Grief Books

As a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity I look to St. Francis who found the depths of hope in Jesus Christ. Immaculalee also confirms that hope ('...only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well'-On Christian Hope Spe Salvi, Benedict XVI) can be found in God in tragic and ordinary moments of life. Her call to share this message is life changing not only for her, but possible for all those who are also called to be transformed by reading this account.

I live in Rwanda and Immaculee is one of few survivors open about sharing her experiences...thank God for her! Her story will inspire everyone who reads it while being a "thriller" keeping you on the edge of your seat as she describes the tension of hiding from certain slaughter in a bathroom for 3 months.

A story of faith, tragedy, courage, survival and triumph. Immaculee Ilibagiza's riveting autobiographical story of living through the Rwandan holocaust is a story of her faith growing amidst the incomprehensible and shocking experience of genocide. The story of the Hutu tribe slaughtering the Tutsi tribe is the background for her moving story, a tale of primal fear held at bay by faith that grows in Immaculee. I was deeply moved.

I really loved this book. I have to admit I have not been as aware as the genocide in Rwanda as I should have been. It's hard to believe things like this are happening in this day and age. I've always struggled with the issue of absolutely evil things happening to good, decent, or innocent people. Why would God allow these things to happen? This book does not answer that question. That is a question left for the ages, but it does give me more faith that just maybe if something horrific happened to me I could have the faith to endure. This book also made me appreciate life even more fully. Thanks for sharing your story.

Words can not come close to describing the impact this book has had on me. I cannot get Immaculee out of my mind. I first listened to this author and survivor being interviewed on a Catholic radio talk show. I decided to see what she had to say - the graphic detail of the genocide in Rwandan from her perspctive is riviting. I feel like I know her and her family and I have mourned for them. If you are having a hard time forgiving anyone for anything read this book. This woman leads a new life now and God has placed her in our midsts as His instrument to teach us how to forgive and love. In spite of the horrific holocaust of these dear human beings, Immaculee shows us the way to a deeper faith through her own personal experience. Recommend this book to people of all faiths.

well any book that makes me cry I consider to be pretty good, and this book had me crying. It's a sad story, but it's beautifully written.

This book was one of the, if not the, saddest books I have ever read. The characters and plot are very deep, and the book keeps you hooked all the way to the end. I cried. a lot. Very sad, but highly recommended.

I liked this book a lot the first time I read it, but not so much the second time. When I read it the first time, I didn't know what was going to happen so it was a surprise. However, when I read it the second time I knew what was going to happen, so it was kind of boring. I did like it a lot though because it was a really sad book and I love sad books.
Sammy and Julie were the best of friends. They loved to go to parties together, they loved to dance together, and they loved to all around spend time together. They are in the middle of a dance class when Julie all of a sudden feels really sharp pains in her hip and back. Her mother has to take her to the hospital but they are no help at all. Julie goes through 13 different doctors before she even knows whats wrong with her. She then finds out she has a really bad cancer and it is spreading very fast. Julie has to drop out of school and dance class just to recover. Sammy is really upset that she can't see or talk to Julie! Julie gets worse and worse over time until one day she goes into a coma. Shortly after Sammy gets a call from Julie's mom and rushes over to say good-bye. Shortly after Julie slips away!
I recommend this book to teenagers that love sad books like me. This book is really sad!

This book made me cry! I think everyone should read this book. It is touching, upsetting, and happy. language is beautiful. Note: for children under 10, has lots of bad words.LOVED IT!

I think this was a very good book. It teaches morals about how to deal with life. Not just normal day stuff a girls goes through, that along with having cancer. It shows how important it is to have a best friend, and what it is like to be a good one. I like how is portrays the two young girls life, it makes it so you can relate to them more. I like how it changed the side of the story, from Sam and Julie. It showed how hard it is to have cancer, but than also how hard it is to have your best friend go through it also. It takes the negatives of the book (cancer) into a positive impact on life. Too live your life with not regrets and to live life to the fullest. It is a very touching book. I almost cried. This book seems similar to the books by Lurlene McDaniel. I suggest this book to anyone who likes sad, life changing stories, who is also about 12 or older due to bad language. Even with that to though, it shows what the girls lives were like and gave more emotion to what was happening in there lives. This is definitely a must read and to add it to you collection, or school library!

I read this book in 1996, when I was taking care of my father who was dying of lung cancer, which had metastasized everywhere. I am a Registered Nurse, & worked for 20 yrs in Intensive Care units. I took care of patients immediately after open heart surgery & have some trauma experience, so, I knew that death & dying could/would be messy, just like birth. However, most of the time, I was not thinking like a nurse. I was thinking like a daughter, who had very little time to be with my father (less than 2 weeks.) My father's hospice nurse, who was also a friend & neighbor, recommended this book to me. It helped me immensely, & also gave me some insight into helping my patients & their families deal with death & dying. I have since recommended this book & hospice care to my patients & their families. As a nurse, I had been told by many patients about their "near death" experiences, so, I knew when my father told me he was talking to people he didn't know, that he was in the presence of Angels, which was very comforting to me. He told me on Sunday, that he would die on Thursday, April 4th, his mother's birthday. She had preceded him in death many years before. When he started telling me that "Granny" was in the room, several days before, I was comforted knowing that he would not have to make this "journey" alone. He was lucid until 30 minutes before his death. He did die on that day, & he had the most rapturous smile before he took his last breath. His smile was like, "Ok, I'm ready. Come get me." There is a saying, "Medicine is a science, Nursing is an art." This is a wonderful book for anyone who may be traveling on this journey. Death is just as much a part of life as birth.

This book was informative and comforting to me after I lost my mother to cancer. I wished I'd had this information while I was caring for her during her final months of life. However, it helped me to understand her needs and desires as I reflected on her health and needs during my grieving the first month following her passing. I strongly recommend it as an accompaniment to the services of Hospice.

I first read this book as my dad was approaching death, which was caused by his cancer. It gave me valuable insights into what my dad, and my family, were going through. I have since purchased and given copies of this book to several friends and family members. I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially if they are currently going through the impending loss of a loved one.

Final Gifts is a blessing for anyone going through the experience of sharing "nearing death" end of life with a loved one. This book was given to me by Hospice nurses and it opened my eyes and helped me to understand some of the communications that my mother was trying to convey. I recommend this book to anyone who has a terminally ill loved one.

Ms. Callanan and Ms. Kelley have written a guide of different ways patients may react in the process of dying and how everyone involved can be somewhat prepared for what happens towards the end of life. It is very much written in layman's terms. You won't have to worry about cracking open a dictionary for this baby. This book was a great help to my wife when she, her dad and her four siblings helped their dying mother. Many of the examples cited in this book did occur during the final week. The book is illuminating and will give the reader a great deal of comfort. Do yourself a favor and read it.

This book is quick and easy to read. Best of all you can pick it up when you are having a bad day and flip to your favorite words of advice. Full of practical suggestions and empowering words!

This book was the grand finale to a long journey which started from the loss of a love. This book lead me back to home and being whole again.

I hope this book will help you in restoring yourself.

Thank you to each of the authors for writing this book.

Always keep reaching to become whole and staying whole in your life.

Thank you,
John Ellis

it is so real i felt i went through all this and really rewarded myself that i was able to overcome all what bad times i got through and can face any other pain easily and successfully

There are things in life that simply have to be experienced more than once: songs, movies, plays, favorite meals at favorite restaurants, etc. In my opinion, this book falls into that category. It has to be read slowly, pondered, felt. It is filled with insightful, moving and, above all, helpful thoughts for anyone who is in emotional pain. And it is not just about the loss a love, but touches upon loss, of all kinds, as one of those inescapable parts of life. You will not regret buying and reading it, even if you don't need it. Someday you will.

You know what its like after a loss.. you find yourself living second to second, minute to minute, hour by hour and it takes forever just to make it through!

How do you make it through the long dark seconds, night after night, day after day?!

Well this book is like a soothing balm for the soul. It wont solve your problems but it will hold you gently while you go through your pain. This book slowly brings you through the haziness of the thick, raw grief you are feeling.

Read as much as you need, when you need and it will help you find your path to healing.

When I broke up with my ex I felt like I was dying. This book helped me live through each second, then each minute, then each hour until I was able to see there were steps beyond the pain.

I hope this book helps you too.
xxx

This books is an excellent illustrated story about dealing with loss, any kind of loss, and the different ways to grieve. I bought two, have given them both away, and need to order more.

This book was recommended to me by a counselor after I lost my son. It was a great support and truly helped me. I appreciated it so much that I got a copy for my step-mother after she lost her son. It's a great book for all ages--very simple, very insightful, very comforting.

I bought this book mainly so I would know how to help others with their grief. I've already shared this book with two co-workers who've lost loved ones. They loved the book and said they had planned to purchase their own copy to share with others. This is an excellent resource and reiterates that it's best just to listen and not say much.

I heard about this book from a nurse who learned of the passing of my firstborn baby. I have since ordered twelve, and have given them to people who are traveling own their path of grief as a way to honor my son's memory. It's a beautiful book and timely even when the loss is no longer recent. It addresses the many stages of grief and how there is no one "right" way to grieve. The ilustrations enhance the message in a very touching way.

Our seven year old son just lost a four year battle against cancer. A friend gave me this book and it was a perfect recipe for grieving. I can't say enough good about it and its effect on me.

I'm not convinced that this is a book for children. The concepts and illustrations are too strong perhaps. (My 9yr old daughter is emotionally mature - but I'm not sure if I'll share this with her until she's older.) There are other more appropriate book for kids.

I think this is an amazing picture book for adults to realize and understand their own grieving process - without reading a textbook. I fetched my biggest crab-pot from the cupboard and plan to mke my own Tear Soup.

When my husband died after a long illness, someone recommended this book. One of the hardest parts about beginning to grieve is putting your feelings into words. C S Lewis does so here in his memoir of losing his beloved wife. This quick read helped me make sense of what I was feeling and that I was not alone feeling like this. I give it as a gift to people who suffer and extreme loss.

Good read of a classic, but a little dated. A few nuggets to treasure, but his bereavement was unusual in that he knew she was dying at the outset of the relationship. Not so useful for long term relationships suddenly hit by illneess or sudden death.

Not every author invites readers into the intimacy of his own most personal and profound loss. But not every confirmed bachelor and university professor marries for immigration rather than for love, and later realizes that his heart belongs to the person to whom he is already married, only to formally take her as a real wife during her hospitalization and treatment for a form of cancer that will eventually end her life. But C.S. Lewis is special, and so are his readers.

This personal diary, originally published under a psedonym, offers reassurance that knowing God is good does not preclude feelings of deep sorrow, fear, and uncertainty in the loss of a loved one. Lewis explores the social, emotional, and spiritual earthquakes that are caused by the death of his wife. Losing his intellectual sparring partner, his bedfellow, his friend, and his lover shakes him to the core, yet he clings to Christ as the only source of eteral hope for himself and for his wife Joy.

During a season of grief, I read this book every few weeks. It's a classic and not to be missed, not because it's entertaining, but because it acknowleges deep longings and desires that are intended by our Creator to lead us to Truth.

Lost a child. C. S. asks me to work very hard. I can't do it. Kushner gets to the heart of grief.

CS Lewis looks death into the face; he does not flinch and does not console himself with platitudes. He had lost the love of his life and his pain is palpable to the reader. This is a raw and honest book but it is not at all depressing: At the end of the book, Lewis begins to recover: his wish is simply that, on his own death bed, his lover will come back to him and give him the consolation of seeing her face again.

Rather surpisingly, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer myself three weeks after doing this review. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord! If you read this, say a prayer for me that I may die with courage and joy!

Having a particularly difficult day, I prayed to God for comfort and I unexpectedly received this book as a gift from a friend a day later. My concentration is impaired and the very short reflections of those who have suffered loss is helping me gradually recover. I brought a copy for my son as he travels his own path to healing.

Many grief meditations are written for the caregiver. This book focuses on the one in the midst of the pain. Well done and very useful for my clients in Hospice.

I was given this book after the suicide of my dear sister. There were so many days when I could find no comfort except for in reading the entry for the day. I now give this book to everyone I know who suffers a loss instead of a sympathy card. I buy them in lots of 4 or 5 so I always have them on hand.

I first came across Martha Hickman's Healing After Loss after my late husband died.It was one of the most helpful things I read at that time. In my work as a hospital chaplain I have given copies to several people who have experienced the death of a family member, and many have found it to be a great blessing.

The author has managed to combine comforting and validating words, as well as pointing out little things in every day life from which to find the strength to put one foot in front of the other. This is the first book I've read which has really helped since my sister died unexpectedly one year ago. My grief counselor recommended the book, and not only am I grateful, but I will pass this on to others I know who are hurting.

This book was very good. When a girl's brother dies after he runs after her, the girl feels horrible and she will not be consoled. She loved her brother so much and she soon finds that his heart was given to a boy in need of a healthy heart. She goes off to find David's heart. Very heart warming but it definentally made me cry. READ IT!!!

my daughter really liked this story and would recommend it for others to read and enjoy

This book is about a girl named Darcy, who loves her big brother......until he gets a girlfriend. Darcy doesn't like that David is not spending time with her anymore, so she runs away. David is hit by a car and dies. Darcy knows it's her fault, so she finds a way to apologize....she must find his heart, even though it's beating in someone else's body. The rest of the book is a quest that Darcy and her best guy-friend, Sam, take in order to find David. The rest of the book, I will not tell, you must read it! I will say, though, I cried during most of it!

Book Review on "Searching for David's Heart"

Emily Simons
6th Grade
Oshkosh WI


"I don't see why Mrs.Pritcher is making us give stupid speeches in front of the entire class," I groaned to my big brother, David, & my best friend Sam Weiss." Is how the book Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett begins. In the book Darcy adores her big brother David. But when David gets a girlfriend & David starts treating Darcy like a pest things go haywire. On Darcy's Birthday David brings his girlfriend Jayne. Darcy doesn't like Jayne because she's getting all of David's attention. David & Darcy get in a huge fight and Darcy runs away. David decides to follow her and something that Darcy never pictured happens and she blames herself.



In this book the theme is tied in between three different things. Courage- Darcy is leaving home to find the 12 year old who has her brother's heart. Braveness- She's leaving home & not telling anyone & will bring Winston to her parents. Love- "He smiled thorough his tears Merry Christmas Dee-Dee." Merry Christmas. I think all these different themes tie up the book.

The characters in this book are Darcy the main character, a sister who loves her brother more than the world. David as you probably guessed is the second main character, David is know for how great he is at collage football. I think that Jayne would be the third main character, because she in some way is part of David's death. Dad would come before mom, because of his work problem. Now, of course we have mom. Meemaw also know as grandma would be sixth because she is just lying in bed all day & is only mentioned a couple times. Last but not least we have Andy the little brother.

My next topic is the setting of the book. The main setting is Darcy's house. There always at her house. Sometimes in the book there at school. Or they could be visiting grandma, or on the bus to mami, Appleton park, or and Sam's house.

So in conclusion, Searching for David's Heart is a good book. I recommend this book to all ages, & all who enjoy a little sadness and adventures in a book. There is a lot of interesting stuff in this book. So it all comes down to one question Darcy's lost her brother but can she find the only one part of him that still remains? Find out when you read Searching for David's Heart!!

Darcy is in sixth grade and she feels very awkward. She stutters when she gets nervous, and she finds it hard to talk to people. Her younger brother is a brat, her father always seems to be angry at her, and her grandmother is in a coma at a nursing home, where the children have to go visit her. But Darcy's big brother David is perfect. He is strong and sweet to everyone. Everyone likes him and he can get along with anyone, but he is especially good to Darcy. There is no one in the world she loves more.

Then David gets a girlfriend. She may be perfectly nice, but Darcy hates her and the fact that she seems to be taking David away. One night in a fit of fury after a ruined birthday celebration, Darcy yells at David and his girlfriend that she hates them and wishes her brother were dead. Then she runs off. As David is chasing after her, he is hit by a car and he dies.

Darcy is riddled with guilt. She feels that she is a murderer, that David's death is her fault. She doesn't know what to do, and her family is falling apart now more than ever. Then Darcy makes a decision. She knows that her parents donated some of David's organs, including his heart. Darcy decides to find the recipient of that heart, to maybe see if that person now has a little bit of David in him or her. Darcy and her best friend Sam set off on their journey to track down David's heart.

I liked the character of Sam, and the way he related to Darcy. I liked how the story was resolved at the end, and I liked how the father's prejudice was explained and dealt with. I thought that Darcy's parents were pretty horrible throughout most of the story, though. They should have been able to do something to help Darcy.

ok there is this girl and her name is beth and she has a pretty good life but there is only one thing that she doesnt like about her parents and that is they dont give her anyspace to herself, alone time. she has two best friends named teddy and marcie they all live next to eachother with beth in the middle. her and teddy are the closest because marcie is always gone away. but beth and teddy always play basketball at teddys house. ok so beths parents decided to have a huge family picnic. bet beth couldnt go because she was sick so beths mother insisted that she stay home and care for beth but instead beth made her go to it. so the rest of the family go in the van and drove off. then beth went to her room to go back to sleep when the phone rang, it was her aunt that she doesnt talk to very often so the aunt said that she had heard that that beths parents and her siblings had good into a bad accident and had died insteantly. so that meant that beth had to leave her school and her best friends to live with her aunt in tampa,florida. and that is how death left beth behind by not going to the picnic. this is a good book and i recomend it.

ok there is this girl and her name is beth and she has a pretty good life but there is only one thing that she doesnt like about her parents and that is they dont give her anyspace to herself, alone time. she has two best friends named teddy and marcie they all live next to eachother with beth in the middle. her and teddy are the closest because marcie is always gone away. but beth and teddy always play basketball at teddys house. ok so beths parents decided to have a huge family picnic. bet beth couldnt go because she was sick so beths mother insisted that she stay home and care for beth but instead beth made her go to it. so the rest of the family go in the van and drove off. then beth went to her room to go back to sleep when the phone rang, it was her aunt that she doesnt talk to very often so the aunt said that she had heard that that beths parents and her siblings had good into a bad accident and had died insteantly. so that meant that beth had to leave her school and her best friends to live with her aunt in tampa,florida. and that is how death left beth behind by not going to the picnic.

This book is about a girl named Beth and her parents Paul and Carol and her brother Doug and sister Allison get into a car accident on their way to an annual picnic down by the lake. When some of the people notice that they are late they go down they go and try to see were they are and about 5 miles down the road they see there van in the road and they called the ambulance but when thy arrived they were already dead. Now Beth has to go and live with her aunt and uncle Camille and Jack and her cousin Terri in tampa, Florida. Sher has to leave her house in Tennesse were she lived all her life with her family and all her friends. Will she ever be able to get over her loss?

Beth Haxton was a girl who had a brother and a sister. Alison and Doug. Beth also had a mom and a dad. Their family was a happy family. Beth's parents go to a picnic for her dad's work and they wanted to bring Beth, but she had the flu. Alison and Doug went though. On their way to the picnic they got in a car accident. The police came right to Beth's house to see if Beth was there. Beth heard a ring on te doorbell and saw the police there. Beth got the news from the police that her parents and her brother and sister were hurt real bad. Then Beth went to the hospital and nobody would tell her what had happened. Beth had to call her aunt who lived in Tampa to come up and see her and comfort her. After Beth's aunt came, the doctor told Beth and her aunt that Beth's family was D.O.A. dead on arrival. Beth went to her aunt's house to live. Terri her cousin didn't really like her though. Terri asked her to go to a party with her because she pretty much had to. They went to the party and Beth wanted to leave halfway through. Beth starts to go to school in Westwood and she gets a friend, Jared. This boy was the nicest boy in the school. He liked everyone. Beth also helps out this other girl who has a bad home life. Then she brings Sloane the girl with the bad home life to her house and she stays there for the weekend. Beth starts to be the popular one in the school. Terri and Beth start to be friends and they start to hang out together. At the end Terri and her mom bring Beth to her old house and she goes to the cementry to see her sister, her brother, her dad, and her mom's grave and they live happily ever after.

This book is about a fourteen-year-old girl named Beth. Beth was sick one day in the summer, her family was invited to cookout and she didn't go because she was sick. When her family was on their way to the cookout they got in a car accident, and the whole family was injured. The family was sent to the hospital. Beth was at her house when this accrued. The cops came to her house and brought her to the hospital. They called Beth's Aunt Camille and she got a fight to the hospital. She was Beth's only relative. Beth's parents, brother, and sister ended up passing away and Beth had to go live with her aunt and her family. Aunt Camille had a daughter Beth age and her name was Terri. You will have to read this book to find out if Beth likes her new school, makes new friends, or if her and Terri get along.

The things that I liked in this book were that Beth got along great with her family, she had best friends named Teddy and Marcie, and that her aunt and uncle treated Beth with respect and gave her a lot of support. My dislikes to this book were that Terri didn't get along with her parents or anyone, Beth didn't get to see or speak to Marcie before she left, and that people bought Beth's house and they didn't tell her who it was.

Over all I really liked this book. I could never put this book down. I would recommend The Girls Death Left Behind to a girl because it has a lot of sad and emotional parts in it. I also recommend this book to a girl because the main character is a girl. The events have great details, and I hope that those of you who haven't read this book to read it.

I bought this book shortly after losing our first daughter, 40 minutes after her birth. It brought as much comfort to me as it did tears. 6 years later, i still have it. I bring it out on her birthday or anytime that I feel the need to have a really good cry because I am missing her so much.

This book has been very helpful. Anytime I get worried about my babies (twins) being okay or not, I read this book and feel much better.

This book is amazing! I bought this book after my infant son was born early and died. I was inconsolable, but this book helped me to see that my son was in Heaven with Jesus. The illustrations are amazing and this was also a great way of explaining to my two other sons where their brother was and how he was happy, healthy, and well up in Heaven. The book is told from the perspective of the child and is simple, yet powerful. Anyone who has lost a child would appreciate and find healing by reading this book.

The pictures in this book are beautiful. I was hoping that the book would give some practical advice to readers about coping day-to-day, but it really didn't. Still, it's a helpful book.

Any one who has experienced abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth or the loss of a young child should own this book. It is powerful and comforting. This book should be a part of every bereavement program for loss of a little one.