by Francis Weller – This book was a real game changer for me I read a lot—anything I could get my hands on—in the aftermath of the death of my son, Tom. But, it was four years later a very dear friend handed me this book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, by Francis Weller. It opened my heart to the true meaning and relevance of grief as a thing of beauty for all people within our culture and the world.…
by Atul Gawande – Atul Gawande is an author, surgeon and professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. Being Mortal is for both professional and nonprofessional readers. It confronts the impact of our scientific advances on the way we approach death, and questions the direction our practices lead us to, and so invites consideration of alternative approaches and questions to the subject of our mortality. Drawing on both his patients and his personal experiences Gawande…
by Stephen Jenkinson – Stephen Jenkinson is an activist, teacher, author and farmer. He is a consultant to palliative care and hospice organisations. Die Wise is for people who work with death and dying but just as useful to anyone who wishes to consider and prepare for your own death. The author asks the question why is it, that with the certainty of death facing us all, do we give it so little attention. Although this book is about dying,…
by Irvin Yalom. Dr Irvin Yalom is an author and renown American Existential psychiatrist in his mid-eighties who has taught his own psychotherapy theory and techniques alongside a private practice. In Staring at the Sun, Yalom not only shares the links between the problems his patients shared with a fear of death and dying, but also shares his own terror of death and how he overcomes it. It is a book for professionals and anyone interested in living more consciously,…
Julia Samuel is a grief psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience working with families who have been bereaved. This is Samuels first book, and hopefully she will write more, she writes with clarity and kindness as she shares a wealth of understanding and information about grief. It is a valuable read for many professionals especially those in health, counselling and education. It is also helpful for anyone who has been or is supporting someone who is bereaved. The author…
Glenn Ringtved, a Danish author, and Charlotte Pardi, a Danish illustrator, have created a wonderful book for young people about death and dying. I was recently introduced to ‘Cry, Heart, But Never Break’, and am so grateful as it is a book of great tenderness. The story tells of four children, brothers and sisters and how they react when death arrives for their Grandmother who they love dearly. It is a beautiful story that tells of the nature of life…
Always and Forever – Alan Durant and Debi Gliori A story for young children that recognises sadness and loss when it can occur suddenly and unexpectedly, when someone who is close to us, part of the immediate family dies. This story acknowledges how shock and loss can change life, how difficult it can be to continue to enjoy life when someone you love dies, and you miss them so much. It gently and beautifully shows ways that you can carry on…
Death Matters by Sally Petch This is a wonderful little book that you can read in an hour. The author’s non-threatening approach makes it thought-provoking and more of a prompt for a journal article, to be considered over time. It is certainly not an in-depth academic study of the subject of death, but encourages us to consider attitudes and beliefs about death – especially our own. Worth a short read to increase your knowlege. Review by Tina Hughes. If interested…
Susan Varley, Badger’s Parting Gift by Andersen Press (2013) This is one of the most recommended books to read to young children to teach them about death and loss in sensitive and caring ways. It is good to read before the child has suffered a loss in order to raise awareness of death and use as a discussion point. It is also a good book to use when discussing the loss of a grandparent. Follow the link to read what others…
The Social Construction of Death: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Edited by Leen Van Brussel and Nico Carpentier (2014) Palgrave Macmillian Thanatological research in the social sciences and the humanities acknowledges that death is culturally and socially embedded. The idea of the social construction of death has been taken on board, albeit slowly, by the social and cultural study of death, but explicit reflections on the underlying ontologies and epistemologies of this paradigm remain scarce. This edited volume aims to strengthen the…
