Grief and Loss— Book List:

Listing books here is not intended to indicate absolute agreement with all content, techniques, suggestions, word choices, or other work by the authors- but to indicate a large portion of information that was found helpful. It is recommended that whatever you read, no matter who recommends it or writes it, that readers use critical thinking and that content is reviewed in a thoughtful, contemplative, and reflective manner. Few books are written dedicated entirely or specifically to Adoption related grief and loss, but these books I have found personally to have the most applicable and beneficial concepts.

This list reflects the individual opinions of Heather Gonzales and is written from the perspective of an adoptee. Bold titles indicate a higher preference. Lists are not necessarily a reflection of all staff or Encompass Adoptees as a whole.

Books, details, and reviews are added periodically.

• A Grief Observed, by C. S. Lewis

• Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, by Joanne Cacciatore, PhD

• Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief, by Pauline Boss

• The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief, by Francis Weeller

• On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss, by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, MD and David Kessler

• Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, by Kathrine May