Grief Beginners

In his mid-40s, aid worker Simon Boas was diagnosed with incurable cancer—it had been caught too late, and spread throughout his body. But he was determined to die as he had learned to live—optimistically, thinking the best of people, and prioritizing what really matters in life. The advice isn't quite “Don't buy any green bananas”—but it's close to “Don't start any long books.”

Through countless editions and across centuries, The Tibetan Book of the Dead has drawn people intrigued by the Tibetan Buddhist view of the end of life. In a world that often ignores death or hides it from view, Tibetan Buddhists acknowledge it as the last of a countless series of endings in this lifetime. And after each ending comes a new beginning. The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners draws on this timeless wisdom to help listeners today live with more joy and approach the end with more ease.

At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it's clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let's face it: Most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We're awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit.

Have you or someone close to you lost a loved one? Even though we all experience grief differently, there are five common stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Understanding the process and purpose of grief can help during this difficult time.

The Grief Handbook provides guidance from someone who has been there. Bridget McNulty lost her mum suddenly, and found herself unexpectedly amongst the chaos of grief while bringing up small children. She couldn't find the support that she needed, so she created this handbook. This is for those who are grieving: an honest exploration into the worst thing that can happen to you. There is no "one size fits all" approach.

There is no sure route through grieving. Jerusha McCormack provides instead a series of signposts by which we may find our own path to a new life.

In Grief, Michael Cholbi presents a groundbreaking philosophical exploration of this complex emotional event, offering valuable new insights about what grief is, whom we grieve, and how grief can ultimately lead us to a richer self-understanding and a fuller realization of our humanity.

There’s nothing as devastatingly painful as the loss of a loved one. And getting through this pain will be one of the toughest things any of us will go through in our lives. Grief is a universal experience that everyone will endure at one point in their lives, yet it’s also a uniquely individual journey for every one of us.