Widowed

In this book written shortly after her own husband’s death, Dr. Joyce Brothers shares her grieving process and life after loss in this supportive guide that is “generously coated with genuine compassion” (The Pittsburgh Press). When her husband of more than 30 years passed away, Dr. Brothers found herself emotionally lost and alone, at sea in an ocean of grief that at times threatened to drown her. Widowed is the story of how she dealt with her despair, how she overcame the loneliness, and gradually, was able to put her life back together. More than just a book on coping with loss, Widowed is a truly touching story of one woman’s struggle with pain and anguish. Dr. Brothers recounts confronting the grief and loneliness and loss head-on, refusing to surrender to self-pity. She avoids hollow and cliched phrases of inspiration, instead dealing with her feelings directly. The book is filled with stories that every woman and man who has lived through the death of a spouse will immediately recognize as real and honest. The many readers who trusted Dr. Joyce Brothers for decades, who turned to her books and columns for advice, this is the book you can turn to for support, strength, and, most importantly, a glimpse of hope.

How do older women come to terms with widowhood? Are they vulnerable or courageous, predictable or creative in dealing with this life challenge? Most books about widows usually focus on younger women; this book interweaves the voices of older widows their experiences and insights to show how they have come to terms with widowhood and have recreated their lives in new, unsuspected ways. The widows speak about how they relate to their children, their friends, to men. With powerful emotions they describe their husbands’ final illnesses and deaths, and the challenging early days of widowhood. Disputing stereotypes about older women and widows, The Widowed Self allows the reader to visualize the impact of losing one’s life partner and offers a new way of thinking about widowhood. This new book by Deborah Kestin van den Hoonaard fills a void in previous work on widowhood. Rather than seeing these women as unfortunate, passive victims of life, the reader will come to appreciate the strength and creativity with which these women face one of life’s greatest challenges, a challenge that affects more than half of all women over the age of sixty-five. Widows and their families, scholars, social workers and other professionals who work with older adults will all be interested in reading The Widowed Self: The Older Woman’s Journey through Widowhood.

On a mid-October evening, a group of fathers gathered around a conference table and met each other for the first time. None of the men had ever thought of himself a "support group kind of guy" and each felt entirely out of place. In fact, nothing about their lives felt normal anymore. The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life chronicles the challenges and triumphs of seven men whose wives died from cancer and were left to raise their young children entirely on their own. Brought together by tragedy, the fathers - Neill, Dan, Bruce, Karl, Joe, Steve, and Russ - forged an uncommon bond. Over time, group meetings evolved into a forum for reinvention and transformed the men in unexpected ways. Through the fathers' poignant interactions, The Group illustrates that while some wounds never fully heal, each of us has the potential to construct a new and meaningful future. Rosenstein and Yopp, co-leaders of the support group, weave together the fathers' stories with contemporary research on grief and adaptation. The Group traces a compelling journey of healing and personal discovery that no book has ever captured before. The men's touching efforts to care for their families, grieve for their wives, and reimagine their futures will inspire anyone who has suffered a major loss.

From a certified life coach and a widow herself, a guide to processing grief and finding meaning and purpose after the death of a spouse. A warm hug for every widow navigating her grief, pain, and loss, and thinking she will never love her life again. Joann Filomena’s Widowed is not only a shared journey through loss, but also a roadmap for rebuilding a future that makes room for hope and happiness alongside pure and beautiful grief. Widows will discover exactly what it is they need in order to move forward, and even how to dream again. Not since Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking has there been a book of such honesty and passion about the unique experience that is widowhood—a time when most women feel acutely alone and wonder how to get through the pain and confusion of their great loss. A professionally certified life coach and weight loss coach, as well as producer and host of the Widow Cast and Weight Coach podcasts, Joann Filomena speaks widow to widow, having walked this path herself after the sudden loss of her husband.

Finding Love After Loss is a friendly guide to dating after the death of a spouse. Through interviews with widows and advice from experts in the field, this book details the singular challenges of women who are looking for love again after the loss of a partner—and the unexpected ways they are shaping their new lives.

Widowed Too Soon combines grief and the healing aspects of after-death communication from the perspective of a young widow. Sure to become the must-have book for the overlooked younger generation of widows. This book offers hope for anyone looking for comfort and answers after the loss of a loved one.

From the host of the popular podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, comes a wise, humorous roadmap and caring resource for anyone going through the loss of a loved one—or even a difficult life moment. In the span of a few weeks, thirty-something Nora McInerny had a miscarriage, lost her father to cancer, and lost her husband due to a brain tumor. Her life fell apart. What Nora discovered during this dark time is that, when you’re in these hard moments, it can feel impossible to feel like even a shadow of the person you once were. People will give you all sorts of advice of how to hold onto your sanity and sense of self. But how exactly? How do you find that person again? Welcome to The Hot Young Widows Club, Nora’s response to the toughest questions about life’s biggest struggles. The Hot Young Widows Club isn’t just for people who have lost a spouse, but an essential tool for anyone who has gone through a major life struggle. Based on her own experiences and those of the listeners dedicated to her podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, Nora offers wise, heartfelt, and often humorous advice to anyone navigating a painful period in their lives. Full of practical guidance, Nora also reminds us that it’s still okay to laugh, despite your deep grief. She explores how readers can educate the people around them on what to do, what to say, and how to best to lend their support. Ultimately, this book is a space for people to recognize that they aren’t alone, and to learn how to get through life’s hardest moments with grace and humor, and even hope.

My husband died, my life collapsed.