Wade explores how everyone can move through collective grief.


Some readers may want to turn to fiction to explore their feelings about grief; check out our list of 8 of the Best Novels About Grief and Recovering From Trauma. For books on grief that speak to younger readers, try 8 Memorable Middle Grade Books About Grief.


Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult parts of life. Coping with the loss can be challenging and causes many emotions to surface that one might not be typically used to. These books about grief open up honest discussions about loss and are of great help to those in the grieving process.


In the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, as quarantine kept her family apart, writer Chimamanda Adichie lost her father suddenly due to kidney failure. In Notes on Grief, Adichie provides a captivating memoir filled with hope and love as she reflects upon the life of her father and her experience with grief. Her writing gives voice to the millions of people who suffered losses during the pandemic, showing how we are all connected by the experience of loss.


In these fifty-two short chapters, Dr. Joanne Cacciatore paves the road to understanding grief and the emotional impacts on humans. She shares moving stories of overcoming grief from people she has helped in her practices over the years, along with her personal stories of loss. Bearing the Unbearable illuminates the grieving process and walks through the stages of the human experience. It is not only a necessity for those who have experienced loss, but for usage by therapists, educators and other professionals to help guide their clients.


Grief comes in many shapes and forms, and this grief recovery handbook explores the different stages with 365 daily reflections, quotes, meditations, and 52 healing practices tied together with a weekly theme. When it comes to addressing the day-to-day emotions that accompany the grieving process, this guide will walk you through topics like loneliness, grief attacks, exhaustion, hope, love, and creating meaning.


Written by Dr. Therese Rando, a pioneer in the field of grief counseling and bereavement specialist, this guide walks readers through essential and often overlooked aspects of the process while remaining inclusive of all types of losses. It not only covers understanding and resolving your grief, but advice on how to talk to children about death, resolving unfinished business, taking care of yourself, accepting support from others, and planning funerals. An added bonus is a chapter about finding professional help and support groups. It offers solace and comfort for you to accept your loss and move into your new life without forgetting your treasured past.


In this important addition to grief literature, expert David Kessler explores the grieving process beyond the five stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Kessler introduces a sixth stage that can turn grief into something more peaceful: Finding meaning. In this work, he refers to his professional and personal experiences with grief, including how he learned to cope with the death of his twenty-one-year-old son. He demonstrates a way to remember those we have lost with love rather than pain, and a way to move forward while honoring them. This book is an inspirational guide to discovering the meaning of life (and death) after losing a loved one.


Healing After Loss is a collection of daily meditations to help anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one. It shares the thoughts and experiences of several people who have lost someone important to them, and is written by someone who is very familiar with grief herself. A comforting companion, this book provides a sense of hope while teaching us how to take things day by day.


Some of the best books on grief and bereavement are written by those whohave suffered a great loss. Others are written by expert counsellors and psychiatrists. I have recommended some of the very best general books on journeying through grief for adults on this page.


The author Tom Zuba knows only too well the challenge of coping with loss, having lost two children and a wife. Once he stopped repressing and denying his grief, as many of us do, he discovered that:


It is easy to read and up to date with the most current research in the field of grief. But it is not a dry textbook, it is filled with wisdom and love, and inspires hope in those who read it allowing them to grow and achieve a richer life.


Her approach is becoming very popular as people realise that exercise can be a powerful tool to lift the spirits and give you a purpose while coping with the loss of a loved one. The number of followers that Michelle has built up on her Facebook page 'One Fit Widow' is a huge testament to her inspirational story. She has done a marvellous job in helping many, many people on their grief journey.


"The author combines his professional experience as a psychologist with his background in Buddhism, to teach the reader how to go through grief with mindfulness, awareness and compassion. He speaks about finding meaning in the grief and in life after mourning, calling it a transformative process. He not only "talks" about it, he provides mindfulness practices in an easy to understand approach. One does not have to be a Buddhist, to understand or to use these tools and practices. I am a not into Buddhism, but I found the book personally helpful in my own grief journey after my wife died almost 6 years ago and in my professional practice as a Hospice Bereavement Coordinator and grief group facilitator.


Some of the material is standard grief and mourning instruction that most of us in the field are very familiar with. The one difference with Kumar's book is the mindfulness element that he introduces, giving the material a new skin and framework."


This is a classic text by John W James and Russell Friedman which many grief counsellors and guides use. The authors have been working with grievers for over 30 years and are the founders of the Grief Recovery Institute.


The recommends working with a partner or trusted group which may not be for everyone, but there are lots of people who swear by this book. It seems it is ideal for those who are stuck in the "what if" and "whys" of grief and helps them to move on. But judging by the reviews it is not for everyone.


Cat Wheeler is learning how to cope with aging, and the deaths of friends in a completely different culture. She talks about how she and her friends are dealing with relatives with Alzheimer's and the deaths of family and friends in Bali and also about the challenges of coping with the illness and deaths of family when you are an expat living many miles away. Her chapters on the loss of her sister and father in Canada are particularly moving. 2ff7e9595c


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