Grief Bibliography

This list was last reviewed and modified on November 9, 2024.  You'll find the original list, with links to comments from some of our members, here: Grief Bibliography. 

It has been said that every grief needs a thousand tellings. When we are stricken with grief over the loss of someone we dearly love, whether that is a special person in our lives or even a treasured companion animal, we each will have our own stories to tell, as well as a need to know the stories of others.

Whether written by experts in grief intervention, or by ordinary people who have found their own way through grief, today there are literally dozens of excellent books on bereavement and loss, and they are readily available to all of us.

To better understand death and dying in general (and pet loss in particular), teachers, helpers, parents and children can also find and read a vast assortment of stories and books written especially for children.

These wonderful sources of hope and healing are as near as the bereavement section of your local library or neighborhood bookstore, or you can browse through some of the hundreds of titles available over the Internet.

I'd also like to share with you an ever-growing list of books specifically recommended by the bereaved themselves to their fellow mourners, all of whom are members of our online Grief Healing Discussion Groups.

For your convenience, you can click on any of the book titles listed below, and you'll be taken directly to Amazon's description and reviews of each book on the list. Note that you are under no obligation to purchase from Amazon, but be aware that doing so via the links on this page will help support the maintenance of our Grief Healing websites. Grief Healing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn modest advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

You will find many of these titles in your local public library, or you can ask if your librarian will order them for you.

(Note: If you are looking for books written especially for those who are anticipating or coping with the loss of a cherished companion animal, you'll find a list of those here: Books, Book Excerpts on Pet Loss.)

If you have a book that has spoken to you in a special way or that you found to be particularly helpful, please let me know, so I can add it to the list!

90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper



 All of Us Warriors: Cancer Stories of Survival and Loss by Rebecca Whitehead Munn

A Place in My Heart: When Our Pets Die by Barbara Karnes

A Tearful Celebration by Dr. James Means

A Time to Grieve: Meditations for Healing, by Carol Staudacher

A to Z Healing Toolbox: A Practical Guide for Navigating Grief and Trauma with Intention by Susan Hannifin-MacNab

A Widow's Story: A Memoir by Joyce Carol Oates

A Year to Live: How to Live This Year As If It Were Your Last, by Stephen Levine

About Grief: Insights, Setbacks, Grace Notes, Taboos by Ron Morasco and Brian Shuff

Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief, by Pauline Boss

Angel Catcher,by Kathy Eldon and Amy Eldon Turteltaub

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Thich Nhat Hahn

Ask George Anderson: What Souls in the Hereafter Can Teach Us About Life by George Anderson


Beyond Loss in A Pandemic: Find Hope and Move Through Grief After Someone Close to You Dies by Linda Donovan

Blessings from the Other Side: Wisdom and Comfort from the Afterlife for This Life, by Sylvia Browne

Books by John Edward

Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss and Bold Living by Nancy Sharp





Dying with Ease: A Compassionate Guide for Making Wiser End-of-Life Decisions by Jeff Spiess, MD

Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near Death Experiences by Jeffrey Long, MD

Facing the Ultimate Loss: Confronting the Death of a Child by Robert J. Marx and Susan Wengerhoff Davidson

Falling Awake: How to Practice Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

 Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler

Finding Your Way through Grief: A Guide for the First Year by Marty Tousley

Five Good Minutes: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm and Focused All Day Long, by Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstine

Gaining Traction - Starting Over After the Death of Your Life Partner by Peggy Panagotacos

Gay Widowers: Life After the Death of a Partner, by Michael Shernoff (Editor)

Getting Grief Right: Finding Your Story of Love in The Sorrow of Loss by Patrick O'Malley and Tim Madigan

Getting to the Other Side of Grief by Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert C. DeVries

Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side, by James Van Praagh

God Got A Dog, by Cynthia Rylant

Good Grief: Healing Through the Shadow of Loss, by Deborah Morris Coryell

Grace for Grief by Michael and Brenda Pink

Grace for Grief: Daily Comfort for Those Who Mourn, by Michael and Brenda Pink

 Grief and God: When Religion Does More Harm Than Healing​​​​​​​ by Terri Daniel

Grief Day by Day: Simple Practices and Daily Guidance for Living with Loss by Jan Warner

Grief Diaries: How to Help The Newly Bereaved by Linda Cheldelin Fell, et al

Grief Diaries: Loss of Health by Linda Cheldelin Fell

Grief Diaries: Through The Eyes of A Widow​​​​​​​ by Lynda Cheldelin Fell and Maryann Mueller

Grief Diaries: Through the Eyes of Men by Fell, Jones and Hochhaus

 Grief Diaries: Surviving Sudden Loss by Lynda Cheldelin Fell and Maryann Mueller

Grief Doodling: Bringing Back Your Smiles by Harriet Hodgson

Grief Is A Journey: Finding Your Path Through Loss by Kenneth J. Doka

Grief One Day At A Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss by Alan Wolfelt

Grief's Courageous Journey: A Workbook, by Sandi Caplan and Gordon Lang

Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate and Spiritual Guide to Coping with Loss, by Sameet M. Kumar

Grieving the Death of a Mother, by Harold Ivan Smith

Grieving with Hope: Finding Comfort as You Journey Through Loss by Samuel J. Hodges and Kathy Leonard

Growing Wings: A View from Inside the Cocoon by Kristen Jongen

Happily Even After: A Guide to Getting Through (and Beyond) The Grief of Widowhood by Carole Brody Fleet

Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working through Grief, by Martha W. Hickman

Healing the Adult Child's Grieving Heart by Alan D. Wolfelt

Healing the Adult Child's Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas After Your Parent Dies, by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD

Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear and Despair by Miriam Greenspan

Healing Your Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas, by Alan D. Wolfelt


Heartbroken: Healing from the Loss of A Spouse by Gary Roe

Heart Prayers: Poems, Prayers and Meditations by Peggy A. Haymes

Hello from Heaven, by Bill and Judy Guggenheim

 Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott

Hope and Healing for Transcending Loss: Daily Meditations for Those Who Are Grieving by Ashley Davis Bush

How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies, by Therese A. Rando

How to Survive Your Grief When Someone You Love Has Died by Susan Fuller

I Wasn't Ready To Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing after the Sudden Death of a Loved One by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, PhD

I Will Always Love You and I Will Always Love You Journal by Melissa Lyons

I'm Grieving As Fast As I Can, by Linda Sones Feinberg

In Lieu of Flowers: A Conversation for the Living, by Nancy Cobb

It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand by Megan Devine

It's Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too) by Nora McInerney Purmont

Leaning Into Love: A Spiritual Journey through Grief by Elaine Mansfield

Letting Go With Love: The Grieving Process, by Nancy O'Connor

Levels of Life by Julian Barnes

Liberating Losses: When Death Brings Relief by Jennifer Elison and Chris McGonigle

Life After Death: The Burden of Proof by Deepak Chopra

Life after Loss: A Practical Guide, by Bob Deits

Life After Loss: Conquering Grief and Finding Hope, by Raymond A. Moody, Jr. and Dianne Arcangel

Life Lessons, by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler

 Living Beautifullywith Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chodron

Loss and Found: How We Survived the Loss of a Young Spouse, by Gary and Kathy Young

Love, Mom by Jalyn Scott and Allison Scott Westman

Love Never Ends by Connie Martin and Barry Dundas

Loving from the Outside In, Mourning from the Inside Out by Alan D. Wolfelt

Missing You: An Adult Coloring Book for Grief, Loss and Comfort by Naomi Nakamura

Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, by Hope Edelman

 Mourning and Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing (25th Anniversary Edition) 3rd Edition by Rabbi Anne Brener 

My Glimpse of Eternity by Betty Malz

Never Long Enough by Rabbi Joseph Krakoff and Dr. Michelle Sider

Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Redfield Jamieson

No Time For Goodbyes: Coping with Sorrow, Anger, and Injustice After a Tragic Death, by Janice Harris Lord

Now: Overcoming Crushing Grief by Living in the Present by Jack Cain

On Loss and Living Onward: Collected Voices for the Grieving and Those Who Would Mourn With Them by Melissa Dalton-Bradford

On My Own by Diane Rehm

 One Mindful Day at a Time: 365 Daily Meditations for Living in the Now by Alan D. Wolfelt 

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy​​​​​​​ by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence by Gail Sheehy

Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive by Allison Gilbert (Reviewed 7/19/19 by Lucas Morgan at Seven Ponds)

Permission to Mourn by Tom Zuba








The Color of Rain by Michael and Gina Spehn

The Dying Time: Practical Wisdom for the Dying and Their Caregivers, by Joan Furman and David McNabb

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman

The Gift of Second: Healing from the Impact of Suicide by Brandy Lidbeck

The Green Burial Guidebook: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial by Elizabeth Fournier

The Grief Club by Melody Beattie

The Grief Recovery Handbook, by John W. James and Russell Friedman

The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life by Donald L. Rosenstein and Justin M. Yopp

The Healing Power of Love: Transcending the Loss of a Spouse to a New Love, by Gloria Lintermans and Marilyn Stoltzman

The Joke’s Over, You Can Come Back Now: How This Widow Plowed Through Grief and Survived by Laurie Burrows Grad

The Language of Loss: Poetry and Prose for Grieving and Celebrating the Love of Your Life by Barbara Abercrombie (Ed.)

The Mourning Handbook, by Helen Fitzgerald

The Other Side and Back: A Psychic's Guide to Our World and Beyond, by Sylvia Browne

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle

The Precious Present, by Spencer Johnson

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

 The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: Seven Essential Practices for Healing Grief by Chelsea Hanson 

The Tender Scar: Life After the Death of a Spouse by Richard L. Mabry

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche

The Ultimate Loss: Coping with the Death of a Child by Joan Bordow

 The Unexpected Journey of Caring: The Transformation from Loved One to Caregiver by Donna Thompson and Zachary White

The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller

The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion

There Is No Good Card for This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell

Too Soon Old Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now, by Gordon Livingston

 Touching Heaven: A Cardiologist's Encounter with Death and Living Proof of an Afterlife by Chauncey Crandall

True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart by Tara Brach

Two Envelopes: What You Want Your Loved Ones to Know When You Die by Rusty Rosman
Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Matthew Logelin

Unattended Sorrow: Recovering from Loss and Reviving the Heart, by Stephen Levine

Waking Up: Climbing Through the Darkness by Terry Wise

Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children, by Doris Stickney

We Get It: Voices of Grieving College Students and Young Adults by Heather Servaty-Seib and David Fajgenbaum

Life After the Diagnosis: Expert Advice on Living Well with Serious Illness for Patients and Caregivers by Steven Z. Pantilat, MD

What to Do When I'm Gone: A Mother's Wisdom to Her Daughter by by Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman (recommended by Melissa Gouty)

When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold S. Kushner

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

When GOD Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life by Squire Rushnell

When Parents Die by Rebecca Abrams

When Their World Stops: The Essential Guide to TRULY Helping Anyone in Grief by Anne-Marie Lockmyer

 When Your Heart Is Broken by Cheryl Kennard

When Your Soulmate Dies: A Guide to Healing Through Heroic Mourning by Alan D. Wolfelt

When your Spouse Dies, by Cathleen L. Curry

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Widow to Widow by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg

Will You Dance? by Annette Childs-Oroz

Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing, by Susan Zimmerman

You Are Not Alone: A Heartfelt Guide for Grief, Healing, and Hope by Debbie Augenthaler
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