Book Review | Good Grief
The surprising benefit to grief
Well, this should be a Booklet review as Good Grief is only about 60 pages long. But, within the pages, you can go through a whole range of emotions. It is a short read, can be done in an afternoon. And I recommend to have a box of tissues nearby.
The author Granger E. Westburg1 goes over much in his booklet; ways of grief, how friends can help, stages of grief and how faith assists with the grief process. The main two points given in this book is that grief comes in many forms and that it can be overcome. He touches not only on the very obvious grief; loss of a close person. He covers other stressors that can cause grief; change in relationship dynamics, loss of income, loss of purpose and the like.
Westburg goes over the stages of grief, how it’s experienced by or will experience grief in a person’s life. I like how he highlighted that grief is also subjective and even though the stages are laid out, through each stage the time and methods used to progress are different for every person. And he doesn’t shy away that a person can regress or need to take step back while processing through their grief.
“When we say ‘Grieve not’, then we imply that we are to be Stoics like the Greeks of old. Christians should know the difference between Stoicism and Christianity” - Granger E. Westburg2
I found it amusing that Westberg takes time to call out how some Christians make connections with their faith and Stoicism. I admit that I can see parallels but in the booklet, there is no room and therefore no reference to which texts explicitly refute the Stoic morals. If there was a non-christian reading this, I fear that they won’t feel that this evidence or, lack thereof is sufficient. And then for any Christian who is curious, they’re going to have to either trust this because the author is a pastor or do their own research in the Bible.
“Persons who are spiritually more mature…are guided by the conviction that God is with them” - Granger E. Westburg Chapter 10
On that note, this book is presented by a pastor so Westburg is leaning towards a way through grief with the Christian faith. And I found it important that he mentioned, as above, a ‘mature faith’. This maturity level again is subjective and important to highlight as the focus goes from the individual to something bigger than yourself. With that as the moral anchor, it seems that they are able to better process the grief and continue on with their lives.
“Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, spiritual and physical necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” - Earl Grollman3
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone; an easy but emotional read. If you’ve been through grief, this is an easy read to help you though. And if you’re okays, it’s goo to read to be familiar with the grieving process for when you’re called to comfort a friend. Or even to be more prepared for when grief comes into your life.
I must agree with what was put in the foreword of the book from Dr. Timothy Johnson4 “It is simple, but not simplistic”. Good grief is a good read.
https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/archives/pdfs/westberg.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granger_E._Westberg
https://www.jillgriefcounselor.com/blog/some-quotes-for-reflection-on-grief
https://www.thecommonsinlincoln.com/resources/who-we-are-americas-doctor/