"The art of losing isn't hard to master," wrote poet Elizabeth Bishop. Perhaps she meant that we will all face loss at some point in our lives. In this collection, we have brought together texts that take up the universal experience of grief.
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Aging, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Midlife, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Education, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags British Literature, Race / Racism, Modern Classic Fiction
On Beauty by the celebrated British author Zadie Smith was published in 2005. On Beauty was shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Smith is known for writing novels and essays that analyze the intersections of identity in the contemporary world with nuance, clarity, and empathy. She is also known to be influenced by the classic English author E.M. Forster. On Beauty is loosely based on Forster’s masterpiece... Read On Beauty Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, British Literature, History: World
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Holidays & Occasions, British Literature, Christian literature, History: World, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1969
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family
Tags Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology, Grief / Death, Health / Medicine
On Death and Dying is a 1969 psychological study by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. It is best known in popular culture for introducing the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Kübler-Ross’s work with terminally ill patients inspired the model. She wrote the study as a response to the lack of instruction in medical schools about how to handle the topic of death. It was the very first book written by Kübler-Ross in her... Read On Death and Dying Summary
Publication year 1976
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Language
Tags Lyric Poem, American Literature, Arts / Culture, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction, Biography
Throughout her life, Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) suffered many losses. Her father died before her first birthday and her mother entered a mental institution when Bishop was only five, leaving her to the guardianship of maternal and paternal grandparents. Later, Bishop’s lover committed suicide in Brazil, prompting Bishop’s return to the US. “One Art” (1976) alludes to several of these prominent losses, though the poem objectively approaches loss. “One Art” defines loss as a special form... Read One Art Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags LGBTQ, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Raised by his mother, Rose, and his grandmother, Lan, Little Dog grows up in a lower working-class neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut, beginning in the early 90s. Troubled by loss and abuse, Little Dog, at age 28, decides to write a letter to his illiterate mother, using it as a method of exorcising his demons, exploring the loss and trauma that shaped his and his family’s lives, and the love and beauty that defines their lives... Read On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Class, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Romance, Play: Drama, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Romance, Magical Realism, Travel Literature, Italian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness
Tags Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Publication year 8
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Magical Realism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Grief / Death, Relationships, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Midlife
Tags Relationships
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Climate, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Disability, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Food, Society: Education
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Agriculture, History: U.S., Great Depression, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction
Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust is a historical middle-grade novel in verse first published in 1997. Through 110 first-person free verse poems, the narrative tells the story of two years in the life of Billie Jo Kelby, young daughter of a struggling farming family in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the mid-1930s. After a tragic accident results in the death of Billie Jo’s mother and baby brother, she and her father must find a way... Read Out of the Dust Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Relationships
Publication year 1916
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Grief / Death