Today at Stelae we will suggest the best books to help you cope with the grieving process after the loss of a loved one.
Why read books about bereavement?
Reading books about grief helps us when we lose a loved one. When reading, we can connect with our emotions which helps us to feel understood and even find comfort during these difficult times.
When we read stories about grief, our experiences and emotions are often reflected which helps us when we have to face the loss of someone close to us.
Benefits of reading books about bereavement
When a loved one dies, reading books about grief can be very beneficial. In literature, there are many examples that help us to understand this experience which we all have to go through at some point in our lives. In these books, there is also advice on how to cope with grief. What are the benefits of reading books about grief?
- They help us to understand our feelings and emotions so we can move through the grieving process at our own pace.
- They offer us tools to cope with the death of a loved one.
- They teach us how to show our emotions, express ourselves and talk about the loss of that loved one.
- They show us how to explain this kind of situation to children so that they too can understand.
Therefore, seeking ‘refuge’ in books on bereavement following the death of a loved one can help us get through this period in order to move forward.
Types of bereavement books available
Throughout history, all kinds of books have been written about grief, so there are many options available in order to explore this topic in more depth. Here are some examples of the most common categories:
Self-help books on grief
The most common books on grief are in the field of self-help. We can highlight titles such as:
- Exhala (Exhale) by Gaby Vargas invites us to look within ourselves for an answer to the death of a loved one. It offers practical advice on how to control our emotions and find peace. It has a very hopeful tone.
- Chronic Pain Therapy by Alan Gordon and Alan Ziv offers techniques for reprogramming the brain to reduce pain with the aim of obtaining hope and relief. It does so from the perspective that pain is not only a physical experience but also an emotional one.
Personal narratives of overcoming grief
Some stories in books about grief are told in the first person or narrate personal experiences of the author or those around him or her. We can find examples of this in works such as:
- El Niño (The Child) by Fernando Aramburu is a story based on true events. It deals with tragedy after an accident at a school in which many children lose their lives. In particular, it does so from the point of view of a family, showing the different ways of dealing with this pain.
- The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is a first-person account of what it is like to deal with the death of your husband. The author describes how she felt in the year following the loss of her husband and reflects on the great universal themes of death.
Philosophy and psychology books on bereavement
We can also mention some books on bereavement written from a psychological or philosophical point of view. Here are some interesting examples:
- Death is a day worth living by Ana Claudia Quintana Arantes, a doctor specialised in palliative care, is a book full of sensitivity that presents death as a natural and meaningful process that we must face with dignity and love.
- Mis emociones bajo control (My emotions under control) by Tere Díaz Sendra, a family and couple therapist, is a book with a practical approach that offers strategies for managing emotions and proposes self-control as a way of overcoming life's challenges, especially in situations of pain.
Fiction books about grief
There are also numerous works of fiction that deal with the grieving process from very different points of view, and although they are not true stories, they are equally moving and allow us to identify with their protagonists.
- Baumgartner by Paul Auster relates how a philosophy professor feels after the death of his wife Anna. This reading helps us to understand the feeling of estrangement when faced with the loss of a loved one.
- Cuanta más gente se muere, más ganas de vivir tengo (The more people die, the more I want to live) by Maruja Torres is a novel that reflects on death and invites us to celebrate life.
How to choose the right book for your grieving process?
When selecting books about bereavement, it is important to not only think about where you are in your grieving process, but also what type of reading best suits your literary tastes. Identifying with what is written in that book is key to helping you on your journey towards acceptance.
Other recommendations: films about bereavement
Experts also advise people to take refuge in writing during bereavement as it allows us to express our emotions and feelings. Nevertheless, if reading or writing is too much of an emotional strain, another way to cope with the process of losing someone close to us is to watch films about grief, a selection of which we have already discussed with you in an earlier article.
