Next Chapter: Grief (Nonfiction)
Grief is a universal emotion which we experience throughout our lives. Here is a list of nonfiction books which explore the myriad ways we respond to grief and, in turn, may provide a path for our own journeys. Annotations from Kirkus Reviews, unless otherwise noted. Created by The Seattle Public Library Older Adults Program Manager and Readers Services librarians. (Created September 2020)
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Fun Home
An unusual memoir done in the form of a graphic novel by a cult favorite comic artist offers a darkly funny family portrait that details her relationship with her father, a historic preservation expert dedicated to restoring the family's Victorian home, funeral home director, high-school English teacher, and closeted homosexual. (NoveList)
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Wave
A memoir of the author's experiences as a survivor of the 2004 tsunami that killed her parents, husband, and two young sons recounts her struggles with profound grief and survivor's guilt and her gradual steps toward healing. (NoveList)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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It's Ok That You're Not Ok
In It’s OK That You’re Not OK, Megan Devine offers a profound new approach to both the experience of grief and the way we try to help others who have endured tragedy. (book jacket)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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The Year of Magical Thinking
An autobiographical portrait of marriage and motherhood by the acclaimed author details her struggle to come to terms with life and death, illness, sanity, personal upheaval, and grief. (NoveList)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Death's Door
A scholarly, well-researched work that assumes, even demands, a strong interest in contemporary English-language literature.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Rosalie Lightning
A bracing, deeply saddening journey into death and loss whose wryly affirmative resolution, “joy breaking through the storm clouds,” is nothing but hard won.
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Grace Will Lead Us Home
At once horrifying and inspiring, engaging and thought-provoking, this is a definitive must-read about the Charleston tragedy.
Format: eBook
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When Breath Becomes Air
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.
Format: eBook
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Finding Meaning
Drawing on hard-earned experiences, as well as wisdom garnered from decades of work, an expert on grief and the coauthor of the iconic On Grief and Grieving introduces the stages of grief with the same transformative pragmatism and compassion. (NoveList)
Format: eBook
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A Grief Observed
The author recounts his grief over the death of his wife, and explains how he reexamined his religious beliefs. (NoveList)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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