Reviews
3 Must-Read Ebooks on Healing
by Anna Johns
We all deal with grief in different ways. Aside from turning to friends and loved ones, many also find solace and comfort in the company of books, even if only for momentary escape. We can gain new perspectives on grief, loss, and trauma through books. Books can also provide a way out for those confused or overwhelmed by societal expectations to grieve and mourn more traditionally by letting readers empathize with fictional narratives away from harsh reality.
In a previous post, we discussed the children’s book My Grief is Like the Ocean, written by mental health experts Jessica Biles and Jillian Kelly-Wavering for children who lost a parent to suicide. Along with the book’s main story — about a boy learning of his father’s death by suicide — My Grief is Like the Ocean includes a note to caregivers and helpful resources to help young readers.
Image @ Pexels
While seemingly a straightforward children’s book, My Grief is Like the Ocean is a testament to books’ power as an avenue for understanding and dealing with grief and loss, regardless of how old the reader is. As such, below, we’ll be looking at some more beautifully written books on grief, loss, and everything in between:
‘Writing into the Wound’ by Roxane Gay
In Writing into the Wound, writer and feminist Roxane Gay explores her personal life trauma and the collective trauma we’ve experienced in recent years, from COVID-19 to racial and economic inequality. The book is a short read — an essay — and an honest and vulnerable look at trauma and the benefits of writing about their pain, opening a wound, one word at a time.
Writing into the Wound is available on the audiobook subscription service Everand — formerly Scribd — and is an exclusive Everand original. If you’re not up to reading, you can also find an audiobook version of the work, narrated by Gay herself, that runs at a short and sweet one hour in her comforting and raw voice. Fans of Gay’s writing — and audiobook narration — can also find the author’s other works on the platform, including the acclaimed essay collection Bad Feminist and Hunger, which also has an audiobook format narrated by Gay.
‘The Modern Loss Handbook’ by Rebecca Soffer
In 2006, author Rebecca Soffer lost her mother to a car accident. Four years later, she lost her father to a heart attack. The consecutive parental losses left behind a gaping wound in Soffer’s life, who had earned her graduate degree and worked as a producer at “The Colbert Report” show. Published in 2022, The Modern Loss Handbook is a personalized “field guide” for the uncharted territory of grief and loss, with interactive elements.
In The Modern Loss Handbook, Soffer shares various sections on dealing with grief, such as coping with death anniversaries and other potentially triggering dates. There is also a questionnaire readers can fill out to help address complex and unresolved relationships as a result of loss. For additional reading, Soffer also published a book titled Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome in 2018 with long-time friend Gabrielle Birkner.
‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ by Joan Didion
Finally, deemed a timeless exploration of grief and loss, Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking has lived many lives and iterations since its original publication in 2005. The book was revived as a mobile production in New York a few years ago, as well as in churches and community centers throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Before that, the book was adapted into Broadway in 2007, with Vanessa Redgrave as the sole cast member.
In the book, Didion explores the loss of her husband and daughter. Didion had completed the book a year and a day after her husband passed, with a second book titled Blue Nights written after her daughter died in 2005. Despite its heavy themes, the memoir gained praise for not being a downer, much thanks to Didion’s writing style. Today, you can also find an audiobook format of the book as part of the online audiobook and podcast service Audible’s exclusive originals, narrated by Vanessa Redgrave.
If you found this post helpful, check out the Recovering The Self website for more guides and insights on grief, hope, and healing.
