The Best Books About Death, Dying & Grief
I’m sorry that you find yourself here. Yet, as I’ve learned in my own life, there’s no way through without swimming through sorrow—and as difficult as these passages are, they deepen our experience, empathy, and resilience. You will find a range of books here that touch on many parts of this journey—some that will appeal to you, others that will not. Materialists will not enjoy my selection of books about life after death, for example. (If this is your cup of tea, start with The Light Between Us by Laura Lynne Jackson, Surviving Death by Leslie Keane, and Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani.) My favorite interview subject, B.J. Miller’s A Beginner’s Guide to the End is an empathic read for practical questions and I heartily recommend all of the memoirs on this list, notably the wonderful Nora McInerny and Kate Bowler, as well as Paul Kalanithi’s exquisite When Breath Becomes Air and Nina Riggs’ The Bright Hour.
Please, as always, drop recommendations in the comments, I am always all ears for more books to read. The link below will take you to a shelf I curated on Bookshop with my picks—I earn an affiliate commission there, but it is ALWAYS MY PREFERENCE that you shop at and support your local bookseller, so no pressure to buy via Bookshop. This is the easiest way for me to organize and keep picks updated.
Consider adding A Life in Between by Calais Zagarow Schroeder. I read it over the summer, and it may be my favorite book I've read this year, and I've read a lot of good ones. It is heart-wrenchingly beautiful in its prose, story, and substance.