Many books have been written on the subject of grief – some good, some bad. In my own quest for understanding, for the most part, I found books that have been written by those who had “been there” spoke to me in a more honest, practical way than those written by others (i.e. psychologists analyzing from a third person view sometimes tend to come across clinical and detached). Unless a person has walked the walk, sometimes unrealistic expectations or timelines are communicated.
Read, read, read! If a book doesn’t “say” anything to you, find another one. I check books on grief out of the library. If the book is good and has something valid to say to me, I may buy it so I can highlight and make notes in it as I read.
A word of caution: This list is not meant to be a place to find a book title to buy and hand to a griever. It’s a place to find a book to further understanding the subject of parental grief.
This book list is a work in progress. More books will be added from time to time.
Callaway, Ginny. “A Friend in Grief: Simple Ways to Help” Fairview, NC: High Windy Press, 2011.
D’Arcy, Paula. When People Grieve: The Power of Love in the Midst of Pain. New York: Crossroads Publishing Co., 2005.
Ellis, Thomas. This Thing Called Grief: New Understandings of Loss. Minneapolis, MN: Syren Book Co., 2006.
Hood, Ann. Comfort: A Journey Through Grief. New York: W.W. Horton & Co., Inc., 2008.
James, J. and R. Friedman. The Grief Recovery Handbook (25th Edition). New York: Harper Collins, 2009.
King, Alicia. Sorry For Your Loss: What People Who Are Grieving Wish You Knew. New York: Turner Publishing Company, 2010.
Knapp, Ronald J. Beyond Endurance: When a Child Dies. New York: Schocken Books, 1986.
Murray, Donald M. The Lively Shadow: Living with the Death of a Child. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003.
Rondo, Therese A., Editor. Parental Loss of a Child. Champaign, IL: Research Press Company, 1986.
Rosof, Barbara D. The Worst Loss: How Families Heal from the Death of a Child. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1994.
Silverman, Wm. B. and Kenneth M. Cinnamon. When Mourning Comes. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, Inc., Publishers, 1982.
Smith, Harold Ivan. ABC’s of Healthy Grieving. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2007.
Grief: One Woman's Perspective 