Welcome to the Grief Club

For anyone who has lost a loved one or is close to someone who's grieving, this book presents a trove of writing, illustrations, and creative diagrams to help explore the range of emotions that grief can encompass.

“Grief is an overwhelming journey without a road map, but Janine Kwoh has generously given us this lantern to carry down an uncharted path. Welcome to the Grief Club provides instant community for one of the loneliest experiences a person can go through.” —Mari Andrew, New York Times bestselling author of Am I There Yet?

Welcome to the club that no one ever wants to join but so many of us end up needing. We’re so sorry that you’re here. Welcome to the Grief Club is a book of solace, connection, hope, and reassurance. It addresses with empathy and honesty the aspects of grief that so many of us experience but that aren’t widely discussed: the variety and volatility of emotions—sadness, anger, guilt, joy; the physical symptoms of grief; and how grief isn’t linear, but it does change and soften over time. It affirms that there is truly no right or wrong way to grieve and assures us that the things we feel that surprise us or seem strange are often common and always valid.

Humor helps us to survive, and Welcome to the Grief Club uses a lighthearted approach to cover powerful topics, like supremely unhelpful things that people say to those who are grieving, grief trigger bingo, and everyday acts of resilience. This book is a companion that says, I see you and you are not alone, from one grieving person to another. It is a gentle reminder to give yourself permission to grieve for as long as—and in whichever ways—you need.