The Mourning Handbook: The Most Comprehensive Resource Offering Practical and Compassionate Advice on Coping with All Aspects of Death and Dying [Paperback]

Helen Fitzgerald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

No one should be left to grieve alone

Even with the help of friends and family, grieving the death of a loved one can be a complex, sometimes overwhelming, process. The Mourning Handbook is written as a companion to those mourners in need of practical and emotional assistance during the trying times before and after the death of a loved one.

Having counseled thousands of people who have experienced loss, Helen Fitzgerald gives special attention to the complex emotions that can accompany especially traumatic situations, such as when a loved one has been murdered, when there have been multiple deaths, when a body has not been recovered, or when the mourner has been the inadvertent cause of death.

Designed to conform to the special needs of the bereaved, The Mourning Handbook is written and organized in an accessible style punctuated by real stories of people who have experienced every kind of loss. With many subchapters and cross references, it can be consulted for a specific problem or read at length.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Earl A. Grollman author of Living When a Loved One Has Died I recommend The Mourning Handbook to any reader in search of a path out of the wilderness of despair. It is a compass, pointing the way to recovery.

About the Author

Helen Fitzgerald is the author of The Grieving Child: A Parent's Guide. She is the coordinator of the first grief program in the nation established in a community mental health center (The Mt. Vernon Center for Community Mental Health in Springfield, Virginia). A certified death educator, Fitzgerald devoted herself to the field after the death of her husband left her a widow with four children. She lectures across the country on the subject. The success of her program has led to the creation of similar programs nationally. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1 edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684801612
• ISBN-13: 978-0684801612
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Think you're going crazy? This book will allay your fears., July 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mourning Handbook: The Most Comprehensive Resource Offering Practical and Compassionate Advice on Coping with All Aspects of Death and Dying (Paperback)

I first bought this book for a British friend in Italy who thought she was going crazy because she was still subject to bouts of crying two months after her Mother's death. The book helped her tremendously. I bought my own copy when my Father died and found it as helpful as it appeared to be before death touched me personally.

I could go on for more than the maximum 1,000 words and still not finish describing this book. Suffice to say that its greatest strength is that it is totally non-judgmental. There are no "shoulds," no timetables, only the constant theme that the rollercoaster of emotions that is ruling your life right now is probably perfectly normal and temporary. Ms. Fitzgerald does offer benign guidelines to help the reader decide when things might be getting out of hand and require professional help, but with no pressure.

The book covers every eventuality for every type of death. The style is clear, the information easily found, the approach completely objective.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tremendous comfort for those grieving, September 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mourning Handbook: The Most Comprehensive Resource Offering Practical and Compassionate Advice on Coping with All Aspects of Death and Dying (Paperback)

"The Mourning Handbook" is excellent and it hits the nail on the head when it comes to the pain of grief! This book has brought me a lot of comfort and relief as I dealt with the unexpected deaths of several loved ones in my life. This book also helped to not be so hard on myself as I went through my grieving process. This book is very educational in explaining many aspects of bereavement. It also talks a lot about what to expect when you are grieving, how to survive, how to cope, and also how to help other people who have lost loved ones. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has lost a loved one.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Comprehensive, Non Offensive, Extremely Useful, April 28, 2006

By 

A. Leung (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mourning Handbook: The Most Comprehensive Resource Offering Practical and Compassionate Advice on Coping with All Aspects of Death and Dying (Paperback)

Helen's sub-title "The Most Comprehensive..." is spot on. It's very comprehensive and is by far one of the most useful handbooks I've read. And the inclusion "with All Aspects..." is also spot on. This books covers things you never really would think of or associate with in coping with the death of a loved one or just a death until you've been there and even then, there are things that I never thought about until I read this handbook that I'm grateful Helen wrote about so that I felt more comfortable and confident in dealing with those aspects.

Losing someone you love or someone whose life or death had a profound impact on your life often leaves you stunned. Frankly, the words meant to comfort given by friends and family only add insult to injury even though they're all well-meaning. It's my hope that for anyone who does know of someone coping with a loss, that instead of words, you present this book.

It's like an encyclopedia. You can flip through and read bits and pieces as you need. It's not intended to be read front to cover and most will never read every page as there are bound to be portions that won't apply. But Helen has covered a large area that death does touch upon and does so in a way that offers immediate help and provides you with more resources to help too. I really liked that there's an equal balance between providing information --a general acknowledgement and understanding being offered-- and resources. The book is helpful on its own merits, a really great tool when utilizing the references and other suggestions beyond the book, too.

Acknowledgements [...] puts this book into many of their sympathy gift baskets (which is where I first got mine) along with a nice selection of other helpful, soothing gifts. Check them out, too. The gifts are beautiful and meaningful as is Helen Fitzgeralds handbook.