Grief Related Books
This book list has been provided by the Missouri Hospice & Palliative Care Association. You might be able to find these and other books at your local library, bookstore, or online. Listing does not constitute endorsement.
Grief and Loss
When a Friend Faces the End of Life A free brochure written by a BJC Hospice patient
"A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance – Help for the Losses in Life" From Aid Association for Lutherans 1-800-225-5225
Seventy-two pages of help for healing from many kinds of illnesses and losses, with 9 of those pages as references to numerous other sources of help
"Beyond Grief – A Guide for Recovering from the Death of a Loved One" by Carol Staudacher
"The Grief Recovery Handbook" See the www.grief-recovery.com for ordering
"Companion Through the Darkness: Inner Dialogues on Grief" by Stephanie Ericsson
"Don’t Take My Grief Away From Me" by Doug Manning
"Letters to My Husband" by Fern Field Brooks
"Good Grief" by Granger Westberg
Grief and loss through a Christian perspective
"Why Are the Casseroles Always Tuna? A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Grief" by Darcie Sims
"No Time for Goodbyes: Coping with Sorrow, Anger and Injustice After a Tragic Death" by J.H. Lord
For those whose loved one experienced a sudden, and tragic or violent death
"A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis
The author’s efforts to console himself after the death of his wife, reflecting on the fundamental issues of life, death and how one’s faith is affected by the loss of a loved one
"Living When A Loved One Has Died" by Earl Grollman
"When Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Harold S. Kushner
Rabbi Kushner wrote this book when he and his wife learned of their infant son’s major illness. This is a look at why the righteous suffer, reasons for suffering, the role of religion in our losses and our relationship with God as we struggle with our hurting
"Life is Good bye, Life is Hello: Grieving Well Through All Kinds of Losses" by Alla Bozarth-Campbell
Written by an Episcopal priest and therapist looking at all aspects of grieving and a variety of lifetime changes and losses
"Making Loss Matter" by Rabbi David Wolpe
Based on ancient Jewish teachings, deals not only with death, but with many of the painful losses in life
"Winter Grief, Summer Grace: Returning to Life After a Loved One Dies" by James E. Miller
Offers relief to grievers using reflective text, photographs and suggestions for healing and coping
"Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul" by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
"A Guide to Understanding Guilt During Bereavement" by Robert Baugher
"Understanding Anger During Bereavement" by Robert Baugher
What is anger, what causes anger and suggestions for coping with anger
"Empty Cradle, Broken Heart – Surviving the Death of Your Baby " by Deborah L. Davis
"Talking About Death-A Dialogue Between Parent and Child" by Earl Grollman
Highly recommended by Parent's Magazine
"Giving Sorrow Words" by Candy Lightner (Founder of MADD)
"No Time for Goodbyes – Coping with Sorrow, Anger and Injustice After A Tragic Death" by Janice H. Lord
"How to Go on Living When Someone You Loves Dies"; by Theresa A. Rando, PhD.
"Understanding Grief: Helping Yourself Heal" by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD.
"Living Beyond Loss" by Walsh and McGoldrick
"The Mourning Handbook: The Most Comprehensive Resources Offering Practical and Compassionate Advice on Coping with all Aspects of Death and Dying" by Helen Fitzgerald
Grieving Men
"Swallowed by a Snake: the Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing" by Thomas R. Golden
"Men and Grief – A Guide for Men Surviving the Death of Loved One" by Carol Staudacher
"When Men Grieve: Why Men Grieve Differently and How You Can Help" by Elizabeth Levang
"The Death of a Wife: Reflections for a Grieving Husband" (31 Stories and Poems) by Robert Vogt
"When a Man Faces Grief/ A Man You Know is Grieving" by James E. Miller
"Widower: When Men Are Left Alone" (Death, Value and Meaning) by Phyllis Silverman
"Men Don’t Cry, Women Do: Transcending Gender Stereotypes of Grief" by Kenneth J. Doka and Terry L. Martin
"Getting to the Other Side of Grief: Overcoming the Loss of a Spouse" by Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert DeVries
Not just for men but for spouses experiencing loss
Meditations, Prayers and Scripture
"A Time to Grieve – Meditations for Healing after the Death of a Loved One" by Carol Staudacher
"Healing After the Loss" by Martha Whitmore Hickman
A year's worth of daily meditations for working through grief
"Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled" by E.J. Saleska
Prayers and scripture texts for the bereaved
"Heaven" by George Beiderwieden
Consoling Those Grieving
"My Friend, I Care – The Grief Experience" by Barbara Karnes
"I Know Just How You Feel" by Erin Linn
"The Resilient Spirit" by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D.
"What Will Help Me? 12 Things to Remember When You Have Suffered a Loss" by James E. Miller
"How Can I Help? & 12 Things to Do When Someone You Know Suffers A Loss" by James E. Miller
Two short books with practical, caring, comforting words for those who are experiencing loss and/or for those who wish to comfort others in their loss
"Finding the Right Words: Offering Care and Comfort When You Don’t Know What to Say" by Wilfred Bockleman
Survivors of Suicide
"That Nothing Be Wasted" by Mary Langford
a mother’s story surviving the suicide death of her son
"Dancing With the Skeleton" by Centering Corporation
"Handbook of Hope" by Mary Burgess
Losing Parents in Midlife
"Midlife Orphan-Facing Life’s Choices Now that Your Parents Are Gone" by Jane Brooks
"On Grieving the Death of a Father" by Harold J. Smith
Recollections of fathers’ deaths by a variety of well-known personalities
Death of a Child
"Our Stories of Miscarriage: Healing with Words" by Rachel and Fitton Faldat
50 personal stories of those suffering from miscarriages, written to help comfort and give hope to those also experiencing such loss
"At the Death of a Child" by Donald Deffner
Addresses the emotional, physical and spiritual anguish bereaved parents experience and communicates the hope found in the Gospel
"They’re All Dead Aren’t They?" by Joy Swift
A young mother tragically loses five children and finds recovery and health through faith
"Angelic Presence" by Cathy Lammerts and Sue Friedeck
"God is a Birdwatcher" by Linda Musser
"Roses in December" by Marilyn Heavilin
"Fly Away Home" by Deborah Davis, PhD
For bereaved parents who turned away from medical intervention for their critically ill child
"The Walking Wounded" by Beverly Foote Barbo
A mother’s story of her son’s AIDS-related death
"Left Behind" by Carol Kifer
"Never Too Old for a Lullaby" by Juanita White
"Into the Valley and Out Again" by Richard Edler
"Andy’s Mountain" by Dwight Patton
Observations and conclusions about grief from the death of a child
"When the Bough Breaks" by Judith Bernstein
"When Good- bye is Forever" by John Bramblett
"Butterflies, Angels and Roses" by Frances Wohlenhaus-Munday
"What to do When the Police Leave" by Bill Jenkins
A victim’s father addresses the special needs of traumatic loss with insight, sensitivity support and comfort
Death of a Grandchild
"For Bereaved Grandparents" by Margaret Gerner
Addresses the issues grandparents are facing when experiencing this grief
"When a Grandchild Dies" by Nadine Galinsky
A guide for grandparents working their own grief while comforting their child
Helping Children 4 and Older
"What on Earth Do You Do When Somebody Dies?" by Trevor Romain
"Aarvy Aardvark Finds Hope" by Donna O’Toole
"The Empty Place" by Roberta Temes, PhD.
"Lifetimes" by Myran Mellonie and Robert Ingpen
"Badger’s Parting Gift" by Susan Varley
"When Dinosaurs Die" by Laurie Krasney Brown and Marc Brown
"The Fall of Freddie the Leaf" by Leo Buscaglia
"The Invisible String" by Patrice Karst and Geoff Stevenson
"Rainbow Feelings of Cancer" by Carrie and Chia Martin
"I Miss You" by Pat Thomas
For Grieving Teens
"Common Threads of Teenage Grief" by Janet Tyson
"The Grieving Teen" by Helen Fitzgerald
"Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers" by Earl A. Grollman
"Help for the Hard Times" by Earl Hipp
For Parents
"Helping Children Cope with the Loss of a Loved One" by William C. Kroen, PhD., LMHC
"Helping Children Grieve: When Someone They Love Dies" by Theresa Huntley
"A Child’s View of Grief: A Guide for Caring Adults" by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD.
"The Loss That Is Forever: The Lifelong Impact of the Early Death of a Mother or Father" by Maxine Harris, PhD
Eulogies and Epitaphs
"Remembrances and Celebrations: A Book of Eulogies, Elegies, Letters and Epitaphs" by Pantheon Books
"A Labor of Love: How to Write a Eulogy" by Garry Schaeffer
A self-help author guides people with no time or experience in a how-to for writing highly personal expressions of love, respect and memory