The Reading List
People receive and process information differently, most especially when they have been smacked down by grief and the feeling that your world has collapsed. Every library or bookstore in the country is stocked with books about dealing with loss. And when these dreadful life events happen, pamphlets and brochures make their way (sometimes in triplicate) into the hands of the heartbroken thanks to the extraordinary kindness of friends. What may not work in the immediate can certainly play a role later in the healing process of creating a new chapter in life. We’ve created a reading list that will be updated to highlight the authentic narratives and thoughts of others and their own experiences, insights and earned wisdom to inspire perspective and healing support.
The Books
Left On Tenth: A Second Chance at Life: A Memoir
Delia Ephron
This is a poignant, amusing and uplifting story of celebrated writer Delia Ephron’s life after the passing of her beloved husband, Jerry who died after her sister, Nora. Ephron takes readers through a frustrating battle that surviving spouses can relate to -- trying to end her late husband’s cell phone service, which triggered an accidental end to her internet connection. Ephron recounted the dreadful experience into an opinion piece for the New York Times which caught the attention of a gentleman whom she had dated years before. They reconnect and marry. Hers is a rollercoaster story of love, loss and love again told from the heart. Ms. Ephron is one of America’s favorite writers and Left on Tenth will open this fall on Broadway.
Mark Potter - Sunrise, A Photographic Journey of Comfort, Healing, and Inspiration - Former ABC News Correspondent Potter shares his photographic collection of brilliant sunrises, pictures he began taking daily at the encouragement of his wife, Judith. As Potter describes “I have experienced all of this now, because of the inspirational woman at the center of my life — my wife and best friend, Judith, who turned me into a chronicler of the morning sun. She did it in the firm belief that she was saving my life, at the same time I was struggling to help save hers from the ravages of ovarian cancer.”
Anna Quindlen - Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake. Former New York Times Columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner (and one of my favorite writers) offers a memoir that celebrates life, love, girlfriends, family, faith and navigating loss. It can be read straight through or in small delicious bites — no matter what this book helps lift the spirit.
Anna Quindlen - After Annie - Ms. Quindlen’s newest release. She tells the riveting and heartbreaking story of spousal loss through a grieving husband/father’s eyes. The sorrow, the duties, the complications and how to find a way forward begin on page one and continue through the bittersweet ending. While fiction, it reads as an authentic experience and speaks to resilience fueled by true love.
Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., Surgeon General of the United States - Together, The Healing Power of Human Connection In A Sometimes Lonely World. Dr. Murthy has declared an epidemic of loneliness in our country and offers hope through the power of human connection and interaction. A positive read that offers optimism and hope to everyone.
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Be Useful - The former bodybuilder, turned actor, turned politician offers ideas on how to move forward to find purpose, often the most difficult challenge after losing a spouse or life partner.
Joan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking - Recognized as one of Ms. Didion’s most profound works, she shares the personal and traumatic story of her husband’s passing which occurred simultaneously with her adult daughter’s severe medical issues that ultimately led to her daughter’s death just two years later. A very difficult read, but powerful.
Rabbi Steve Leder – The Beauty of What Remains, How Our Greatest Fear Becomes Our Greatest Gift — a book filled with insight including Rabbi Leder’s own journey in truly discovering “all that death takes away to the beauty of what remains.”
Poet Sara Rain’s loving the gone – dedicated “to the ones gone from earth and the ones still loving them.”
British Actor Richard E. Grant – A Pocketful of Happiness – a rich and deep love story of how Grant cared for his wife, Joan, who just days before her passing in 2021 counseled her husband and their daughter, Olivia, to try to find a pocketful of happiness every day.
