Updated 05/10/2024
The grieving process is complicated because grief works in different ways. No two people experience it the same way, there’s no definitive timeline for it, and it’s impossible to fake your way through. What we do know for sure about grief, though, is that we will get through it, even if it feels impossible right now.
How you navigate the grieving process — and how long grief lasts — depends on many factors. Having a solid support system is instrumental in your healing. Online grief counseling and self-help tools can help, too. For some people, reading books about grief can be beneficial. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 17 therapist-recommended books on grief.
If you or someone you love is grieving a loss, the following list of best books about grief can help.
Grief Counseling Online
You don't have to wait for help processing your loss. Access grief counseling within days
1. Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown is a thoughtful and compassionate exploration of grief’s complexities. Through her own experiences and those shared by others, Brown offers insight into how to cope with loss in meaningful ways in one of the best grief books available.
“We get to explore what it means to experience 87 of the emotions and experiences that dramatically influence us. And! What we can do about them when we get flooded out with them.”
– Talkspace therapist Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC
2. On Grief and Grieving by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler
Kübler-Ross first coined the five stages of grief and loss for us — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — and On Grief and Grieving shares how we can walk through those stages with a comprehensive understanding of the grieving process. This grief book covers sections about sadness, dreams, isolation, and recovery.
“This book gives us a structured approach to grief and loss that allows for certain personality traits to grieve with a plan. It feels good to have a slice of control over our own grief journey.”
– Talkspace therapist Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC
3. Grief One Day at a Time – by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt
Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss is an invaluable resource for anyone who’s experienced the loss of a loved one. Written by grief counselor and psychotherapist Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt, this book offers daily meditations that provide comfort and guidance through the grieving process, with support every day for 365 days after a loss.
“Being in the present moment is a skill that we can learn to only process the things that are coming up for us now, rather than in the past or the future. It can reduce the overwhelm to live like this.”
– Talkspace therapist Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC
4. Bearing the Unbearable by Joanne Cacciatore
The death of someone close is often so overwhelming that you feel alone in your pain. Cacciatore’s grief book helps readers understand their emotions and provides practical strategies for dealing with them healthily. Each short chapter can stand alone, walking with you as you navigate the grieving process.
5. How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies by Terese A. Rando
The goal is healing and finding peace in life again despite loss — something that may seem impossible right now but can become a reality over time with dedication and effort.
How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies offers comfort and support for people who are grieving. The book includes lessons on understanding your grief so you can let go, remembering how to take care of yourself along the way, getting through milestones like birthdays and holidays, and finding acceptance.
6. I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye by Brook Noel
Coming to terms with loss is the most difficult part of grief. Though it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, in one of her books about grief, I Wasn’t Ready To Say Goodbye, author Brook Noel encourages the reader to look beyond their sorrow. She offers guidance and practical strategies on how to cope with the emotional and physical aspects of death and grief.
7. The Other Side of Sadness by George A. Bonanno, PhD
The Other Side of Sadness takes an unexpected look at and approach to grief. It goes beyond the traditional 5 stages of grief we’ve come to accept and anticipate, instead viewing the process as far from unpredictable. Bonanno acknowledges that we all have an incredible capacity for resilience as we face our grief.
8. Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers by Earl A. Grollman
Written for teens who’ve experienced a significant loss, Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers shares what to do when coping with loss at such a young age. Approachable and relatable, this is one of those books on grief where Grollman brings light to a much-ignored segment of grief. This also is the best book for young people that are dealing with the loss of a parent.
9. It’s OK That You’re Not OK by Megan Devine
Written by someone who’s experienced her own devastating loss, Devine explores grief in her book through the lens that you shouldn’t necessarily be trying to get “back to normal.” Rather, true healing comes when you focus on forging a new path that encompasses your grieving heart as a part of your life moving forward.
10. Surviving the Holidays Without You by Gary Roe
The pain of loss is amplified with each (and sometimes every) major holiday or significant date you must get through after you lose a loved one. Surviving the Holidays Without You gives a roadmap to turn painful holidays into days that can help you heal.
11. Heartbroken by Gary Roe
Gary Roe makes our list twice with his book about how losing a spouse can cause a unique form of grief that’s both painful and, at times, explosive. In Heartbroken: Healing from the Loss of a Spouse, Roe helps you heal and get through the emotions common to this specific type of loss.
12. Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
If the traditional self-help format doesn’t resonate as you cope with loss, Reasons to Stay Alive addresses grief through a memoir. Walk with Haig as he recounts his loss and survival, overcoming the crisis and personal health struggles that almost took everything.
13. The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
Yet another Matt Haig book makes our list. The Comfort Book is a thoughtful, reflective look at some of the darkest times Haig survived. His story is interwoven with references to historical, scientific, and worldly occurrences from our past, all in a true testament to the power of resilience.
14. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The Year Of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is an insightful look into what it means to grieve after losing someone close to you. While their daughter was in the hospital on life support, Didion’s husband suddenly and unexpectedly suffered a massive, fatal heart attack. Didion shares her thoughts on denial, guilt, anger, and acceptance as she helps the reader understand their feelings better and ultimately move forward.
15. Surviving the Death of A Sibling by T. J. Wray
Wray’s thoughtful look at her own loss acknowledges the difficulty of losing an adult sibling. While all losses are painful to overcome, there are unique challenges that come with siblings dying who are adults, have spouses, and possibly are already parents themselves. Surviving the Death of A Sibling explores how to navigate this very specific type of loss, with advice for understanding and managing each stage.
16. A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
A Heart That Works shares comedian Rob Delaney’s poignant journey through the grief of losing his young son to a brain tumor. This book offers a raw, honest, and deeply personal account of his emotional rollercoaster, providing a unique perspective from a father’s viewpoint, which is often underrepresented in books on grief. Delaney’s narrative is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, making it a significant resource for any grieving parent, particularly fathers seeking connection and understanding in their sorrow.
17. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Notes on Grief is a powerful reflection on the personal nature of mourning, written after the sudden death of the author’s father. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie turns her formidable storytelling skills to her own grief, capturing the complex tangle of emotions that a grieving person navigates.
The book is both a tribute to her father and a narrative that explores the universality and uniqueness of grief. Adichie’s candid and heartfelt prose provides comfort and understanding to anyone grappling with the loss of a loved one, making it one of the best books on grief.
Finding Support for Grief With Talkspace
If you’re searching for support and tools that will help you cope with grief, consider reading one of the recommended books in this list. If you are feeling overwhelmed and need more professional support, turn to Talkspace. You don’t have to deal with your grief alone. Online grief counseling at Talkspace can help you learn how to deal with grief by teaching you a variety of grief therapy techniques. Get connected today to start healing in your grief journey.
Talkspace articles are written by experienced mental health-wellness contributors; they are grounded in scientific research and evidence-based practices. Articles are extensively reviewed by our team of clinical experts (therapists and psychiatrists of various specialties) to ensure content is accurate and on par with current industry standards.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.
