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Jane Harris is a psychotherapist and bereavement specialist. Jimmy Edmonds is a photographer and documentary film editor with over 100 credits on TV productions including the BAFTA winning Chosen for Channel 4.

 

Together they run Active Grief Retreats as The Good Grief Project. This is their first book, exploring active and creative responses to grief and how they can help you to survive.

 

Link to 4 minute film
https://thegoodgriefproject.co.uk/our-books/

 

Link to publisher page
https://www.quickthornbooks.com/title-list/when-words-are-not-enough/

Not that Kind of Love, by Clare & Greg Wise

It is more than a year since Clare Wise, sister of the actor Greg Wise, died of cancer. She lived just down the street from the West Hampstead house her brother shares with his wife, Emma Thompson, and their daughter, Gaia. As Greg opens his front door and leads the way into his kitchen, one can see, within minutes, why he was such an indispensable carer to his sister during the last weeks of her life. Today, he has organised elevenses with good coffee and patisserie. As an actor, he is routinely cast as a reprobate (Mountbatten in The Crown a debatable exception). In life, he could not be nicer if he tried. And that’s precisely it: he does not appear to be trying – the charm is not fake. When I ask him how he is feeling about Clare’s death now, his eyes fill.

“I’ve had very few days when I’ve not been actively doing something about Clare, be it probate, sorting out her flat, moving furniture – or just the book.” The book is Not That Kind of Love and is a shared effort, written by Clare and Greg. It is fuelled by wisdom and wisecracks, a story of brotherly, and sisterly, love. Clare was 18 months Greg’s senior (he is 51) and worked for the UK Film Council and as vice president of Universal Pictures. She started a blog in 2013 (although the first lump in her breast was found in 2007) and her take on illness drew a crowd – 96,000 hits (by 2015). No wonder: her style is gallant, funny, self-deprecating. It was not until June 2015 that cancer made its terrible comeback into her bones and Greg moved into her flat to take care of her and Grably (her attention-seeking cat). He also took over the blog when she became too sick to write.

The Grief Garden Path, by Julie New

We are delighted to promote Julie's book as the GOOD GRIEF chosen read for 2020, a year like no other.

Julie has written this insightful and heartfelt book from a powerful place. A place that has a true depth of understanding, derived from her lived experience and empathy for those who are affected by the death of someone they love.

She offers hope, guidance and a unique way of encouraging us to think about our ‘garden’, our ‘life’, that she believes needs tending with care and regular watering. It is a simple, effective analogy that helps illustrate the importance of self-care when going through a life changing ordeal, such as a bereavement.

We often lose sight of ourselves when we are grieving, so it is vital we find a way to nurture our soul.

Thank you to Julie for donating £1 to The Good Grief Trust for every book sold.

Grief Works, by Julia Samuel MBE

Julia Samuel MBE is a psychotherapist specialising in grief, who has spent the last twenty-five years working with bereaved families. She has worked both in private practice and in the NHS at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington where she pioneered the role of maternity and paediatric psychotherapist. In 1994 she worked to launch and establish Child Bereavement UK as its Founder Patron, where she continues to play a central role. Julia was awarded an MBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list for services to bereaved children. Grief Works is her first book.

"Death is the last great taboo, and its consequence, grief, is profoundly misunderstood"

‘Grief Works’ is a compassionate book demonstrating how an examined death is as important as an examined life. It shows us through vivid case studies, that when we face our fears: the death of someone we love, our own death or being with bereaved friends, we are paradoxically, better able to cope with them.

Read more; Grief Works

Books that may be useful

The Compassionate Friends Postal Lending Library

The Compassionate Friends Postal Lending Library is for bereaved parents, their families and those who seek to help them
Visit their website for access to over 1000 books on bereavement;
Compassionate Friends Library