This article showcases our top picks for the
Books About Death And Grief. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below). We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article
This list is in no particular order.This product was recommended by Jacqui Olliver from End the Problem
Emotional and intimacy issues which contaminate relationships are solved in this book along with a proven strategy for enhancing all aspects of personal connection. These insightful answers can transform an adult or teen from feeling frustrated, insecure and isolated into a happy, radiant and confident person.
This product was recommended by Olivia Tan from CocoFax
I am suggesting How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies by Dr. Therese Rando, a pioneer in the field of grief counseling and the current Clinical Director of The Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss. Her seminal guide to grief gently walks readers through essential and often overlooked aspects of the process while remaining inclusive of all types of losses. The book is essential reading because her description of the grieving process is both comprehensive and illuminating. It covers both the practical and emotional steps necessary to recover from a major loss-from managing funeral preparations to learning how to accept help from friends and family.
This product was recommended by Tim Sutton from CoffeeGeek TV
The Stranger by Albert Camus is a fictional novel that encapsulates the existentialist ideas of the author. It’s reflected through the main character’s conflictingly indifferent attitudes towards every event in his life, from the death of his mother, his relationships with those surrounding him to his crime, and finally his own demise. Only when he realized and understood the irrationality of human existence and his eventually inevitable death did he feel at peace and liberated to make the most of his final days.
This product was recommended by Steven Walker from Spylix
It portrays marriage and life within the good and bad times. It speaks to anyone who wholeheartedly loved a husband, wife, or child. This book can be seen as an act of consummate and compassionate literary bravery.
This product was recommended by Steven Walker from Spylix
It is a fascinating story of family, food, grief, and endurance. Michelle Zauner proves that she is far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She talks about fully living with all her senses and her relationship with her mother with spirit and compassion. She beautifully maps her relationship with her mother through this book.
This product was recommended by Steven Walker from Spylix
This book helps you validate your emotions and help people understand that it’s OK if they are grieving. No one can skip the grieving stage, and most people think and say that just move on, but they need to understand that moving on is the next step. You can’t skip the grieving stage and just and move on stage because you have to go through the grieving stage to get to the move on stage, so if you have lost something or someone, it’s OK to grieve.. It’s OK if you are not OK.
This product was recommended by Daniela Sawyer from FindPeopleFast
This is a great book. That will help you. It made sense, written in 1960, so have it in mind. However, you will feel the concepts were relevant, and the writing is lovely. This book is entirely profound, and although it’s about the loss of his wife/grief/bereavement would maybe give you a bit of an understanding of any grief or death situation.
This product was recommended by Daniela Sawyer from FindPeopleFast
One of the good grief books is because it (1) tackles the myths/stereotypes of the grief technique and (2) grants different segments for every kind of relationship (friend, spouse, child, parent, etc.). Extraordinarily well-written and thoughtful for grief and death
This product was recommended by Denise Macuk from Chef Denise
I was given the book How to Survive the Loss of a Love when I lost my younger sister, Christine. Her unexpected death at the age of 23 completely devastated me. She was my best friend, my only sibling, and the one person I couldn’t imaging living the rest of my life without. The friend that gave me the book had also lost a sibling, someone had given the book to her. She had survived, so I read it. Although it’s a very easy read, it offered some comfort and suggestions on moving forward that actually helped me. I have, in turn, given this book to others trying to cope with the death of a love one. Since no magic pill exists for grieving and healing, it is amazing that you can find compassion and understanding in the pages of a book.
This product was recommended by Andrea Wilson Woods from Better Off Bald
Adrienne Wilson is a depressed, suicidal teenager—until the day she receives a diagnosis of stage IV liver cancer. Facing the fight of her life, Adrienne discovers just how much she wants to live. Many Books Review: “Even though Better Off Bald has a somber ending—as some cancer stories inevitably do—there is a powerful message about both living and dying with dignity. For readers who are personally facing cancer—in themselves or a loved one—this book will surely serve as a tremendous resource, for both its technical aspects and the complex emotional picture it paints. For all other people, it is definitely still worth the read. Its lessons about living life to its fullest, cherishing loved ones, and not giving up are invaluable.”
This product was recommended by Carrie Thornbrugh from Bookclubz
I’ve recently experienced the loss of a loved one and a friend gifted me this book to help guide me through my grief. I had zero expectations for this book because so far nothing and no one has been able to offer much comfort to me in these early days. But the insight and wisdom it offers has surprised and moved me. To put it simply, when everything falls apart, we run out of escape options. It’s in this moment that if we stop running away from pain or fear and move towards it, we can become familiar with it, make room for it, and live more fully in the present.
This product was recommended by Carrie Thornbrugh from Bookclubz
This book is not specifically about death but it is about going through difficult and challenging times…one of which is grief. I loved this book and it’s helped me to be kinder to myself during my grieving process. She stresses that the process of wintering or struggle is natural and inevitable and encourages the reader to embrace the process so that you can grow and learn. “We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”
This product was recommended by Sally Stevens from FastPeopleSearch
When Breath Becomes Air (2016) made a huge splash, becoming an NYT bestseller, etc. Even Bill Gates read (and reviewed and loved) it. In it, Dr. Paul Kalanithi basically tells his life’s story in two main threads: how he came to choose, learn, and practice medicine, and how he’s fighting late-stage lung cancer in only his mid-30s. The situation has (had…) all the makings of a kind of hero’s journey and no wonder it grabbed people’s attention. A superstar young doctor dying of lung cancer right after bringing home a new baby, imagine that. Sadly, he did not get well and that is tragic, but his life was not a tragedy, it was full of hope, and while going through chemo treatments. Hope was everything to me!!
This product was recommended by Alina Clark from CocoDoc
Dr Kubler-Ross is a hero of mine. I bought this as a gift. I read the book many years ago and the information from the book has stayed with me for all these years. If you have a loved one dying, or even has died, the story of this book can help you. At the time I read it, I had no loved one sick or dying, I was just curious. I read and read and learned from it. I would buy again and gift to someone I care for and about. A book for a lifetime.
This product was recommended by Christian Velitchkov from Twiz LLC
This book is all about learning how one can move on from the emotional trauma and prevent from getting into the spiral of negativity after a loss. It focuses on the fact that everyday change and not every day would be an awful day. It can help users look at the better side and live happier life.
This product was recommended by Hilda Wong from Content Dog
This book is focused mostly on helping children recover from losses in their lives. While adults often suffer from depression after losing their loved ones, children also get traumatized equally or even worse. This is when this book can be very helpful in helping children cope up with the dark side and have a brighter future.
This product was recommended by Hilda Wong from Content Dog
Often, people get traumatized for life after a certain loss. While expressing grief is normal, being stuck to it for years can be really dangerous. This book talks about the psychological aspect of dealing with stress and anxiety after a loss and how people can gradually come out of it while taking control of their emotions.
This product was recommended by Erin LaCkore from LaCkore Couture
Children perceive deaths differently, especially if it’s a first-time experience. They may have multiple questions revolving in their head, which can go unanswered. This book explains the phenomenon of death and grief in a simplistic manner to give them closure on their questions and close the chapter for good.
This product was recommended by Erin LaCkore from LaCkore Couture
This book is the perfect companion one can have to help them with their grief. It is the kind of book that gives a better direction and helps to recover from the loss. It also talks about the myths and assumptions of suicides and homicides, which can be quite awakening too.
This product was recommended by Erin Mastopietro from Dope Dog
This book is not a standard book that only helps with dealing with sadness after death. If one is intrigued by learning more about clinical depression and PTSD, this book could be the right choice as it covers the core science about death and the after-effects, which are also backed up by years of research.
This product was recommended by Erin Mastopietro from Dope Dog
If one is alone after a loss and has no one to rely on, this book can be highly beneficial in helping them come out of the trauma. With utter compassion and love, it navigates the readers with all the changes after the death and helps them cope up with it well.
This product was recommended by Sam Lockwood from 52Editions
A firsthand account is usually important when it comes to books about mourning. Rosemary Keevil’s memoir chronicles her experiences during a tumultuous period in her life, when her brother and husband both died of severe diseases in the same year, leaving Rosemary with two girls and an addiction problem. Rosemary’s journey as a bereaved single mother and her battle with addiction that lands her in treatment is chronicled in The Art of Losing It. This honest glimpse into her life can be comforting to individuals who have recently lost a loved one, are dealing with drug issues, or are dealing with both.
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