Grief Book Recommendations: WYG Book Club Edition
/ General : Eleanor Haley
A little while back, we asked people on our Facebook Page to share their grief book recommendations. People ask us this question all the time. So in turn, we often ask others this question when we're talking to different groups of people. It's helpful to know what others have found beneficial, and someone shares a gem we've never heard of once in a while.
Because this is such a frequent question we receive, I've long had it on my 'to-do' list to put a really comprehensive book list together for the site. But every time I start I get overwhelmed. There are so many books, and I don't know where to begin! For example, this most recent time, when we asked for recommendations on Facebook, we got over 250 responses! I was so grateful to people for sharing, but I didn't know where to begin trying to organize them.
It's difficult to pare down a really solid list because I have yet to read all these books. And checking Amazon reviews tells me what I already know; for every book that is loved, a handful of people also say, "nope, this was not for me." So there is no single book for everyone, which makes the question, "Can you recommend the best grief book?" so impossible. Because the answer is, "that depends!"
[Though we're always happy to recommend our own book, What's Your Grief? Lists to help you through any loss]
How about a "recommended grief book" series instead?
So, I'm abandoning my very-comprehensive-grief-book-list plan, and instead, I've decided to do more of a grief book series. I'm going to start with What's Your Grief Book Club picks. These are books we've read as a part of our book club in our Virtual Grief Community and Virtual Grief Professional Community. We originally selected them because they came highly recommended or because they were already WYG favs. After reading each book, we've given them all our seal of approval!
I have started a list of recommendations for future installments by recommended audience. For example, "best books for grieving children" or "best books for someone grieving a parent", etc. If you have a recommendation to share, please post it in the comments below and share if there's a specific audience the book may be "best" for.
*If your browse and buy via affiliate links below a small percentage comes back to support WYG. However, this is not why we've selected or shared these books. We've selected and share them because the WYG book club read them (and liked all of them!). Also, how you get your hands on these books is up to you. We strongly encourage you to check your local library or visit your local bookstore!
Grief Book Recommendations from the What's Your Grief Book Club
The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O'Connor
"In The Grieving Brain, neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, gives us a fascinating new window into one of the hallmark experiences of being human. O’Connor has devoted decades to researching the effects of grief on the brain, and in this book, she makes cutting-edge neuroscience accessible through her contagious enthusiasm, and guides us through how we encode love and grief. With love, our neurons help us form attachments to others; but, with loss, our brain must come to terms with where our loved ones went, or how to imagine a future that encompasses their absence. "
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Resilient Grieving: How to Find Your Way Through a Devastating Loss (Finding Strength and Embracing Life After a Loss that Changes Everything) by Lucy Hone
"Author and resilience/well-being expert Lucy Hone, a pioneer in positive psychology and bereavement research, was faced with her own inescapable sorrow when, in 2014, her 12-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. By following the strategies of resilient grieving, she found a proactive way to move through her grief, and, over time, embrace life again."
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Faith Doesn't Erase Grief: Embracing the Experience and Finding Hope by Kate J. Meyer
"The grieving process is part of being human, but far too often, grievers are pushed out of grief and rushed into rejoicing that their loved one is in heaven. Alternately, those who allow themselves to grieve openly are shamed for doing so, often resulting in turning away from faith. It is time for a better way to acknowledge that you can struggle with grief and still love God."
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The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller
"Noted psychotherapist Francis Weller provides an essential guide for navigating the deep waters of sorrow and loss in this lyrical yet practical handbook for mastering the art of grieving. Describing how Western patterns of amnesia and anesthesia affect our capacity to cope with personal and collective sorrows, Weller reveals the new vitality we may encounter when we welcome, rather than fear, the pain of loss. Through moving personal stories, poetry, and insightful reflections he leads us into the central energy of sorrow, and to the profound healing and heightened communion with each other and our planet that reside alongside it."
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Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Anna Whiston-Donaldson
“I wish I had nothing to say on the matter of loss, but I do. Because one day I encouraged my two kids to go out and play in the rain, and only one came home. . . .”
On an ordinary September day, twelve-year-old Jack is swept away in a freak neighborhood flood. His parents and younger sister are left to wrestle with awful questions: How could God let this happen? Can we ever be happy again?"
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Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
"In 2004, at a beach resort on the coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala and her family—parents, husband, sons—were swept away by a tsunami. Only Sonali survived to tell their tale. This is her account of the nearly incomprehensible event and its aftermath."
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Past Grief Book Articles:
We wrote a book!
After writing online articles for What’s Your Grief
for over a decade, we finally wrote a tangible,
real-life book!
What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss is for people experiencing any type of loss. This book discusses some of the most common grief experiences and breaks down psychological concepts to help you understand your thoughts and emotions. It also shares useful coping tools, and helps the reader reflect on their unique relationship with grief and loss.
You can find What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss wherever you buy books:
Chris Buchanan May 5, 2023 at 4:13 pm
How about “best books about grief for teens?” I’m about to self-publish a short YA GRAPHIC NOVEL, RIP Corey: My Best Friend Died and It Sucks! Based on my true story, high school senior, Sam, shares their journal showing their thoughts and actions in the year following Corey’s unexpected death after 50 days in the hospital.
I tried to find a book like this for our friends with special needs, English language learners, etc who read at a 1-2 grade level or who CAN read higher, but are emotionally overwhelmed and don’t FEEL like reading a lot. Would be a great resource for any home, classroom, counselor’s office, hospice, etc. A free study guide will be available for classroom use too.
anonymous February 14, 2023 at 6:38 pm
Grief Works Stories of Life, Death and Surviving (2017) by Julia Samuel
She also wrote a more recent lovely book Every Family Has a Story (2022)
I bought these from betterworldbooks.com.
I am not on Facebook nor shop Amazon so I don’t know if the books are there.
Am only just reading this post today, 2/14/2023. Thanks.
Denise Lara Mangalino March 30, 2023 at 12:53 pm
Thank you for these wonderful recommendations!