Granger E. Westberg (–1999)

For more than fifty years Good Grief has helped millions of readers, including NFL players and a former first lady, find comfort, understand their emotions and regain hope after loss. This classic text identifies ten stages of grief -- shock, emotion, depression, physical distress, panic, guilt, anger, resistance, hope, and acceptance -- but recognizing that grief is complex and deeply personal, defines no "right" way to grieve.

Good Grief offers valuable insights on the emotional and show more physical responses persons may experience during the natural process of grieving something as small as a change in plans to something as traumatic and final as death. Reflection questions sprinkled throughout the book help readers explore their own experience with each stage of the grieving process.

Good Grief includes a foreword by Dr. Timothy Johnson, a leading communicator of medical health care information. An afterword by the author's daughters tells how the book came to be.

Whether mourning the death of a loved one, the end of a marriage, moving to a new home, or other difficult life changes, Good Grief is a proven steady companion in times of loss and transition. show less

Rated: B
Good book to help people who are grieving a loss understand what is normal during abnormal times.

Here's what I wrote about this read in 2020: "Recommended by Pastor Heidi. Written in the 1960's so had some disconnects with society today (example, role of women is expanded significantly outside the home) but consistent with a lot else read. Interesting how he decried the movement of families away from each other and their communities, both important sources of support."

Thankfully short, this book on the stages of grieving was highly recommended in a book we're reading on how to be an effective deacon. Unfortunately, this book could have been written by a post-modern. I'm not saying that Westberg is post-modern, but he quotes very little scripture, makes most of his points from anecdotes or psychology, and quotes only one person associated with religion, a rabbi.

I think that a book on grieving from a Biblical perspective would be helpful. This is not it.