When I was thrust into this journey, I did what most people would do – I googled. Then, I started reading just about everything I could put my hands on. When I am now asked for guidance on books or other resources that I’ve found helpful in my journey, my mind tends to seize up. So, here’s a repository of resources that I’ve found helpful or interesting so far. I’ll continue to add to the list. Please share in the comments if you have resources that you’ve found helpful!
Books –
Wolterstorff, Nicholas, Lament for a Son, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987). Lament for a Son is at once both tender and thought-provoking. It may be the single best book that I’ve read on child loss. Wolterstorff bares his heart and we see the fullness of both his pain and his hope.
Kessler, David, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, (New York: Scribner, 2019). Wow! Definitely a must-read.
Martin, James, Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus, (New York: Harper One, 2016) Seven Last Words came as an unexpected blessing. Less than a month after Brooke’s accident, I was desperate for words of hope. The little book came as the unlikely answer to my prayers. This book reassured me that God is with me in my suffering.
Alcorn, Randy, Heaven, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004). This book not only answered a whole lot of questions about what heaven might look like – this is the book that motivates me to grab as many along the way as I can. Everyone will want to go to heaven after reading Alcorn’s account of the Biblical passages regarding the afterlife.
Kushner, Harold S., Who Needs God, (New York: Fireside, 1989). “Chapter 8 – For Thou Art With Me” is particularly comforting.
Frazee, Randy, What Happens After You Die, (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2017).
Kushner, Harold S., Overcoming Life’s Disappointments, (New York: First Anchor Books, 2007).
Strobel, Lee, A Case for Hope: Looking Ahead with Confidence and Courage,(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015).
Lewis, C. S., A Grief Observed, (New York: Harper One, 1994, 1961).
Lucado, Max, You’ll Get Through This, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013).
Lucado, Max, Traveling Light, (New York: MJF Books, 2001).
Neal, Dr. Mary C., To Heaven and Back, (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2011).
Strobel, Lee, The Case for Faith, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000). In this book, Strobel addresses some of the toughest objections to Christianity. Chapter 4, “Objection #4: God Isn’t Worthy of Worship If He Kills Innocent Children,” is especially enlightening.
Sandberg, Sheryl and Adam Grant, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017).
Manion, Jeff, The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010).
Tartt, Donna, The Goldfinch (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013). So, a fiction novel might be an odd choice for a grief resource. However, Donna Tartt does such an astounding job of capturing the psychological nuances of grief that it becomes reassuring to know that you aren’t alone. Some of the themes of the story might be difficult for some readers to hear (drug addiction being one). If strong themes do not bother you, then this is a unique escape into the reality of grief.