Getting to the Other Side of Grief: Overcoming the Loss of a Spouse

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Summary: Life after death
Review: After suffering the most devasting and unexpected loss of my husband of 30 years, I knew that I would still have to live. The perspective of this book has given me an amazing beginning on the road to healing my grief. I may have stumbled upon some of these thoughts on my own. But, at this time, it was nice to be led by the hand.
As with anything in life, we have to make choices. Time alone will not heal. They have made me realize that you can and must be proactive in your recovery. It has only been 7 weeks and I am progressing so much better than I ever thought possible. Thank you and God bless you!

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Summary: First Aid for anyone whose spouse has died.
Review: As a recent widowed person I was looking for help on what to expect now that my wife had died. This book was the answer. It was written by two professionals who had each lost their spouse. They cover the things you need to deal with from two serperate perspectives; what the psychologist says, and what the Pastor says. This approach allows you to understand what to expect and gives you two different methods of handling the various elements of your grief. I would also recommend it to a widowed person's adult children as they will better comprehend what problems the surviving parent is facing.

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Summary: This book gave me hope..
Review: Because these two authors were brought together after losing their spouses by doing this book. She tells the psychologist side of grief and he tells the spiritual side of grief. I have read a lot of books in the past year. This book has a good balance and it gave me hope that I won't be lonely forever. I liked the fact that you got not only a psychological view but the spiritual view all in one book and you got a female and male point of view. I also was encouraged because they both were so young when they lost their spouses. I am 32 and I lost my husband in an automobile accident and I have three 3 boys. Most widow books out there are written with the older widows in mind. They gave me great hope that my life will go on. I sometimes feel like I am losing my mind. This has been an awful year of lose for the boys and I and I am thankful for books that tell me that my feelings are normal and I will be okay.

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Summary: Zonnebelt's grief book
Review: great book! Changed my life! This book made me start living again. I work in a funeral home and would recommend this book to everyone who is dealing with the loss of a spouse. I grieved for two and a half years and this book changed my life.

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Summary: A must read !
Review: I bought this book for my Mom after my father died. She tried reading several books and wasn't finding the support she was looking for. My father was only 52 and died very suddenly from a massive heart attack. Many of the books out there are for older people. This is a great book for younger husbands and wives, especially those with children.

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Summary: You're Not Alone
Review: I found the book helpful and hurtful as I had to work through the sudden loss of my wife at 46. The book gives you two authors that have "been there, done it" and understand what is happening to you inside. It helps to know that it is ok to hurt and miss that spouse. The first time reading was very emotional for me and I know that In a few more months I'll pick it up again, to help with the journey of healing. The two view points are a great help. I have mentioned it to my pastor, I recommend it highly. A very informative and insightful book.

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Summary: You're Not Alone
Review: I found the book helpful and hurtful as I had to work through the sudden loss of my wife at 46. The book gives you two authors that have "been there, done it" and understand what is happening to you inside. It helps to know that it is ok to hurt and miss that spouse. The first time reading was very emotional for me and I know that In a few more months I'll pick it up again, to help with the journey of healing. The two view points are a great help. I have mentioned it to my pastor, I recommend it highly. A very informative and insightful book.

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Summary: Spiritual resources
Review: I read this book in December after losing my 42 year old husband to brain cancer. He was my EVERYTHING! I thought that I was handling the grief well...and the book was informative, on my first pass through it in the days following my husband's death. The past month has been very difficult for me....the grief has tried to swallow me up. I started reading the book again. I am now acting on the suggestions of the authors. They were both widowed in their 40's. Their perspective comes from two different vantage points. He is a theologian...and she is a psychologist. The book has been quite helpful...and I feel as though it is helping me move forward.

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Summary: Excellent--Even if you only read half
Review: If the Christian scripture approach does not fit with your views on God and religion (it does not mine), don't let that discourage you from buying this book. The psychologist portions alone are excellent. I am not yet on "the other side" of grief, but I'm starting to see glimmers of what the other side will be like. I'm cautiously optimistic, and this book reinforces that optimism. The psychologist's entries give a wonderful, hopeful view of what's possible in starting anew. It helps assuage any lingering guilt you may feel about starting over. A central concept within is that to get to the other side, you must face your grieving head-on and not simply expect time to do the job for you. The book offers prompts for writing exercises that will help you to face and resolve issues in your grieving. It's hard to find the time to write, especially if you've still got children at home, but whatever you can do will help. Here's a motivating quote from the book: "Do not waste your life on what might have been. Deal with the grief. Deal with it now so you can get on with your life." In the early weeks, I wasn't ready to "get on"; instead, I was "holding on." That's normal, as is the change I'm now feeling towards moving on. Grief is strange, and different books and approaches help at different times. When you are ready to think about moving forward to the next chapter in your life, this book will give you the encouragement you need as well as guidance to help you to the other side.

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Summary: Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Review: This book has an excellent message for surviving spouses. The authors cover three basic issues involved with the death of a spouse. First is the practical experience from the authors lose of their first spouses. Second is the Clinical aspects as their professional training comes through with the explainations of how grief effects people physically, and mentally. Third is the spirital as Bob is an ordained minister. Many times as I read this book it covered the questions I was facing and trying to answer myself. One of the important messages I received were in the title I chose. This is a journey THROUGH the shadow of death, and you will heal. If you find yourself grieving the lose of a spouse, or a close friend in that situation I highly recommend the book. It will help you begin the healing process.