The Courage to Grieve: The Classic Guide to Creative Living, Recovery, and Growth Through Grief

I read about 20 books on this subject after the sudden death of my young husband. I was looking for a road map to get through the shock and grief. This book was the only one that really helped me. It is an excellent, practical guide for those who have experienced a death of a loved one. Sudden death is especially traumatic and the book really helped me understand that what I was feeling and doing was perfectly normal. Good Luck.

I've finally found the courage to read this book. It was recommended more for learning to grieve for an old life. My friend was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. I needed to grieve for that old life that could never be again. It's helping me through the stages to get to where I can face our new life together. I'd recommend this for anyone going through any of Life's changes: marriage, divorce, death, graduation from college. Even when something is positive (like marriage), one needs to learn that the old way is gone and to find a new path. My marriage is getting better by some of the thoughts I've had after reading this book. I'm learning to let go of old hurts. It's not a silver bullet for all of Life's Ills, but it's a nice, warm cup of tea for the heart or a soothing salve for serious hurts.

I had never been in the position of losing a partner before. I went to a therapist and she gave me this book to read. While reading this book my fears about never being the same again started going away, and I began to feel that it was okay to feel the way I was. This book should be read by anybody who has lost a loved one. I am getting several copies to give to people when they lose a loved one. This book brought me back from the nightmare I was in.

Having personally experienced the death of my only child seven years ago, I continue to recommend this book to others as the most helpful, validating, and poetic piece of work on the subject. No cliches, no "how to's" ...just gentle compassion and whispers of hope from someone who has obviously "been there" and survived gracefully.