The Alphabet of Grief by Andrea Raynor

This 144-page book consists of 26 chapters, each starting with a letter of the alphabet, addressing topics designed to help one move forward in the grieving process. I found it to be full of suggestions and insights ranging from the practical to the profound. The author is a long-time chaplain, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a United Methodist minister. Knowing that she served as chaplain to the morgue at Ground Zero after September 11 will tell you that her experience in confronting death and providing comfort has been deep and wide. Her writing reflects her skill. Each brief chapter is followed by a meditation and an affirmation, all of which will provide comfort and encouragement to anyone who is grieving. An example of how Raynor “gets it” is the chapter entitled “Everyone Else,” in which she tells of her father, riding in a car on the way to bury his mother: “Beyond the window was a world he did not know, one populated by a people called everyone else.” That captures how isolating a shocking death is. Some chapters are unusual, such as “Violence”, in which Raynor says, “When [death] is sudden and violent, it can tear us to pieces. The horror we feel, combined with the loss itself, can send us into a pit of despair from which it feels there is no returning.” I would recommend this book to everyone. If you are not grieving, this will give you helpful thoughts to tuck away until you or someone you love needs them. If you are grieving, you will find much to help you. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.