Top 14 Books About Dying Updated 04 /2024

Death, even though it is an important part of our lives, is not comforting. It doesn't matter if it's our own or that of a person we love. It's always scary and never welcome. As painful as it is to die, we can always try to find comfort in words. They might not be able to make the pain go away, but knowing that other people have been through the same thing can be comforting. You can use these seven books to get through the pain of death and dying.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

It turns out that our narrator has to take care of an old and huge Great Dane named after her best friend. She can't deal with the loss of a loved one and the threat of being evicted from her apartment because dogs aren't allowed in her building. She comes close to breaking down. But when she thinks she's about to solve something, something strange happens. She falls in love with this weird dog, and the canine-human bond grows stronger every day because they both mourn the same person.

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Morrie Schwartz, the professor who taught Mitch Albom when he was in college, was like a guardian angel. They drifted apart over time, but their love, even though it was still there, was strong. In the last chapter of Morrie's life, this relationship is brought back together. In the near future, Morrie is going to die, which makes Albom think about what life and living are all about.

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

When Jerome was 12, a white cop thought his toy gun was real. The book is written from the point of view of Jerome's ghost. When he dies, his death causes chaos in the lives of his family and close friends. To deal with the upheaval, Jerome's family is not the only one who has to deal with it. A lot of people in the United States used to and still do treat black kids like they were dirt. As Jerome dies, we see a new day come when the kids work together to make the world a better place.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

It was in 2004 when a tsunami hit. Deraniyagala lost her husband, children, and parents in the storm. It's hard for her to be optimistic about the future, even though she's been through a lot. How can anyone deal with the pain of losing all of their friends and family at once? People go through different stages of grief, and in this brave, well-structured memoir, we see one woman's fight against the odds to keep her family alive in her memory while she tries to live.

The Art Of Death: Writing The Final Story by Edwidge Danticat

Danticat spends the whole book talking about death and grief, but she doesn't make the content too sad. Her book is based on the death of her mother and how she made art out of something that was so painful. She explains what different writers think about death and how they think about art and death and how the personal and the creative mix together.

The Death Class: A True Story About Life by Erika Hayasaki

When a kind professor taught a class on death, she taught her students how to live. This is a true story. Book on healing and how to die can be dangerous. This book is a true reflection of life. She takes her students to morgues, cemeteries, hospitals, and other places where people have died, so they can put their own pain into perspective and learn how to deal with it better. There are some things she wants them to do before they can fully enjoy life. This book is full of warmth and love in the form of words. It's a great book to read.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi, a 36-year-old neurosurgeon, has lung cancer that has spread to other parts of his body, the stage IV kind. In one moment, he goes from being a doctor who helps people to having to fight for his life every day. For the rest of the world to learn from, we made sure to keep his words alive. He died in 2015. As long as the going gets rough and there's an end in sight, we keep going. This is what we do. It's what life is all about. He said, "I cannot go on. I can't go on." I'm going to keep going, though.

Dying Well by Ira Byock MD

This is Ira Byock's dream, and he wants to make it happen with all of his time. By taking us into the homes and bedsides of the families that Dr. Byock has worked with, Dying Well tells stories of love and reconciliation in the face of tragedy and pain. There are many ways to do important emotional work in the last few months or weeks or even days of your life. He shows us this by telling the stories of people who have been through it. Families can use it as a guide. It shows them how to deal with doctors, how to talk to loved ones, and how to make the end of life as meaningful and rich as the beginning.

On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross M.D. and David Kessler

Kübler Ross's book On Death and Dying changed how we talk about death. It was before her death in 2004 that On Grief and Grieving was written with David Kessler. It looks at the way people go through grief.

On Death and Dying taught us that there are five stages of death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. On Grief and Grieving applies these stages to the grieving process and includes sections on sadness, hauntings, dreams, isolation, and healing. In this way, it's "a fitting farewell and tribute to the expert on end-of-life issues" (Good Housekeeping).

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