Experts Tell Us the Best Books For Women To Read On Dealing With Death Of A Child

Margaret Thomson’s world is suddenly shattered by the incomprehensible news that her twenty-two-year-old son, a medic in the army, has taken his life. During her second year of grieving Thomson receives an unexpected invitation from an unlikely source – the army, which she’s often blamed in many ways, whether fairly or not, for her son’s death. Seizing upon this opportunity, Thomson finds that her perspective is changed – literally – and that as a result the world does indeed look different now.

I authored a book (Crochet Saved My Life) about using crafting to heal through grief, mental health issues, and physical health challenges and this was one of the resources I loved most in regards to crafting through grief. The author used knitting to help her after the death of her child. (She also authored The Knitting Circle, which is a wonderful fiction version of the same type of story.)

Fantastic book about dealing with grief and moving forward. Grieving mothers can easily identify with Maya’s mother.

Gunnar Skollingsberg, this ultimate nightmare has come true not once, but twice. In his memoir, Don’t Cry, Pappa, he chronicles his journey from devastating, suicidal depression to tentative, fragile healing.

This book written by Gary Rose, a grief specialist, is written to help those suffering the loss of a child survive this unimaginable pain. Your emotional and physical health can be impacted by the loss of a child, and through reading this book you’ll learn how to take care of yourself, manage the changes in your life, and live life in the midst of pain.

In creating Never Long Enough – a unique book about the end of life, Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff and artist Dr. Michelle Y. Sider brought together their many years of professional expertise with families. Krakoff drew on lessons learned in many years of counseling adults and children wrestling with death, grief and remembrance. Sider’s years working as an artist, arts educator and psychologist influenced her approach in creating evocative images that demonstrate how art can help to unlock emotions and heal the heart. Together, they crafted an interactive keepsake book for families and friends, complete with pages to add personal reflections thereby transforming the book into an individualized tribute to a loved one. Never Long Enough is designed to be read along with someone nearing the end of life – or, it can be read by mourners after a death. Whenever this book is opened, it becomes an active invitation for conversation, lifting up memories and preserving the legacy of someone’s life.

The author of this book survived the loss of her own child and has devoted her life to helping others through the process of grief ever since. In this book, she shares her experience and her emotions and brings comfort to the reader. This book provides validation for the waves of grief and ever-changing feelings, but it also brings hope for the future.

No anguish compares to the abrupt loss of a beloved baby – a child treasured and longed for. Unfortunately, countless families suffer in plain sight without effective support. Mourning what is, what was, and what will never be, the grief journey for families who have experienced the hurt of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or infant death is both undefined and arduous. From Three Heartbeats to One offers readers empathy and practical life tools to manage grief and defy the crushing weight of loss. The author, as a mother who has endured the unimaginable heartache of neonatal loss, created this resource to comfort and empower readers navigating their grief journeys. Topics explored include:

• Managing emotions such as sadness, guilt, shame, and anger
• Forgiving self and others
• Establishing a mental, physical, and spiritual plan for self-care in grieving
• Increasing assertiveness by establishing and maintaining boundaries with others
• Defining motherhood and transforming in loss
• Enduring holidays and memorable dates
• Celebrating your precious baby’s lifetime