When Parents Die: Learning to Live with the Loss of a Parent

by Rebecca Abrams

This new edition of When Parents Die will speak to bereaved children of all ages in a very accessible style. Rebecca Abrams draws on both her personal and professional understanding of parental loss to provide the reader with a compassionate and insightful exploration of the experience of losing a parent.

When Parents Die has already established itself as an indispensable aid both to the bereaved seeking some understanding of their loss and to the many professionals who work with them. This new edition takes into account new research and theories and considers in more

*the continuing importance of the dead parent in ones life
*the critical role played by the surviving parent
*the experiences of younger children
*the impact of divorce and adoption. Retaining its clear, direct and sympathetic style, this text will continue to appeal to the bereaved, their friends and family, counsellors, social workers, doctors, nurses and teachers.

Genres: Grief, Psychology, Self Help, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 1992

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished this and it’s one of the most helpful things I’ve come across since my mum died. There’s a lot in here aimed at kids and teenagers but it was so reassuring and helpful to see my own experiences reflected back at me. I lost my mum in 2020 aged 25 and it’s been very hard. But I made it harder for myself by expecting that I would just get over it within 2 years. And that was before COVID came along. While a lot of it is focussed on kids, I think anyone who has lost a parent would get something out of this. Would highly recommend.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on grief and the impacts of parents’ death on children; focuses on grief of children, teens and young adults but I found some things applicable for adults as well.

[Emma Steel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something for everyone in this book. It explained a lot of things for me, although at times it was a little hard to read.

[Ronnie]

I know these losses. I found this book far too dense, and in a style that didn’t have enough warmth to comfort while informing. Not sure who would be reading this at the time of organizing a funeral, but there are words about that too.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended. I lost my father in childhood and this book has helped me understand that grief doesnt follow a strict course, and we all cope with things in our own way in our own time. This book made me cry, and encouraged greater insight into my present life and how this has been affected by my past. Well worth reading- easy to read and navigate

[Joy]

This is probably the best book I've read on loss - and I've read a lot! Not just good for parent-loss, but for all losses.