Books for those in Grief and Mourning

This is just a list of some of the books I've read that might be helpful to those searching for insight. Of course, what you're really searching for is answers, but we'll never find those. As such, insight is just about as close as we can come in our gropings for meanings in the face of death, especially unexpected death. If you have read other books that you would like to recommend, please feel free to add the titles, authors and a description as a comment at the end of this post.

I'm Grieving As Fast As I Can, Linda Sones Feinberg - This is a book written especially for young widows. Being young and alone is a very unique experience, and one that lacks coverage in most grieving material. This book deals specifically with the issues facing young widows and widowers, such as parenting after the loss of a spouse, dating, the in-laws and feeling alienation from others in our age group and social circles. It's a very good book and though not really helpful in helping you deal with any specific issues or grief blocks, it does cover a lot of the range of emotion you may be having trouble sharing with your friends and family. It includes a lot of testimonials from other widowed people, which helps relieve the feeling of isolation and guilt about our feelings. This book actually inspired the name of this blog, as the blog title was what I kept referring to the book as when I mentioned it in my journal or to friends.

The Worst Loss, Barbara Rosof - This book was mentioned to me by my mother-in-law a number of times and it recieved many good reviews from readers on Amazon. Several of the reader reviews mentioned that this was the best book they had read, and that it was very helpful to them. This book is for parents who have suffered the loss of their child and it covers several topics including suicides, adult and childhood deaths, sudden death and your relationship with your spouse after the death of a child.

I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye, Brook Noel and Pamela Blair - Also an excellent book, actually the best one I've read. This book specifically deals with those who are mourning someone who died suddenly. It has several different sections dealing with spouses, parents, siblings and the death of children. Both of the authors have suffered the unexpected death of a loved one and their writing is correspondingly sympathetic, understanding and supportive. The book is especially good at presenting comforting and important information, no matter what your personal belief system may be, and includes a number of exercises for helping to move through (rather than beyond) grief.

The Bible, God (or a bunch of old, dead, white guys, depending upon your point of view) - I've acutally never read this one, nor do I intend to, but I have heard from several people that comfort, salvation and answers are to be found within. The guy with the flowers down at the airport assures me that reading this book will put you on the fast track to understanding the death of your loved one and being at peace with said death. However, the guy with the flowers at the airport seemed a little shady to me... but I promised I'd pass the message along. Personally I think if you want a message from God, you're better off talking to Him yourself. I've spent many hours yelling at him, but I think he's put me on call waiting. (I'm sorry, God is currently busy. Please try your call again later. If you require immediate assistance or results, you could always try the Devil. His lines are always open. Thank you for calling, and have a nice life).