North Shore-Boston Chapter

 

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The Compassionate Friends
North Shore - Boston Chapter

Grief Support after the Death of a Child


This website is dedicated to the memory of all of our children.

 
 

Chapter Library


 
The North Shore-Boston Chapter of The Compassionate Friends has an extensive collection of grief related books and magazines which are available at each meeting for our members to borrow. We would like to remind anyone who has taken out materials from our library to kindly return them so they will be available for our new members, either by dropping them off at a meeting or by mailing them to:

TCF North Shore-Boston Chapter
c/o Aldersgate United Methodist Church
235 Park Street
North Reading, MA 01864

 

For additional resources, including other support organizations, please visit our Local Resources Page

 
 

Gift From Within

An international non-profit organization for survivors of trauma and victimization

 

Gift From Within


 

Holding Onto Love 

A self-help forum for families who have experienced the death of a child

 

Holding Onto Love


 

The Centering Corporation and Grief Digest Magazine 

The Centering Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education and

resources for the bereaved.

 

The Centering Corporation


 

Center for Loss and Life Transition

Books, articles and other resources to help people who are grieving

 

Center for Loss and Life Transition


 

Silent Grief

Support for those who have suffered miscarriage and later child loss.  Silent Grief offers and extensive archive of articles about grief and child loss, written by the author and submitted by readers.

 

Silent Grief

 
 

Recommended Reading

When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Harold S. Kushner
Schocken Books, 1989

Addresses the questions that are raised when tragedy occurs.
 

The Bereaved Parent
Harriet Sarnoff-Schiff
Penguin Books, 1977

The classic guide for bereaved parents and those who want to help them.
 
Awakening from Grief: Finding the Road Back to Joy
John Welshons
Open Heart Publications, 2000

Looks at the grief caused by various types of loss, and how we can learn from our experiences. No matter how difficult the journey, there is a “light at the end of the tunnel.”
 
Transcending Loss
Ashley David Prend, A.C.S.W.
The Berkley Publishing Company, 1997

A book about grief and death, love and hope, which describes the grief process and provides ways to get through it.
 
When the Bough Breaks: Forever After the Death of a Son or Daughter
Judith R. Bernstein, Ph.D.
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1997

A psychological study of the long-term effects of parental grief. Includes interviews with parents and the author’s interpretations and insights about the ways we cope. This book is most appropriate a few years after losing a child.
 
Facing the Ultimate Loss: Coping With the Death of a Child
Robert J. Marx and Susan Wengerhoff Davidson
Champion Press Ltd., 2003

A compassionate guide to the grief process for parents who are mourning the death of a child. Also provides professionals with insights to help grieving parents.
 
How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies
Therese Rando
Lexington Books, 1988

A thorough overview of the grief process. Explains how grief is affected by the cause of death and by one's relationship with the loved one who has died. This book provides insight into the many different circumstances which may affect the grieving process.
 
We Don’t Die
Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski
The Berkley Publishing Group, 1988

We Are Not Forgotten
Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski
The Berkley Publishing Group, 1991

Our Children Forever
Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski
The Berkley Publishing Group, 1994

All three books contain fascinating accounts of the work and experiences of George Anderson, a psychic medium who communicates with loved ones on the “other side.”
 
Walking in the Garden of Souls
George Anderson and Andrew Barone
G.P. Putnam Sons, 2001

The lessons George Anderson has learned during his contact with souls on the “other side.”
 
A Grace Disguised
Gerald L. Sittser
Zondervan Publishing House, 1996

An inspirational memoir of one man's experience after the accidental death of his mother, his wife and his daughter, and how he was ultimately transformed by his grief. Recommended for those who are a little further along in their grief journey.
 
The Road to Forgiveness: Hearts Shattered by Tragedy, Transformed by Love
Bill and Cindy Griffiths
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001

A Christian couple finds a way to forgive a drunk driver who causes the death of their mother and eleven-year-old daughter. The message in this book is universal, regardless of the reader’s own spiritual beliefs.
 
Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength
Judy Collins
Tarcher/Penguin, 2003, 2006 (paperback)

The singer and songwriter shares her personal journey of survival after the suicide of her only son. Includes a list of books recommended for further reading.
 
Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead
Anne Morrow Lindberg
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973

"Hour of Lead" is Anne Morrow Lindbergh's personal diary and letters subsequent to the kidnap and murder of her 18-month-old son in 1932. In reading the author's memoirs of that tragic period of her life, one is struck by the universality and timelessness of the grief process.
 
A Broken Heart Still Beats: After Your Child Dies
Anne McCracken and Mary Semel
Editors Hazelden, 1998

A collection of fiction, poetry and essays about the search for meaning after the death of a child.
 
Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss
Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen
Grief Watch, 2005

A very simple book to provide comfort and healing after loss.
 
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
Judith Viorst
Aladdin Paperbacks (Simon & Schuster), 1971

A book about loss to read to young children.