Reading for Suicide Survivors
These first ten books are my top ten recommendations for all survivors of suicide. They will provide a good starting point to learn about the different aspects of grieving the loss of a loved one due to suicide. I suggest looking at the bibliography at the end of the books for further reading that may not be listed here:
1) "In The Wake of Suicide: Stories of the People Left Behind" by Victoria Alexander. Publisher: Jossey-Bass (1991) ISBN# 0-7879-4052-6. Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) has a copy of this at Central branch. Highly recommended. This book is a compilation of interviews with survivors from a wide array of relationships.
2) "After Suicide: A Ray of Hope for Those Left Behind" by Eleanora Betsy Ross. Publisher: Perseus (1997) ISBN# 0-7382-0596-6. I have a copy of this book in the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library. EVPL also has a copy of this at Central branch. Wonderful book from the woman who began the first support group for survivors of suicide in 1977. 1st part of the book tells her story of losing her husband to suicide during marital difficulties, separation and talk of divorce. The rest of the book covers the many aspects of suicide and its aftermath.
3) "A Special Scar: The Experiences of People Bereaved by Suicide" by Alison Wertheimer. 2nd ed. Publisher: Brunner-Routledge (2001) ISBN# 0-415-22027-0. I have a copy of this book in the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library. This is probably the best book I’ve read for survivors of suicide. Written in the UK, it is so comprehensive and in depth and cites many sources from the US. I purchased this book on Amazon.com for about $28.00 but it was worth every cent. Very highly recommended.
4) "No Time To Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One" by Carla Fine. Publisher: Doubleday (1997) ISBN# 0-385-48018-0. EVPL has 2 copies of this book at North Park & Oaklyn branches. This is a well written and comforting book covering the many dynamics involved in suicide grief. The writer lost her husband, who was a successful medical doctor, when he injected himself with IV medications after a battle with depression.
5) "Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One" by Ann Smolin. Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1993) ISBN# 0-671-79660-7. EVPL has 3 copies of this book at East, McCollough & Oaklyn branches. This book is filled with case studies, advice, excellent information and a list of suggested readings. Has sections for when a spouse, parent or child dies by suicide.
6) "My Son - My Son - : A Guide to Healing After a Suicide in the Family" by Iris Bolton. Publisher: Bolton Press (1983) ISBN# 0961632615. EVPL actually has 2 copies of this book. One is at the McCollough branch and the other one, which is not listed in their catalog, is in the stacks at Central Branch. Some survivors call this the "Bible." Iris Bolton is well-known for her work in the field of suicidology after the death of her teenage son, Mitch. This book is very highly recommended for all survivors of suicide and covers so many important aspects and stages of grief due to suicide. This book is a must read.
7) "Survivors of Suicide" by Rita Robinson. Publisher: Career Press (2001) ISBN# 1-56414-557-3. EVPL has 2 copies of this book. One at McCollough and the other at Central branch. This is a good all-around book for survivors. Chapters include: Impact, shock, guilt and grief; Survivors speak out; Suicide myths; Depression, Religious aspects and Prevention.
8) "After Suicide" by John H. Hewett. Publisher: Westminster Press (1980) ISBN# 0-66424-2960. EVPL has one copy of this at Central branch. Another good all-around helpful book on suicide.
9) "Suicide Survivors: A Guide for Those Left Behind" by Adina Wrobleski. 2nd ed. Publisher: Afterwords (1994) ISBN# 0-935585-06-0. EVPL has 3 copies of this at East, Central & McCollough branches. Adina has wrote many excellent books on suicide following the suicide of her child.
10) "Suicide Survivors’ Handbook" by Trudy Carlson. Publisher: Benline Press (1995) ISBN# 096424430-6. EVPL has 2 copies of this book at North Park and Central branches. Very informative book on suicide. Trudy lost her teenage son, Ben, to suicide. This book covers her battle to save him from the depression and mental disabilities that plagued him, the stages of grief and how to get through them, and many other helpful aspects of grief due to suicide.
Other Books Recommended for all Survivors
1) "Silent Grief: Living in the Wake of Suicide" by Christopher Lukas & Henry Seiden. Publisher: Bantam (1990) ISBN# 0-553-34832-9-995. I have a copy of this in the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library.
2) "Ripple of Suicide" by Harold Elliot. Publisher: WRS (1993) ISBN# 1-56796-012x. EVPL has 1 copy of this book at Central branch.
3) "The Fierce Goodbye - Hope in the Wake of Suicide" by G. Lloyd Carr & Gwendolyn C. Carr. Publisher: Herald Press (2004) ISBN# 0-83619-2672.
4) "After Suicide: Help for the Bereaved" by Dr. Sheila Clark. Publisher: Hill of Content ISBN# 0-85572-262-2. Look for copies of this book at Amazon. Com or Half. Com or at Barnes&Noble or other bookstores.
5) "Why Suicide?" by Eric Marcus. Publisher: Harper (1996) ISBN# 0062511661. EVPL has 4 copies of this book at North Park, Oaklyn and Redbank branches.
6) "Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide" by Kay Redfield Jamison. Publisher: Knopf (1999) ISBN# 0375401458. EVPL has 4 copies of this at Oaklyn, McCollough, Redbank and Central branches. This author also has two other books (also at EVPL) about Depressive disorders and Manic depression/Bi-polar).
7) "Grieving a Suicide - A Loved One’s Search for Comfort and Hope" by Albert Y. Hsu. Publisher: InterVarsity Press (1972) ISBN# . EVPL has one copy of this book at the Central branch.
8) "After Suicide Loss: Coping With Your Grief" by Bob Baugher and Jack Jordan. Available from AAS at www.suicidology.org(2002). Written to get you through the first year. Sections include the first few days, first weeks, first months and after the first year.
9) "Standing in the Shadow: Help and Encouragement for Suicide Survivors" by Jane Cerza Kolf. Publisher: Baker Book House (2002) ISBN# 0-80106-3957.
10) Stronger Than Death: When Suicide Touches Your Life" by Sue Chance. (1992) ISBN# 039303092x.
11) "Aftershock: Help, Hope & Healing in the Wake of a Suicide" by Arrington Cox. Publisher: Broadman and Holman (2003) ISBN# 0-80542-6221.
12) "Meditation for Survivors of Suicide" by Joni Woelfel.
13) "The Empty Chair: The Journey of Grief After Suicide" by Beryl Glover. Publisher: In Sight Books (1999) ISBN# 189278534x.
14) "Left Alive: After a Suicide of a Loved One" by Linda Rosenfeld. Publisher: EVPL has a copy of this book at their Central branch.
15) "Handbook of Hope: First Aid for Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One" by Mary Burgess. Publisher: Sonbeam (2000) ISBN# 0-97027-1239.
16) "The Enigma of Suicide" by George Howe Colt. Written after a 10 year investigation on the problem of suicide. Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1992) ISBN# 0-67176-0718.
17) "Suicide and its Aftermath: Understanding and Counseling the Survivors" edited by Edward J. Dunne, John McIntosh and Karen Dunne-Maxim. Publisher: Penguin Books (1987) ISBN# 0-70039-9. EVPL has 1 copy of this at Central branch.
Books For Parents Who Have Lost A Child To Suicide
1) "My son - My Son: A Guide to Healing After a Suicide in the Family" by Iris Bolton. Publisher: Bolton Press (1983) ISBN# 0961632615. Evpl has 2 copies of this book; one at McCollough and the other, which isn’t listed in the EVPL catalog, is located at Central stacks.
2) "Suicide of a Child" by Adina Wrobleski. Publisher: Centering Corp. (1993) ISBN# 1-56123-021-9.
3) "Stronger Than Death: When Suicide Touches Your Life" By Sue Chance. A psychiatrist shares her story of pain, guilt and anger after the suicide of her 25 year-old son. Publisher: (1992) ISBN# 039303092x.
4) "Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength" by Judy Collins. The writer shares her story of the suicide of her son and the suicidal tendencies in her family. EVPL has 8 copies of this book at East, McCollough, North Park, Oaklyn, Redbank, Stringtown, West and Central branches.
5) "Andrew, You Died Too Soon" by Corinne Chilstrom. (1993) ISBN# 0-8066-2684-4. Although I have not read this book, it comes highly recommended to me from two mothers who, unfortunately, lost their sons to suicide. Category: Religion (Christian).
6) "Andy, Why Did You Have to Go?: A Mother’s Reflections on the Life and Suicide of a Son" by Joyce Gatson. Publisher: Ralph Tanner (2000) ISBN#0-94207-8233.
7) "Eric’s Story: Surviving a Son’s Suicide" by Sandra Underwood. Publisher: Replica (2004) ISBN# 1-41342-4732.
8) "Kenny Duncan is Dead: Reflections on a Teenage Suicide" by John Michael Williams. ISBN# 1-55783-0320.
9) "A Mother’s Story" by Gloria Vanderbilt. About her son’s suicide. (1996) isbn# 0-67945-0521. EVPL has 2 copies of this book at McCollough and Central branches.
10) "Surviving Your Child’s Suicide: A Mother’s Story" by Carol Hoskins. Publisher: Lightning Source (2000) ISBN# 1-88370-7552.
11) "Surviving Suicide: My Journey to the Light Within" by Mary Scovel. Autobiography of a minister and his wife who tragically lost two sons to suicide.
12) "After Daniel: A Suicide Survivor’s Tale" by Moira Fark. About her son’s suicide. PUBLISHER: Harpercollins (1999) ISBN# 0-00255-7258.
13) "Grieving the Unexpected: The Suicide of a Son" by Dr. Gary Leblanc. A book written by a father about the suicide of his son. Publisher: Lightning Source (2003) ISBN# 1-55306-4909.
14) "Take the Dimness of my Soul Away: Healing After a Loved One’s Suicide" by Pastor William Ritter. About his adult son’s suicide. PUBLISHER: Morehouse (2004) ISBN# 081922104X.
15) "Light Beyond the Darkness" by Dore Deverell. About her 30-year-old son’s suicide. Publisher: Rudolph Steiner (2000) ISBN# 1-90263-6198.
16) "A Message of Hope: For Surviving the Tragedy of Suicide" by Patricia Harness- Overlay. Written by a member of the American Association of Suicidology after her son’s suicide. Comes highly recommended. Can be purchased from the AAS site at www.suicidology.org
17) "Our Forever Angel: Surviving the Loss of a Loved One to Suicide" by Barbara Scholz. Publisher: Lightning Source (2002) ISBN# 1-40333-2495.
18) "His Bright Light (The Story of Nick Traina)" by Danielle Steel. Popular writer tells her own story of her son’s suicide. Publisher: Bantam Dell (1998) ISBN# 0-38533-3463. EVPL has 5 copies of this book at North Park, East, Stringtown, West and Central branches.
Books For Those Who Have Lost a Parent to Suicide
1) "Before Their Time: Adult Children’s Experiences of Parental Suicide" by Mary Stimming. Publisher: Temple University (1999) ISBN# 1-56639-655-7. EVPL has 1 copy of this book at the Central branch. Collection of first-person accounts of children whose parents died by suicide while they were adults or years prior, when they were children.
2) "Breaking the Silence" by Mariette Hartley. Publisher: Mass Market (1991). Actress tells the story of her father’s suicide. Publisher: Putnum (1991) ISBN# 0-45117-1624.
3) "Trying to Remember, Forced to Forget (My Father’s Suicide)" by Judy Raphael Kletter. Publisher: Lightning (2001) ISBN# 0-73884-3652.
4) "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep: Suicide in the Elderly" by David Lester. Publisher: Charles Pr (1993) ISBN# 0-91478-3653.
5) "By Her Own Hand: Memoirs of a Suicide’s Daughter" by Signe Hammer. About her Mother’s suicide. Publisher: Random House (1992) ISBN# 0-67973-9017.
6) "Coping With Suicide" by Maggie Helen & Maggie Hadley. About their Father and their Grandmother’s suicides. Publisher: Int’l Publishing (2003) ISBN# 0-85969-8718.
For Those Who Lost a Sibling To Suicide
1) "Do They Have Bad Days In Heaven? Surviving the Suicide Loss of a Sibling" by Michelle Linn-Gust. Publisher: Chellehead Works (2001) ISBN# 0-9723318-0-8. I have a copy of this book in the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library.
2) "An Empty Chair: Living in the Wake of a Sibling’s Suicide" by Sara Swan Miller. Publisher: Writers Club Press (2000) ISBN# 0-595-09523-2. Excellent book. EVPL has 1 copy of this book at the Central branch.
3) "Surviving the Death of a Sibling" by T.J. Wray. Although this book isn’t specifically for losing a sibling to suicide, it is covered in this book. I highly recommend this book. There are only about a handful of books dealing specifically with losing a sibling and this is an excellent one. Publisher: Random House (2003) ISBN# 060980-9806. EVPL has one copy of this book at the Central branch.
4) "My Brother Peter" by Nomi Berger. Publisher: Words (1998) ISBN# 1-55207-0107.
For Children Who Have Lost Someone To Suicide
1) "After Suicide: A Workbook For Grieving Kids" by The Dougy Center. Publisher: Dougy Center (2001) ISBN# 1-89053-4064.
2) "Someone I loved Died By Suicide: A Story for Child Survivors & Those Who Love and Care For Them" by Doreen Cammarata. Publisher: Griefwork Center (2000) ISBN# 1-89290-6007.
3) "But I Didn’t Get to Say Goodbye: For Parents and Professionals Helping Child Suicide Survivors" by Barbara Rubel. This book comes highly recommended.
4) "Bart Speaks Out: Breaking the Silence on Suicide" by Linda Goldman. Publisher: Western Psychological Services (1998) ISBN# 0-87424-3521.
5) "After Suicide: Living With the Questions, Grief and Loss" by Eileen Kuehn. For teens who have lost someone to suicide. Publisher: Capstone (2001) ISBN# 0-73680-7489.
6) "Borne on Eagle’s Wings" by Agnes O’Neil. Publisher: Pine Hill Press (1999). For people struggling to cope with a friend’s suicide. Full of hope and comfort.
7) "Out of the Darkness: Teens and Suicide" by Marion Crook. Publisher: Arsenal Pulp (2003) ISBN# 1551521415. EVPL has 4 copies of this book; at McCollough, North Park, Oaklyn and Redbank branches.
8) "Living When a Young Friend Commits Suicide" by Earl Grollman. Publisher: Beacon (1999) ISBN# 080702502x. EVPL has 2 copies of this book at Oaklyn and Redbank branches.
For Those Who Have Lost A Husband, Wife Or Fiancé
1) "When Someone You Love Completes Suicide" by Sondra Sexton-Jones. Lost her husband to suicide.
2) "No Time To Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One" by Carla Fine. Lost her husband to suicide. (See Top 10 for info)
3) "After Suicide: A Ray of Hope for Those Left Behind" by Eleanora Betsy Ross. Lost her husband to suicide when they were having marital difficulties and she was asking for a divorce. (See Top 10 for info)
Books For Survivors Who Want to Learn About The Psychological Processes of Those Who Die by Suicide And The Study Of Suicide
1) The AAS ( has a very extensive and professional list of books for those who want to learn about other aspects of suicide in deeper detail than the books listed above go into.
2) Anything by Edwin Shneidman. He is said to be the father of suicidology and I have read many of his books. His older material is out of print but can usually be found on half.com or amazon.com. EVPL has one of his recent, and excellent, books titled "The Suicidal Mind," at the Central branch. I want to warn you that these books are very deep, graphic and might be upsetting for some. Some of his other titles are: "Essays in Self-Destruction," "Definition of Suicide," "Deaths of Man," and his latest and last work, "Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind." (2004) I have personal copies of these hard to find books, let me know if you’re interested.
3) "Suicide in Alcoholism" by George Murphy. I highly recommend this book to anyone whose loved one died by suicide and also battled alcoholism. This book is the result of his research and study into the correlation between alcoholism and suicide. I have a copy of this book in the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library.
4) "The Savage God" by A. Alvarez. Bantam (1973). The study of suicide. The EVPL has 2 copies of this book at Central branch. There is also 1 copy of this book in the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library.
***Note: All of the above books can either be loaned to you at no charge at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library or the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library, or they can also be purchased new or used at half.com, amazon.com, ebay, or Barnes & Noble/ other bookstores. If the EVPL or the Todd E. Mills Memorial Library don’t have copies of the above listed books, they have either been recommended to me or are the product of my spending hours searching through 3200+ books on the search engines at half.com and amazon.com. ***
