Grief Books for Widowed

Finding Your Way After Your Spouse Dies, by Marta Felber
If ever one needs a caring friend, or helping hand it's after a spouse dies. Marta shares the loss of her husband, her journey through grief, her new beginnings, with practical pointers, supportive scriptures and affirming prayers. You will find the courage to face tomorrow with this inspiring book. Available from amazon.com.

Grief Expressed: When a Mate Dies, by Marta Felber
While the book provides encouragement and compassion, readers play an important role in working through their own issues. Each chapter focuses on the most difficult issues surrounding the loss of a spouse; from sex to friends to memorials, and a space is provided in the book for the reader to jot down personal experiences. In this way, feelings are channeled into a positive and cathartic direction. While books on similar topics often emphasize a reactive mindset, Felber strongly believes in taking positive, specific steps to dealing with loss. Available from amazon.com.

I'm Grieving As Fast As I Can: How Young Widows and Widowers Can Cope and Heal, by Linda Sones Feinberg
While Feinberg focuses mainly on the experiences of widows, widowers are also included. The author has gathered together a broad range of feelings and emotions that recently widowed individuals face, thus letting those who are experiencing this event know that what they are feeling is as "normal" as possible and that they are not alone. Many topics are covered and no “one golden panacea” is offered. Available from amazon.com.

Loss and Found: How We Survived the Loss of a Young Spouse, by Gary Young
The heart-wrenching story of two people who each had children and families, but lost their spouses. Each tells the story of their early life, marriage, family experiences and children. Each also describes finding out that their spouse was sick and eventually losing them. The stories detail their struggles with children, finances, friends, feelings of loss and all the other feelings on their emotional roller coaster ride. As young widow/widower the describe their introduction back into dating and how they eventually found each other. Available from amazon.com.

Meditations for the Widowed, edited by Judy Osgood
A collection of one- and two-page meditations written by men and women from all walks of life whose spouses have died. The youngest authors are in their twenties, while the oldest is seventy-nine. Some of their articles deal with loneliness, anger and guilt. Others focus on specific problems the writers have faced like coming to grips with the "whys" and "what ifs," the need to find employment, learning to live alone, establishing a new life style, single parenting, handling major changes like moves, and coping with a diminished love of life. None of the authors imply their answer is the only right one to a problem. Instead they are saying, "This is what worked for me; maybe it will help you, too." Available from amazon.com.

The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion.
“We might expect that we will be prostrate, inconsolable, crazy with loss," she writes. "We do not expect to be literally crazy, cool customers who believe that their husband is about to return and need his shoes." One moment (Joan) Didion was mixing the salad and lighting the candles, the next moment her husband was "slumped motionless" in his chair. She called an ambulance; emergency technicians came speedily, tended to him and rushed him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Available from amazon.com.

Widow To Widow: Thoughtful, Practical Ideas for Rebuilding Your Life, by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg
In this remarkably useful guide, widow, author and therapist Genevieve Davis Ginsburg offers fellow widows—as well as their family and friends—sage advice for coping with the loss of a husband. From learning to travel and eat alone to creating new routines to surviving the holidays and anniversaries that reopen emotional wounds, Widow to Widow walks readers through the challenges of widowhood and encourages them on their path to building a new life. Available from amazon.com.

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