Books About Grief

"One of these (tools for grieving) can be reading, which offers a way to share, process, and understand sorrow. In fiction and nonfiction, through messy dramas or astute insight into the human condition, authors examine how grief can be a reckoning, a nuisance, a period of stasis, or an incomplete project. Writing alone can’t take away the pain, but prose can be part of one’s internal healing." (Edna Bonhomme)

This list includes only a small selection of the thousands of books available on grief. Please check back often as I continually add recommendations. Your local library may offer many of these titles to borrow; you can also find them on Amazon.

Recommend a Book

It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand by Megan Devine
When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner
Finding Inner Courage by Mark Nepo
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Healing After Loss by Martha Hickman
The Other Side of Sadness by George Bonanno
Grief: Contemporary Theory and the Practice of Ministry by Melissa Kelley
Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing by Anne Brener (2001)
Sacred Ceremony: How to Create Ceremonies for Healing, Transitions and Celebrations by Steven Farmer (2002)
The Mourning Handbook: a Complete Guide for the Bereaved by Helen Fitzgerald (2002)
Why Are the Casseroles Always Tuna?: A Loving Look at the Lighter Side of Grief by Darcie Sims
Healing Your Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas by Alan Wolfe
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Information and resources on this website are not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, medical or health advice. Information on this website is not a substitute for medical advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.