Bereavement and grief: Resources for bereaved partners and spouses

Although there is extensive research on the loss of a spouse, predominantly focusing on the experiences of widows, much less attention is paid to bereaved partners not married to their significant other, whether or not the partners are of the same sex. This first-of-its-kind work explores both socially sanctioned and disenfranchised grief, highlighting similarities and differences. Combining a discussion of various theories of grief with personal narratives of grieving men and women drawn from numerous interviews, and detailed case study analysis, Carolyn Ambler Walter has produced a penetrating examination of the bereavement experiences of partners in varying types of relationships. She views narratives of widows, widowers, and bereaved domestic gay and lesbian partners from a postmodern perspective that breaks away from the traditional belief that the living must detach themselves from the dead in order to move on with their lives. Instead, building on the works of postmodern grief theorists such as Klass, Silverman, and Nickman, Walter views ongoing bonds with the dead as a resource for enriching functionality in the present, and as a key to looking to the future.

'He passed away', 'She's gone', 'He died'... As anyone who has ever lost a loved one will know, the wording doesn't affect the meaning. Nothing can shield you or prepare you for the brutal reality and crippling pain of a death and its repercussions. Kate Boydell was widowed at the age of 33. She felt that her life had lost its purpose and she wanted it to end. But she got through it - and so can everyone. In this down-to-earth, practical, insightful and often humorous guide, Kate draws on her own experience of bereavement to offer frank advice on coping with every aspect of the grieving process. Including: - coping with the initial shock - telling your children - organising the funeral - shopping and cooking - getting back into dating

In this remarkably useful guide, widow, author, and therapist Genevieve Davis Ginsburg offers fellow widows-as well as their family and friends-sage advice for coping with the loss of a husband. From learning to travel and eat alone to creating new routines to surviving the holidays and anniversaries that reopen emotional wounds,Widow to Widow walks readers through the challenges of widowhood and encourages them on their path to building a new life.