Grief Lending Library

The Death of a Child is filled with stories of people who have lost a child and how they dealt with the reality of that event. This collection of life-giving lessons touches on a wide range of emotions and situations that parents may encounter after the death of their child.

• Death of a Child

“Told by his widow, here is the story of a man doomed by cancer who chose to die as he had lived…with knowledge and vitality.”

• Death of a Partner

• Historical

The book is about many things: the tyranny of bourgeois niceties, the terrible weak spots of the human heart, and it is about death. But more than anything, it deals with the consequences of living without meaning.

• General

• Historical

Roberts's overriding message is that there isn't one right way to express sorrow and that people should be allowed to use whatever rituals or comforts they need, for as long as they need, without censure.

• General

Shows how through an acceptance of our finiteness, we can grow; for death provides a key to the meaning of human existence.

• General

• Historical

“This delightfully different ‘travelogue’ follows one man’s quest to discover how people around the world cope with the incontrovertible fact of death.”

• General

… presents an original set of ten characteristics common in suicide. (which) create an intimate portrait of the suicidal person.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Suicide

The intent of this book is to have dialogue with death until we renounce life so as to genuinely live it to its fullest.

• General

• Historical

A comprehensive approach to death education on a development level.

• General

• Professional / Historical

The author found that his decision to attack his disease rather than "go gently into that good night," had not only saved him but also changed him dramatically for the better.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

The author takes the reader through the personal experience of losing her younger sister and weaves in the available research for sibling survivors. She also journeys sibling loss through the life span, explains suicide, the grief process, and how sibling death impacts the brothers and sisters left behind. She adds practical advice for how sibling suicide survivors can help themselves.

• Sudden and Traumatic Death

• Suicide

Provides consolation for the bereaved and for those facing death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Gently, with warm, consoling, and practical guidance, Doug Manning addresses the painful, often disorienting aftermath of the death of a loved one.

• General

Deals with the fear of one's own death and the search for meaning in grief.

• General

• Historical

"The most profound near-death experience ever."

• General

• Near Death Experiences

This booklet was created to help you embrace hope as you do the hard work of grieving in the painful aftermath of miscarriage. Grief takes time. Healing is a process. Give yourself the space and grace you need to mourn.

• Death of a Child

• Miscarriage

Ages 9+. Emma comes to terms with her aunt's illness and eventual death from cancer.

• Children

• Cancer

For ages 4-7 years. After a young girls mother dies, she gets to know a new companion named Empty. Empty takes up space and provides comfort while she has trouble connecting with her dad and friends. When reminders and memories of her mom start coming up, though, she is able to start connecting with others and relying on Empty less.

• Children

• Death of a Mother

For parents experiencing loss from miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death. The author covers the many feelings, fears and fantasies that come, and adds a lot of easy to read and helpful information on physical reactions.

• Death of a Child

• Miscarriage/Stillbirth/ Infant Death

The story of a 17 year old's fight against leukemia as told by his mother.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Ages 6-12. Melinda looks forward to the letters and cards she receives from her favorite neighbor who has moved into a nursing home and when the old woman dies, it takes Melinda a while to find a way to stop missing her so much.

• Children

• Death of a Friend

Ages 9-16. A realistic guide to coping with the stresses and emotions a child or young teen may face when a parent has died.

• Children and Teens

• Death of a Parent

After her son, Zachary, dies in her arms at birth, visual artist and author Alexis Marie Chute disappears into her “Year of Distraction.” It is only when Chute learns she is pregnant again that she sets out to find healing and rediscover her identity―just in time, she hopes, to welcome her next child.

• Death of a Child

A collection of readings to help any reader face death more effectively.

• Helping Children

• Historical

Throughout his long evangelistic career and in his many books, Dr. Billy Graham has told millions about Christ’s offer of eternal life. Now he calls us to confront the sobering fact of death – realistically, but always with the confidence that through our relationship with Christ we can conquer this final enemy.

• General

• Historical / Religious

The authors explore the difficult emotions parents face, including sadness, guilt, anger, powerlessness and questions about faith. Drawing on the stories of people they have counseled, and their own experiences, the authors share the many challenges.

• Death of a Child

• Religious

Teaches “how to listen to the dying, how to understand and accept what they wish or need to share.”

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

A book of prayers for people facing death.

• Anticipatory & Before the Death

• Religious

Ages 7-9. A wonderful resource for helping children understand death, grief, and remembrance, this is the story of a young boy who has been told that he has 'lost' his grandfather. The boy remembers when he himself was lost in the mall and wants to help his grandmother find his grandfather. When he learns that his grandfather is not lost but dead, the boy remembers the old man's kindness, love, and generosity. Material objects then begin to evoke warm memories of his grandfather. This touching story will encourage young readers to discuss their feelings of loss and grief.

• Children

• Death of a Grandfather

Simplified and suitable methods for talking to children and teenagers about sensitive topics with an emphasis on the subject of death. Honest but child-appropriate language is advocated, and various wording and levels of explanation are suggested for different ages when discussing topics such as death in general, suicide, homicide, accidental death, the death of a child, terminal illness, pet death, funerals, and cremation.

• Helping Children & Teens

Sketches out some of the issues that arise in the wake of a parent's death and offers practical suggestions for navigating these difficulties.

• General

• Death of a Parent

A powerful and moving book written from the individual perspectives of a mother and father whose son dies suddenly.

• Death of a Child

• Sudden Death

For couples whose child has died. Looks at men's grief, women's grief, building your relationship after your child dies, how to help each other heal.

• Death of a Child

• Couples Grief

Discusses the rites and ceremonies surrounding death, the funeral, the work of mourning.

• General

• Funeral Rites and Ceremonies / Historical

For helping children cope with the death of a brother or sister.

• Helping Children

• Death of a Sibling

Sixteen-year-old Anne, home from boarding school for the holidays, has difficulty accepting her new stepmother’s presence in the house that holds so many memories of her dead mother.

• Teens

• Death of a Mother

Ira Byock is a leading palliative care physician and longtime public advocate for improving care through the end of life. In this book, Byock teaches us that a degree of emotional healing is always possible and that we can experience a sense of wholeness even in the wake of family strife, personal tragedy, divorce, or in the face of death.

• General

One third of all women who conceive will have at least one miscarriage. This important book offers guidance for the sorrowing and helps them move on. It tackles the tough questions, including "Why did this happen?", and "Should we try again?" as well as exploring options for treatment and emotional healing.

• Death of a Child

• Miscarriage / Stillborn

In this book, Jenny Lisk shares of when her life suddenly changed after her husband was diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer. Follow her story as she tried to figure out “parenting grieving children, and rebuilding some sort of life for three--out of four--members of her family”. You'll love this poignant memoir because it's heartbreakingly honest, and ultimately hopeful.

• Death of a Partner

• Cancer

A young child discovers a grandparents love grows even after death. After the death of her grandfather, Camillia decides to plant the garden she used to plant with her grandfather. She dresses the scarecrow in grandfathers old clothes and makes the best garden ever.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

A gay widower may find that once the shock and initial confusion of losing his partner is over, there are still many hard, lonely, and overwhelming feelings to be worked through. Often, the bereaved feels isolated, and looking around for comfort, realizes that he doesn’t have many resources to turn to. This book is a start.

• Death of Partner

• LGBTQ

While many books a have tackled the topic of Big Pharma, drug addiction, and our increasingly over-medicated society, Generation Rx offers an entirely new look at what the prescription pill epidemic means for today’s youth and the world around them.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Overdose/Professional

This gentle book is about people who have said goodbye and how they did it. Through their stories, one can find ideas, reassurance and the courage to face the death of a loved one.

• General

The authors having both suffered the loss of a spouse at a relatively young age. Their empathy, valuable psychological insights, biblical observations, and male and female perspectives will help you experience grief in the healthiest, most complete way so you can move forward to embrace the new life that is waiting for you.

• Death of a Partner

This bold narrative written by the drummer and lyricist for the band Rush shows how Peart tried to stay alive by staying on the move after the loss of his 19-year-old daughter and his wife.

• Death of a Partner

• Death of a Child

The anticipation of a new baby breathes excitement into a family. But for some parents, joy is replaced with heartache when they learn that their much-loved preborn child may not survive. The information provided will address your fears and offer practical resources to assist you with making decisions.

• Death of a Child

• Perinatal Loss

The authors memoir of life with his beloved Ginny and the battle with Alzheimer’s that consumed her. From their first meeting in 1943 or Ginny’s final home in a care facility, Artley recounts his story of their marriage, family and careers, came the undeniable evidence of Ginny’s mental decline. Faced with the pain and confusion of Ginny’s illness, Artley and his family had to learn to cope with the grim details and long good-bye of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Alzheimer's Disease

• Partner's Illness / Anticipatory / Before the Death

Tender, heartbreaking, and eye-opening, the true stories in this New York Times bestseller offer a window into the world beyond and life after death.

• General

Jon Katz addresses the difficult but necessary topic of saying goodbye to a beloved pet. Drawing on personal experiences, stories from fellow pet owners, and philosophical reflections, Katz provides support for those in mourning.

• Death of a Pet

Patty Dann had been married almost 10 years to her husband when he was suddenly diagnosed with a fatal brain cancer. In this memoir, Dann explains how the plans they'd made would abruptly come to an end. Worse, Dann had no idea how she'd explain to their three-year-old son.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Death of a Partner

Elizabeth Meyer stunned her family and friends when she applied for a position at one of New York’s most celebrated funeral homes. It wasn’t the typical career path for a 24-year-old college grad but after planning her own father’s funeral – swapping in peonies for lilies and the Rolling Stones for organ dirges – Elizabeth realized she could help others celebrate the lives of their loved ones. Soon she was making arrangements for movie stars, musicians, matriarchs, moguls – and making quite a name for herself – as the city’s premier fashionista turned funeral planner.

• General

• Death of a Father / Funeral Rites

Ages 3 and up. Explores the pain and grief of saying goodbye. Even more important, The Goodbye Boat provides a message of hope that sadness will ease and that death is not the end.

• Children

Goodbye Jeanine is a faith journey from the despair of a family member’s suicide back to hope and joy. This book reveals how Sackett learned to survive the mixed emotions of loss, anger, guilt, fear, and shame-and how you can too.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Suicide

From the moment pets come into our lives, we know the day will arrive when we have to say farewell. Still, we are never emotionally prepared for it. Kowalski takes you on a journey of healing, offering warmth and sound advice on how to cope with the death of your pet.

• Death of a Pet

Ages 5 and up. A boy asks others how they felt when his grandfather died and then shares his own feelings.

• Children

• Death of a Grandparent

Practical strategies for surviving the stages of grief are offered as Kolf empathizes with grandparents who grieve.

• General

• Death of a Grandchild

A handbook for teachers who this year alone, will deal with more than three million grieving children. Case study, class support for the grieving child, and ideas from counselors who have dealt with a series of deaths. Age appropriate responses included.

• Helping Children

• School Resources

Although this is a book for those left behind in the aftermath of violence, it offers concrete and practical steps, allowing family and friend’s safe passage through this incredibly harrowing journey.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Death of a Child

A celebrated author submits an intensely personal account of the meaning of his wife's death.

• Death of a Partner

• Cancer / Historical

Packer’s reflection about Richard and Margaret Baxter story surrounding Margaret’s death. Packer edited version considers six of life’s realities – love, faith, death, grief, hope and patience.

• Death of a Partner

This story is about a family’s journey through – and beyond – terminal cancer. For the Groves family, faith in God and an awareness of his care played a pivotal role as they faced Al’s death, processed their deep grief, and gradually moved forward. Without sugarcoating the pain of grief, the book offers hope and healing to all who are facing the shadow of death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer / Religious

Grief Works is a profoundly optimistic and compassionate handbook for anyone suffering a loss—from the expected death of a parent to the sudden death of a child or spouse—as well as a guide for those who want to help their grieving loved ones.

• General

Griefland. It’s a place no one wants to visit—a place without borders where language is inadequate and pain is constant. It’s a place where every morning one awakens to the stark reality that a loved one will never be seen, heard—or embraced—again. This is a place that Armen Bacon and Nancy Miller know all too well, for when they met, both of them had lost a child—a son, Alex, and a daughter, Rachel.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Overdose

The author compiles more than 150 common questions about death, explores the emotions behind them, and provides clear and forthright responses. Whether readers find the answers they seek, new perspectives to ponder, or comfort from knowing that others ask similar questions, this valuable resource will guide both individuals who are in the midst of grief and those who wish to provide comfort.

• General

In this book, Albert Hsu takes you through the confusing mix of emotions he wrestled with after his father died by suicide. He draws on the resources of Christian faith and finds comfort and hope through the future through God.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Religious

A collection of candid stories from grieving dads that were interviewed over a two year period. The book offers insight from fellow members of, in the haunting words of one dad, “this terrible, terrible club,” which consists of men who have experienced the death of a child. This book is a collection of survival stories by men who have survived the worst possible loss and lived to tell the tale.

• Death of a Child

• Men and grief

For the first time, a psychotherapist specializing in teen and adolescent bereavement offers a compassionate guide to help you discover your unique coping style, deal with overwhelming emotions, and find constructive ways to manage this profound loss so you can move forward in a meaningful and healthy way.

• Teens

• Death of a Sibling

This book offers support, understanding, and, ultimately, comfort and hope from those who have sowed the same tears over the death of a child.

• Death of a Child

The author turns her attention to the special needs of adolescents struggling with loss and gives teens the tools they need to work through their pain and grief. Although the circumstances surrounding a death are difficult to handle at any age, adolescence brings with it challenges and struggles that until now have been largely overlooked. Fitzgerald adeptly covers the entire range of situations in which teens may find themselves grieving a death, whether the cause was old age, terminal illness, school violence, or suicide. She helps teens address the gamut of strong and difficult emotions they will experience and the new situations they will face, including family changes, issues with friends, problems at school, and the courage needed to move forward with one's own life.

• Teens

Guides the reader to move "with" rather than "against" the natural grief process as he explores its many aspects, including friending, passing, burying, mourning, remembering, and reconciling.

• General

This book is designed to help those in pain-and specifically those who have lost someone thorough death-to imagine the path before them. It is a path of suffering. But it is also a path that may lead to unexpected discoveries and to peace.

• General

True story of seven men who were raising children on their own after the deaths of their wives.  The men connected with each almost immediately, and over the next several years forged a deep bond as their monthly meetings evolved into a forum for healing and personal reinvention that transformed them in unexpected ways.

• Death of a Partner

• Men and grief

This book is designed to promote resiliency and healing in children that have experienced the death of a loved one. Using simple language and captivating photographs, this book guides children towards a path of understanding their emotions, as well as caring their minds, bodies, and spirits.

• Children

A book about a sister grief after her brother died by suicide. She was only 12 and found herself "Growing Young".

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Suicide / Sibling Death

"Learning to live happily after the experience of devastating loss is among the most important lessons that can ever be taught. Carole Brody Fleet dares to answer the questions that many are afraid to ask.”

• Death of a Partner

• Cancer

This empathetic guide will help you be a compassionate cancer companion before, during, and after treatment. Whether the person with cancer is a friend or a family member, it will help you understand his or her physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual needs, and give you tips and encouragement for reaching out and being a steadfast, loving presence.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

This book offers 100 practical ideas that have helped other grieving parents understand and reconcile their grief. Common challenges for grieving parents, such as dealing with marital stress, helping surviving siblings, dealing with hurtful advice and exploring feelings of guilt, are also addressed.

• Death of a Child

A heartfelt and practical guidebook for those mourning the death of their mother and for supporters hoping to help a loved one through grief.

• General

• Death of a Parent

Topics covered include effective ways to channel grief during the workday, supporting co-workers who mourn, and coping with traumatic deaths that affect the workplace. A special introduction for employers (mangers, human resource personnel, owners, etc.) addresses the economic impact of grief in the workplace and provides practical and cost-effective ideas for maintaining morale and creating a productive yet compassionate work environment.

• General

 A road map for those of you who are heartbroken, lost, feel alone, and full of sadness over the loss of your beloved pet. This book is filled with healing information and provides a deep understanding of what you are going through.

• Death of a Pet

This empathetic guide will help you understand and express your many difficult thoughts and feelings before, during, and after treatment. It will help you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, and spiritually.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Miscarriage grief is real and justified. Love plus loss equals grief. The purpose of this book is to help you mourn and heal. This compassionate guide contains 100 practical ideas to help those grieving in the aftermath of miscarriage and all forms of early pregnancy loss.

• Death of a Child

• Miscarriage

The author explores the common feelings of shock, anger, guilt, and sadness that accompany a stillborn child, offering suggestions for expressing feelings, remembering the child, and healing as a family. Ideas to help each unique person—mother, father, grandparent, sibling, friend—are included, as are thoughts from families who experienced a stillbirth.

• Death of a Child

• Stillbirth

For young and middle readers (6-12 year olds) grieving the death of someone loved. Age-appropriate activities and gentle, healing guidance.

• Helping Children

Death is never easy, but for families and friends affected by a sudden, violent death, grief is especially traumatic. Understanding and expressing these feelings helps survivors, over time and with the support of others, come to reconcile their loss.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

David and Deborah battle horrific grief and anger while trying to hold onto their marriage - and one another- after their son, Patrick, was killed in action in Baghdad, Iraq. This personal narrative shares the couple’s unforgettable journey together towards healing.

• Death of a Child

• Military

Gives insightful mediation on the meaning of grief, showing how it can be the path toward a lasting love of those who have died. Describes the transition from loving in presence to loving in separation.

• General

• Organ Donors / Religious

Heartbroken is a unique blend of the history of opioid addiction in the U.S., the honesty and courage of families affected and strategies to provide healing and hope. Seven parents share their diverse journeys through the opioid crisis and the traumatic grief of losing a child to drug addiction, in the hope of shining a light into the darkness that can enter any of our families.And, maybe, just maybe, keep another child and their family from this heartbreak.

• Sudden & Traumatic Death

• Death of a Child / Overdose

Topics as notification of death, organ donation and funeral services are discussed candidly. Three easy-to-use checklists simplify the many tasks facing survivors and provide organization and efficiency at a time when chaos is more likely to rule. Spiritual and emotional issues relating to death are ably presented.

• General

With bittersweet poignancy, Lear chronicles her husband’s valiant efforts to combat his sickness as more heart attacks and devastating postsurgical complications befall him. A stunning work of medical drama and journalism, Heartsounds is above all the gripping story of a passionate, enduring love.

• Death of a Partner

Across the pages of this book, a father makes a courageous effort to put into print his deepest feelings regarding life. Spectacular photographs throughout help convey the emotions fathers experience after the death of a child.

• Death of a Child

Ages 4-9. Children often have questions about life and death. This helpful book provides answers in terms children can comfortably understand as it explains God's role and His promise of eternal life as revealed in the Bible. An excellent resource when children deal with death for the first time. Formerly entitled If I Should Die, If I Should Live.

• Children

• Religious

The author shows how to teach your child to trust God and celebrate life and to deal with, learn from, and have hope in the face of death.

• Helping Children

• Religious

Using Psalm 139, the author walks alongside women suffering the heartbreak of miscarriage. Having experienced the sorrow of miscarriage herself, she acknowledges the isolation commonly felt and the impact that such an experience can have on faith.

• Death of a Child

• Miscarriage / Religious

When we hear that someone close to us has been diagnosed with cancer, we want nothing more than to comfort them with words of hope, support, and love. But sometimes we don’t know what to say or do and don’t feel comfortable asking. With sensitive insights and thoughtful anecdotes.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Contains practical information about the problems that grieving parents face. Offers suggestions and at the same time talks about honoring each other during the grieving process. Chapters also include support groups and counseling.

• Death of a Child

Focuses on ways to assist adolescents as they encounter loss, grief, and death. Some of the foremost experts in the field share their insights on this critical topic. The chapters examine the variety of losses adolescents encounter and offer ways to support both grieving adolescents and adolescents facing their own life-threatening illness. Voices of adolescents are included in their own words, to best articulate both their perspective on loss and the sources of their support.

• Helping Children & Teens

Drawn from stories, suggestions and insight shared by grieving children and their family members, this book explores how children view, understand and process death; how to talk with children about death at various ages and developmental stages; how to be supportive and helpful throughout their grieving process; and when to seek professional help.

• Helping Children

Focuses on the special needs of grieving children, offers guidelines for effective helping, and lists helpful resources.

• Helping Children

Shows how children at various ages understand death and offers positive ways for parents and other caring adults to help them grieve.

• Helping Children