Book Review - Grief the Mourning After

Grief the Mouring After: Dealing with Adult Bereavement
2nd ed.
Catherine M. Sanders
BF 575 .G7 S26 1999

This book was written to address the practical considerations and clinical approaches to dealing with grief. It is not at textbook and repeatedly asserts that grief is a very individual process. The first two parts of the book focus on theoretical background and phases of grief. The third part discusses many of the aspects that become intertwined in the grieving process. Part four adds to this complex picture by discussing deaths that are especially traumatic, either for their quick and unexpected nature or their long, drawn out suffering. Part five centers around three common classes of grief: death of a child, death of a spouse, and death of a parent. Part six discusses rituals that survivors use to help them deal with loss. Part seven includes recommendations for caregivers, whether familial or professional, to help others live through their grieving process. This book is well researched and written in an academic style, but is peppered with anecdotes which illustrate the book's lessons in the stories of real people.