Supporting End-of-Life Care: Death Doulas, Death Cafes, & Grief Resources: Books & Media & Art Resources

A few of my favorite books on death doulas and death & dying - Carrie

Books by Death Doulas & Hospice Nurses

• Cultivating a Doula Heart by Francesca Lynn Arnoldy
• Diary of a Death Doula by Debra Diamond, PhD
• The Art of Death Midwifery by Joellen St. Pierre, D. Div. 
• Finding Peace at the End of Life by Henry Kersko-Weiss
• The Final Act of Living: Reflections of a Longtime Hospice Nurse by Barbara Karnes, RN
• By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home by Barbara Karnes, RN
• Present through the End: A Caring Companions Guide for Accompanying the Dying by Kirsten DeLeo
• Creating Positive Passings & End of Life Doula Level 1 Caregiver Training by Suzanne O'Brien, RN
• Transforming Death: Creating Sacred Space for the Dying by Melody LeBaron
• Death Doula: Tools & Techniques for End-of-Life Support by Kelly Ruby Hanson
• Accompanying the Dying: Practical, Heart-Centered Wisdom for End-of-Life Doulas and Health Care Advocates by Deanna Cochran

Books about Death & Dying

• Gone From My Sight by Barbara Karnes, RN (Hospice Resource)
• The Eleventh Hour: A Caring Guide for the Hours to Minutes before Death by Barbara Karnes, RN (Hospice Resource)
• Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
• How We Die by Sherwin Nuland
• Dying Well: The Prospect for Growth at the End of Life by Ira Byock
• Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast
• The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
• The Lost Art of Dying by L.S. Dugdale
• Farewell: Vital End of Life Questions with Candid Answers from a Leading Palliative and Hospice Physician by Edward Creagan and Sandra Wendel
• Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for Embracing the End of Life by Megory Anderson
• On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• As the Last Leaf Falls: A Pagan's Perspective on Death, Dying & Bereavement by Kristoffer Hughes
• Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley
• Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander, M.D.

Books about Grief

• Dying: A book of Comfort by Pat McNees
• I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair
• What to Do When I'm Gone by Suzy Hopkins & Hallie Bateman
• It's OK that you're not OK: Meeting grief in a culture that doesn't understand by Megan Devine
• A Hole in the World by Amanda Held Opelt
• The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller
• There is no good card for this: What to say and do when life is scary, awful, and unfair to people you love by Kelsey Crowe, PhD & Emily McDowell

Books for Children on Death & Dying

There are MANY books on this topic, but these are just a few of my favorites, in no particular order: 

• Wherever You Are: My love will find you by Nancy Tillman
• The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackery
• Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs by Tomie DePaola
• When Dinosaurs Die by Laurie Krasny Brown
• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Marjorie Williams
• Everett Anderson's Goodbye by Lucille Clifton
• Grief is a MESS by Jackie Schuld

Image from My Southern Health: https://tinyurl.com/34jmzh8u

Selected Book & Media Lists on Grief Support and Death & Dying: 

Art can be one of the most beautiful ways to express and explore grief. Below are links to unique pieces of art that in some way reflect upon experiences of grief and loss.  

If you'd like to explore using art as a tool to better understand grief, I recommend the following three resources: 

• Using Art as a Copying Tool via By the By Health by Kelly Brown, LMFT
• Healing Through Art: Art Therapy for grief and loss by Stacy Blankenship, MSW, LCSW
• Art journaling your grief story by Susie Stonefield of unfoldart.com 

My personal favorite painting on grief is "Death in the sickroom" by Edvard Munch

Additional works in order by link title: