12 Books About Grief That Will Change How You Think About Loss

Conscious Grieving

‘Conscious Grieving’ by Claire Bidwell Smith

Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC is a grief counselor, and she was also an only child who lost both of her parents by age 25. Her latest book, Conscious Grieving, is informed by her own experience and the wisdom earned from working with her clients, teaching them to face their feelings while being kind to themselves. Smith tackles the difficult topic of how long grief lasts, and the book is divided into four parts: Entering into grief, engaging with grief, surrendering to grief and transforming through grief. There’s no fast track to that last part, but Smith’s gentle prompts for journaling (or just meditating on your loss) will help you get there on your own necessary timeline.

So Sorry for Your Loss

‘So Sorry for Your Loss’ by Dina Gachman

Following the loss of her mother to colon cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism three years later, author and award-winning journalist Dina Gachman put her exploration of grief and healing on paper. Part storytelling, part reporting, So Sorry for Your Loss includes expert insights on loss and mourning sourced from psychologists and even a death doula. Through her collection of essays, Gachman hopes anyone experiencing a deep loss (or trying to support someone who is) will find solace through her honesty and humor.

The Grieving Brain

‘The Grieving Brain’ by Mary-Frances O’Connor, Ph.D.

Grieving isn’t purely emotional. According to neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, Ph.D., loss has a real effect on the human brain. The Grieving Brain details how neurons help us form attachments to our loved ones and how loss forces our thinking brains to come to terms with life without them. It’s less about the emotional side of grieving and more so a graceful explanation of its practicalities: Why we grieve, how it triggers emotions from longing to anger and guilt, and why it can seem nearly impossible to comprehend the loss of someone you love. 

The Long Grief Journey

‘The Long Grief Journey’ by Pamela D. Blair Ph.D. and Bradie McCabe Hansen

Grief doesn’t have an expiration date. It comes and goes — oftentimes when you least expect it. In The Long Grief Journey psychotherapist Pamela D. Blair and clinical psychologist Bradie McCabe Hansen acknowledge the process can be ongoing and can also manifest as mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, or anger. This book is for anyone quietly carrying their grief and longing. It offers encouraging prompts and a “recovery workbook” to help guide readers through their grieving journey.

Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go

‘Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go’ by Gina Moffa

There’s a common misconception that moving forward after a loss means letting go of the loved one no longer with us. Licensed grief and trauma therapist Gina Moffa wants readers to know that doesn’t have to be the case. In Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go, Moffa offers a roadmap to grief, rather than a timeline. Rooted in both Moffa’s personal and professional experience, this heartfelt guide helps readers navigate their emotions and needs through guided exercises and self-reflection.

Anxiety The Missing Stage of Grief

‘Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief’ by Claire Bidwell Smith

You might be familiar with the different stages of grief. From shock to depression, panic to acceptance, grief can catch us off-guard and lead to many emotions that need processing. Anxiety can be one of them. In Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief, therapist and grief expert Claire Bidwell Smith shares research and real-life accounts of anxiety after loss and offers readers tools that can help. It’s a roadmap to acknowledging, understanding, and working through panic as you learn to move forward.

It’s OK That You’re Not OK

‘It’s OK That You’re Not OK’ by Megan Devine

Of course there’s no shame in grief, but not everyone understands or learns the process isn’t linear and often can’t be rushed. Psychotherapist and bestselling author Megan Devine stands by the sentiment that grief “is simply love in its most wild and painful form” and “a natural and sane response to loss.” It’s OK That You’re Not OK offers readers an alternative to hiding your feelings: A life in which grief isn’t a problem to be solved, but an essential human experience that shifts over time.

Good Mourning

‘Good Mourning’ by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn

Co-authors Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn are hosts of the podcast  “Good Mourning Grief,” where they chat with guests on all manner of topics associated with loss. Good Mourning is the book the authors wished they’d had when they were facing their own dark times. With advice from clinical psychologist, Tamara Cavenett and personal accounts of others who’ve experienced grief, the book is part support group and part hug on paper for anyone who needs to know they aren’t alone. 

Year of Magical Thinking

‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ by Joan Didion

Joan Didion’s memoir The Year of Magical Thinking takes readers on a candid journey of life-altering loss — and its aftermath. In under a year, the influential author and journalist lost her husband to a fatal coronary, and her daughter to acute pancreatitis. Winner of the National Book Award, this best-selling book is Didion’s depiction of grief, a first-person narrative of navigating great loss and the life that comes after it.

Grief is Love

‘Grief is Love’ by Marisa Renee Lee

Just because someone you love dies doesn’t mean the bond that you share is broken. In Grief is Love, Marisa Renee Lee explores how grieving can be an act of love and that healing doesn’t have to mean moving on, but rather learning how to continue loving the person you’ve lost once they’re gone. The author shares her personal experiences with bereavement — having lost her mother, a pregnancy, and a cousin in recent years — and reflects on how grief impacts the lives of Black people as well as how readers can honor their loss and find new paths forward. 

I’m Not A Mourning Person

‘I’m Not A Mourning Person’ by Kris Carr

In I’m Not A Mourning Person best-selling author and wellness activist Kris Carr suggests that when we’re brave enough to tend to our hearts, “our messy emotions can teach us how to be free––not free from pain, but free from the fear of pain and the barrier it creates to fully living.” Her views stem from her experiences facing her father’s mortality, dealing with an unexpected shift in her business during the Coronavirus pandemic, and reaching her twenty-year milestone of living with an incurable Stage IV cancer diagnosis. Carr’s moving story is a testament to how life can be turned upside down in an instant, and how you can feel better despite it all.

About Grief

‘About Grief’ by Ron Marasco and Brian Shuf

Even if we know we’ll all experience loss at some point, it can be a challenge to prepare yourself for it. About Grief by Ron Marasco and Brian Shuf approaches the complex subject in a digestible way for anyone grieving. The essay collection pulls from a range of sources — from film and music to books and individual narratives – to create a humane view of grief. It adds up to a comforting conversation on what can be an uncomfortable subject. Take what serves you, and leave what doesn’t.

Books About Grief

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