How We Grieve: Relearning the World

Rating:
Summary: Great case studies make this book accessible
Review: Grief is a topic that has been explored only in recent years, with Kubler-Ross getting it all started. Attig brings this topic a step further in discussing not only how we grieve, but in suggesting that in doing so, we must relearn the world. We have lost a loved one and our world has been vastly changed in just a few quick moments. We need to cope, to allow ourselves to grieve, and ultimately to create or "relearn" a world that can never be the same. The wonderful case studies Attig presents are the most helpful in helping the grieving reader to do this important life task. They tell real stories of real people that we can identify with and relate to. They evoke emotional responses that help us grow and believe we too can relearn our world in the face of grieving. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is grieving the loss of a beloved relative or friend, or to those who wish to prepare themselves in advance for the inevitable.

Rating:
Summary: Penetrating--accessible and philosophically sophisticated
Review: I was widowed at the age of 29. In the months that followed I read every non-secular grief book that I could find. Attig's was definitely the most helpful book I came across. It repeatedly enforced the point that things had changed beyond my control. It also then pointed out to me what I still had some control over. At a time when I was lost and feeling rather helpless it did a great job of showing me how I wasn't helpless. I gained a lot of motivation for facing the challanges ahead of me from Attig's book, I recommend it to others who's lives have been turned upside down from grief.

Rating:
Summary: Relearning Grieving
Review: Is grief an illness? Are there stages of grief? Does time heal all wounds? For Thomas Attig, the answer to all of these questions is NO! Grief is a process by which one relearns his/her world, a world that has been permanently altered by the death(s) of significant persons in one's life. Using the stories of eleven persons, Attig demonstrates the active nature of grieving. For Attig, the stories are the heart of the matter. The reader is introduced into the stories at the point of the loss experiences. Attig takes us through their coping behaviors as he develops the model of relearning the world; including relearning our selves and our relationships with the deceased. How We Greive is a very special book. It does not simply restate the stages and phases of grief so frequently outlined in like texts. Attig presents a different and important perspective to the understanding of how one copes with the death of a loved one and why grief occurs. Although Attig's book may be perceived as a resource for the professional caregiver, it can motivate all of us to examine the nature of our own relationships and assess our own coping styles and support systems.

Rating:
Summary: Relearning Grieving
Review: Is grief an illness? Are there stages of grief? Does time heal all wounds? For Thomas Attig, the answer to all of these questions is NO! Grief is a process by which one relearns his/her world, a world that has been permanently altered by the death(s) of significant persons in one's life. Using the stories of eleven persons, Attig demonstrates the active nature of grieving. For Attig, the stories are the heart of the matter. The reader is introduced into the stories at the point of the loss experiences. Attig takes us through their coping behaviors as he develops the model of relearning the world; including relearning our selves and our relationships with the deceased. How We Greive is a very special book. It does not simply restate the stages and phases of grief so frequently outlined in like texts. Attig presents a different and important perspective to the understanding of how one copes with the death of a loved one and why grief occurs. Although Attig's book may be perceived as a resource for the professional caregiver, it can motivate all of us to examine the nature of our own relationships and assess our own coping styles and support systems.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful and insightful
Review: This is a very, very good book. It helps immensely in understanding why grief can be so difficult and absorbing. It teaches how to be patient and understanding in dealing with grief, our own grief or the grief of others. It offers deep and valuable insights into the many aspects of the grief process--including why the world seems so strange after somebody dies, the importance of stories in grieving, our choice-making in bereavement, the ways we remain connected to a loved one who has died, even why so many of us want to read about grief when we are grieving.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful and insightful
Review: This is a very, very good book. It helps immensely in understanding why grief can be so difficult and absorbing. It teaches how to be patient and understanding in dealing with grief, our own grief or the grief of others. It offers deep and valuable insights into the many aspects of the grief process--including why the world seems so strange after somebody dies, the importance of stories in grieving, our choice-making in bereavement, the ways we remain connected to a loved one who has died, even why so many of us want to read about grief when we are grieving.

Rating:
Summary: Great case studies make this book accessible
Review: What a find this book is! How often we say, when somebody has died, "If there is anything I can do..." We're sincere, but usually, after we've prepared a casserole, we feel so helpless to do anything more. Then I discovered "How We Grieve: Relearning the World." Since then I've been giving it to bereaved friends. They take comfort that others have shared their experiences. They learn the ways that others have begun putting their lives back together. Several have conveyed to me what reading "How We Grieve" has meant to them. It gave them a sense of being understood and it provided many useful clues to understanding themselves and discovering how to reengage in the joys and burdens life brings. So, in truth, I no longer say, "If there is anything I can do." Instead, perhaps three months after the funeral, I write a heart-felt inscription in a copy of "How We Grieve" and send it to my friend. I commend the practice for the solace and healing it has provided.