A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
Written after his wife's tragic death as a way of surviving the "mad midnight moment," A Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis's honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. This work contains his concise, genuine reflections on that period: "Nothing will shake a man -- or at any rate a man like me -- out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself." This is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings.
After Suicide Loss by Bob Baugher
This 67-page book is written for the person whose loved one has died by suicide. With the input from 24 suicide survivors the book guides the reader through the first few days, weeks, months, year, and beyond. Includes ten stories from relatives and friends of people who've died from suicide.
Black Suicide by Alton R. Kirk, Ph.D
Only in recent years have black people begun to recognize that suicide is a major problem for the African-American community. Suicide within this population exists in far greater numbers and for a longer period than many people realize, declares Dr. Alton R. Kirk. For more than 35 years, Dr. Kirk has been studying, teaching, and researching the literature of black suicide. In this landmark study, Black Suicide: The Tragic Reality of America's Deadliest Secret, he discusses several theories about suicide. Then he examines social, economic, religious, political, psychological, and racial forces that contribute to black suicide. He provides a unique perspective in his chapter on survivors-those left behind after a suicide. They describe how the suicide of their loved ones has affected their lives, destroyed their dreams, and left them in a state of turmoil and pain. Finally, Dr. Kirk recommends ways both to help reduce the number of suicides and detect behaviors that are destructive to black people.
Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser
This inspiring guide to healing and growth illuminates the richness and potential of every life, even in the face of loss and adversity—now updated with additional toolbox materials and a new preface by the author
Dying to Be Free by Beverly Cobain & Jean Larch
Surviving the heartbreak of a loved one's suicide - you don't have to go through it alone. Authors Beverly Cobain and Jean Larch break through suicide's silent stigma in Dying to Be Free, offering gentle advice for those left behind, so that healing can begin.
Healing After Loss by Martha W. Hickman
For those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, here are thoughtful words to strengthen, inspire and comfort.
Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One by Ann Smolin & John Guinan
Too often people suffering the aftermath of a suicide suffer alone. As the survivor of a person who has ended his or her own life, you are left a painful legacy -- and not one that you chose. Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One will help you take the first steps toward healing. While each individual becomes a suicide survivor in his or her own way, there are predictable phases of pain that most survivors experience sooner or later, from the grief and depression of mourning to guilt, rage, and despair over what you have lost.
A Mother's Loss Workbook by Diane Hambrook
To tell you how to use this workbook would be like giving you instructions on how to grieve. Impossible. The only thing we know for sure is that no two people will approach this work in the same way. If there is one thing you should remember as you begin this process, it is this: You are not alone. With that knowledge, you have already begun to heal.
Motherless Daughter: The Legacy of Loss by Hope Edelman
Although a mother's mortality is inevitable no book has discussed the profound lasting and far-reaching effects of this loss until Motherless Daughters, which became an instant classic. More than twenty years later, it is still the go-to book that women of all ages look to for comfort, help, and understanding when their mother dies.
Sailing Alone Around the Room By Billy Collins
Poems that may begin in curiosity and end in grief; they may start with irony and end with lyric transformation; they may, and often do, begin with the every day and end in the infinite.
The Grief Recovery Handbook By John James
Updated to commemorate its 20th anniversary, this classic resource further explores the effects of grief and sheds new light on how to begin to take effective actions to complete the grieving process and work towards recovery and happiness.
The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
When Someone You Love Dies By William Coleman
William Coleman discusses the fears and questions that young people have when someone they love dies, perhaps a parent, grandparent, sibling, or close friend. He offers advice and support as they struggle to understand death and helps them work through the grieving process.