On Grief and Grieving
927848
"Grief is the intense emotional response to the pain of a loss. It is the reflection of a connection that has been broken. Most important, grief is an emotional, spiritual, and psychological journey to healing." pg. 227

This book has been a tremendous help to me. I lost my husband, my best friend 7 months ago. I am not the kind of person who opens up to my close friends and family much less a therapist. I new I needed some help to get a perspective of what I was experiencing and feeling in my loss.
I saw myself going through the 5 stages of grief; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.
In going through all these stages and reading this wonderful book I realize that it is ok to feel sad, it is ok to look at the picture of us and cry and even be angry because we won't be going back to Hawaii like we talked about. It's ok to not want to get out of bed some days.
The most important thing I gained from reading this book is the fact that because he went away, my life is forever changed, I will never "get over it", and my family and friends will have to realize that.
"The person you were is forever changed.
A part of the old you died with your loved one. And a part of your loved one lives on in the new you." pg. 119
1667094
This is a sad, but well written short story about a woman who has just lost someone they love. It's hard hitting if the reader has also lost someone close to them. The grief is real and well written.. The story is short, but the emotions are real.

There is a twist at the end that I won't reveal because I never put spoilers in reviews. You'll just have to read yourself
1321595
This book deals with two types of grief. A) The unresolved grief of a Missing Person--those not physically there but emotionally present in your heart.  B) The unresolved grief of people who are physically present but otherwise absent from you. I bought the book for item A)...the lose of person whose body was never found. I found it to be a very helpful.  I highly recommend it. There are not many books out there on the market that address this purpose. I read further and continued to item B). This was not why I bought the book but I thought what she had to say was very true and enlightening. People become missing from our lives for a variety of reasons. The author, by her own research sheds light into these reasons.
2065760
I recently gave copies of Dr. Rodger Murchison's book, "Guide for Grief" to my two sons and my sister because it is a valuable book for current reading and to have on the bookshelf for future reference.  Grief is a subject that we all try to avoid, but it is a natural issue of life.  Rodger Murchison has served our church well for 25 years and has vast experience in conducting funerals and grief workshops.  His sensitivity for the feelings of people is demonstrated in this book as he deals with the natural questions that people ask when they have lost a loved one.  Sooner or later grief will be an issue for all of us so I believe  that reading Rodger Murchison's book can help anyone get through the grieving process with better understanding and acceptance.
821080
"Aftermath: Growing in Grace through Grief" reaches out to people who are hurting over losing loved ones. It shares stories about Margaret Sweeney's "aftermath" experiences and how she has healed and continues to heal from those losses in her life. It also shares letters, poems, and other writings from Margaret's mother Carolyn Rhea from her "aftermath" experiences. The stories that are shared are used to help encourage people to go through all the stages of grief and explains there is no definite order that they happen. The readers will constantly be shown how notes of affirmation are important and will be encouraged to even send email and text affirmations because they are also beneficial for people to receive.

"Aftermath" described to me what came later after I'd been to many funerals in my life over a short period of time, and in some cases when I couldn't get to some of the funerals and had to find the realness of the losses without them. Even though I didn't understand it was the "aftermath" of what happened from those events at the time, this book has shown me that is what I was experiencing. It's the shattered feeling I sometimes felt after someone died and then the picking up of the pieces one broken piece at a time. It's the "what do I do now?" moments and the times where I sat in one place in silence for hours from the shock. It's the words I wanted to speak but couldn't get out of my mouth, the silent moments when people knew I was hurting but didn't know what they could do to take the pain away. It's also the path of finding people who went through similar experiences that I could talk to and the healing that came from not only talking to them but just being there with them, sitting beside them, speaking a little bit or being totally silent as we were going through the same experiences. Reading "Aftermath" was a great way to show me that each person's experience after losses in their lives are unique, how they grieve differently, and how they heal differently.

This would be great book to add to lists of suggested reading material for people being helped through bereavement ministries.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
905324
One of the best books you will read about explanation of grief....if you can find it (isn't it out of print?)
129985
Grief can cause people to try drastic things to reconnect with a dead lived one...or is it guilt that causes this.  Excellent writing.  Excellent story.  I hope I see more of these characters.
1069963
I lost my spouse 4 years ago, and with her passing came my grief.  I've read a lot about bereavement, hoping to understand what I was experiencing better.

This is the best book about grief I've come across. Clearly written and interesting. The author has done research on grief for years. Its comforting to know about this research. There's a lot in the book about natural resilience, and how we are wired naturally to deal with loss. But I found the chapter on severe grief reactions and therapy especially helpful.

The author's message appears to me that therapy for bereavement works, but only when you need it. That seems about right to me.
1733926
I strongly recommend this book. It is the best book on grief. I am a pastor. This book helped me.
4734272
My husband died suddenly of a heart attack a little over a year ago.  A friend loaned me this book, and then I bought my own copy to read a second time.  I gave that copy away, and am thinking of buying another to read for a third time.

Joan Didion focuses on an aspect of grief that is explored only briefly in the other books I've read.  As the title states, this book covers in detail Didion's thinking process during the year following her husband's death.  How grief can cause a normally rational person to lose their ability to recognize cause and effect, to cloud one's ability to see the absurdity of their thinking, and to make them powerless to change their behavior, even when it becomes obvious that they are not thinking clearly.

This book is NOT about Didion's emotional response.  That aspect of her grief is implied throughout the book, but is rarely discussed directly.

The details of Didion's life during the year following her husband's death, and of her early years and married life, serve to illustrate her thinking process during this year.  The reader is allowed to follow her brain around for a year, and I found it fascinating.

I enjoyed the book not only for her honest and detailed observations, but because I recognized similar behavior's in my own life this past year.  Reading this book has helped me move forward with my life.  I am no longer trying to think my way out of my grief.  Now I try to let my brain work on finding ways  to treat myself with kindness and participate in activities that bring me joy.  I am still grieving for my husband, the tears haven't stopped, but I find it easier to accept that his death wasn't my fault and that he would want me to be happy.

If you have lost a life partner, someone who you spent most of your time with, a  person who was your friend, your companion, your lover, your best supporter and your best critic, you need to read this book.
1035298
This book was notable for several reasons. First, it presents grieving over loss as a normal, therapeutic process. It covers a wide range of possible occasions of loss from the loss of an ideal to the more recognizeable losses such as the death of a loved one. The authors acquaint the reader with the phenomenon they term "anticipatory grief," the feelings that emerge when one  is dealing with losses that will occur due to the lengthy process of a terminal illness, a phenomenon Kubler-Ross also went through herself. It is its compassionate voice, though, that I think sets this book apart. Clearly, the authors have a lot of experience counseling others through bereavement, and they honor their contributors as well as the insights their contributors have shared with them. I recommend this book to anyone who has experienced loss or knows a friend in this situation. It is sensitive and enlightening.
4734010
The many symptoms of grief, that many of us, yes, even professionals do not see clearly!  As a therapist, I needed to see what the newest book on "Grief," by Dr. Norman Wright said.  Yes, it confirmed what I had already known years ago, but had forgotten many symptoms, that were apparent in my grief.  This book is comforting in the midst of the deepest pain from anything that can and does cause grief. If you know you have had a loss, then you ARE grieving, this will redirect your healing process.  Sincerely in Ministry, Dr. Carolyn Forister
4727092
I am very sad to report of my mother Alice's passing, January 27th, 2014. I am her eldest son. The book expresses my mother's honest feelings about losing her husband, (my father), the fears, the tears, and the challenges that confronted her. Every one of us will experience the sharpest kind of painful separations. Some people mitigate the pain with laughter others with drugs and alcohol. My mother did this through her writing.  All this being said, I believe there is a sequel to be written. The funeral flowers are symbols for our need to tap our roots into spirituality, to discover even deeper dimensions of life, to regenerate the garden, this time with our soul.
1607223
Your use of first person narratives was very moving.
We are now going through the experience of watching my mother decline into dementia. She is at the stage of not knowing where she is and not always recognizing us, as well as posessing mostly non-existent short-term memory.
The picture you poignantly described of the Westmount lady who was the socialite organizer describes my mother.
To see her in such a lost state is both difficult and sad.
Your book is both an easy and hard read: easy, since it's told through the basic thoughts of the characters and hard, because of the deep and sad emotions it evokes.
It's an excellent book and should be read by anyone with a loved one starting or already on the journey to an absent mind.
299018
Excellent book especially if you have lost a child of any age; A timeless book on lost and adjusting to grief
4466459
Two gentle writers share their grief over the passing of their mothers, friends and pets in a way that will lead to tears but also open the heart to healing. This is a wonderful resource for someone who is going through the process. Humor, insightful and from the heart. The back section has longer prose pieces, one by a grief counselor. I have both the Kindle edition and the hard copy, which I have loaned out twice and received grateful response.
992296
This book was recommended to me by a wonderful lady by the name of Mary who owns a bookstore in Sandwich, MA on the Cape. I was curious as to how it would fare due to how thin it was but I began reading it immediately. I could NOT put it down. I read it in one sitting as it's very easy to read due to it's journal style. Nicholas Wolterstorff is a master at writing about all the feelings one goes through after a loss. Feelings that leave you scratching your head and wondering how you arrived at them and yet mange to still function as part of society. Feelings that leave you numb and wounded from the heavy burden and pain. Feelings that if you wanted to capture you would struggle to form concise sentences from the sheer overwhelming nature of them. Nicholas manages all of the above and more. He will touch you with his heart-wrenching understanding of grief. I cried, I nodded my head, I marveled at just how much my pain was not only recognized but acknowledged and validated. My pain is still with me, you will never be rid of it nor should you want to be (a notion mentioned in the book) but I have a feeling of peace more so than before I read it. This peace I think comes from not being alone in my pain. And while I wouldn't wish the loss of a child on anyone, I'm so blessed to have had the chance to read Lament for a Son because it has allowed me to feel part of a community of mourners. A community where I am allowed to suffer and grieve, but also clearly be aware of why I suffer and that is because I LOVE. Sadly in the real world we are made to feel we must 'get over' our loss and as a result are outcast in society. Through his words Nicholas Wolterstorff shows just how much of a force death and grief affect the loved ones left on earth. This book is a gift for those in pain from loss and is also a gift for those who want to help family or friends but don't know what to say. My son was stillborn and while this loss is diffeent from losing a 25 year old child, it is still a loss that has forever changed me. Lament for a Son has helped me in my grief, and I hope it helps your pain too.