Mourning Handbook: A Complete Guide for the Bereaved [Hardcover]

Helen Fitzgerald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1994

Shares comforting, practical advice for anyone caught in the turmoil of losing a loved one, from everyday concerns such as placing an obituary and cemetery visits, to the myriad of complicated emotional issues involved--especially with accidental death and suicide.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

While both authors offer guides to dealing with the death of a loved one, Fitzgerald concentrates on the wide range of topics associated with grief and mourning, including anticipatory and complicated grief. Though offering practical advice on making funeral arrangements and disposing of belongings, the author focuses primarily on how to deal with particular symptoms of grief, like depression, fear, and guilt. Fitzgerald (The Grieving Child, LJ 4/15/92) also considers the varying effects on the survivor of traumatic deaths (murder, suicide, etc.), the deceased's relationship (death of a parent, child, spouse, pet, etc.), and special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries). Her final sections are devoted to moving on from grief and advice on helping others through loss. A good, selected bibliography follows. Similar topics form the subject matter of Shaw's text, though she has designed more of a how-to guide for dealing with matters not ordinarily discussed in books on grief and mourning. Among many other things, the author discusses autopsy, securing a death certificate, choosing between funerals and memorial services, dealing with wills, insurance policies and the deceased's estate, dealing with the press when the death is a media event, and numerous other matters that survivors are often faced with and ignorant about. Each chapter includes up-to-date referral guides for getting help and information. While each book offers support for the grieving, Shaw's is the more useful in practical matters relating to the death of a loved one and also for those who wish to think about and plan for their own death. Both are recommended for the general reader.
Bonnie Hoffman, Stony Brook, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671869728
• ISBN-13: 978-0671869724
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,569,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those in mourning..., June 22, 2001

By 

Scott Barman (Rockville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mourning Handbook: A Complete Guide for the Bereaved (Hardcover)

Death is not an easy subject to discuss and it is certainly not an easy subject to write about. Some books seem very spritual in its handling of the subject. Others miss the mark completely. This book is different. It discusses the range of feelings that those of us who grieve for the death of a loved one expeirences. What makes this book a must read for the grieving is that not only is the author a professional therapist, but she writes from experience--she lost her first husband to cancer. She adeptly combines her professional and personal experiences in such a way that I felt as if she was talking directly to me. It helped validate my feelings and have provided me with a sign that I may be able to get passed my own grief. I have been recommending this book to others who are still mourning the passage of a loved one.