Remember getting a summer reading list back when you were a kid? We thought we’d share a few books, podcasts, shows, and movies with grief themes that we’ve been interested in lately. We’d also love to hear from you. Have you heard, read, or watched something that you think we should know about? Send your discoveries to jana@dougy.org.  

Books 

The Fifth Chamber by Anne Gudger. A local author, Anne was pregnant with her first child when her husband died in a car crash. A lyrical memoir about the unfolding of grief.  

UnWorld by Jayson Greene. Jayson is the author of Once More We Saw Stars, a memoir about the death of his toddler daughter, Greta. His new book is a novel about four lives affected by the death of Alex, a young adult who died in a mysterious accident. It's the first book we’ve come across that delves into the intermixing of grief and AI technology.   



Podcast Episodes 

Good Grief: Life After Loss: The Guilt of Growth: When Good Things Come from Loss 

Good Grief is a podcast by Skylar Jackenthal, a young adult whose brother Sam died in a ski accident when she was 14. This episode explores the guilt she felt and feels when good things happen in her life.  

Grief Out Loud: Ep. 325 “We Just Kept Going” - Two Sisters, Twenty Years After Their Mom Was Killed 

Jessie was 21. Molly was 11. Two days after their joint birthdays, their mom, Jill, was murdered by Molly’s father. In the hours, days, and years that followed, there was little room for grief. Jessie and Molly were expected to keep going — and they did. But that forward momentum came at a cost. Note: This conversation includes descriptions of domestic violence, stalking, violent death, and suicide. 

Shows/Movies 

Pernille. A Netflix dramedy about a single mother raising her two daughters and her sister’s son after her sister was killed in a car crash.  

My Mom Jayne. A documentary currently out on HBO Max about the life of Mariska Hargitay’s mother, Jayne Mansfield, who died at the age of 34 when Mariska was just three years old.