BOOKS
Book reading especially with recovery narratives are found to be helpful in mental health support. We list here books and other resources related to personal journeys, recovery and suicide prevention among young people as well as grief support for families who have lost a young person to suicide.
HIGHLIGHTS
by Linda Collins (Ethos Books)
Loss Adjustment is a mother’s recount of her 17-year-old daughter’s suicide.
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Loss Adjustment was shortlisted for Singapore Book of the Year 2020 and received special mention.
Loss Adjustment
Letters to Aly - surviving my BFF's suicide by Lee-Ann. Epigram Books, 2013
A very moving account of a young Singaporean trying to come to terms with her friend's suicide. An excellent book for local teenagers who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
Do I Matter? A journey to building your self esteem by Wong Lai Chun. Epigram Books, 2019
This book aims to help its readers understand the factors that influence one’s self-esteem and what can be done to reframe it—ultimately to develop acceptance and love for oneself regardless of challenges or crisis in life. Produced in conjunction with the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS)
"Results indicate that reading these narratives can increase connectedness and understandings of recovery, while validating personal experience and reducing stigma."
Dr. Mike Slade, on reading recovery narratives. (Psychology Today)
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Stranger on the Bridge - My journey from despair to hope by Johnny Benjimin. Buebird 2018
The Stranger on the Bridge is a memoir of the journey Jonny made both personally, and publicly to not only find the person who saved his life, but also to explore how he got to the bridge in the first place and how he continues to manage his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder.
BOOKS FOR ADULTS
Aftershock: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide by Arrington Cox, Candy David, David Cox, Candy Arrington. B&H Publishing Group; October, 2003.
Aftershock is a recovery book that will provide encouragement and support for survivors. Examining the complex emotions involved in grieving a suicide death, readers will come to realize they are not alone in their grief and will not be alone in their healing.
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The Bereaved Parent by Harriet Sarnoff Schiff. Published by Penguin Books (1977)
This is the classic book for parents whose child has died and for all those who want to help them.
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Dying to Be Free: A Healing Guide for Families After a Suicide by Beverly Cobain, Jean Larch. Hazelden; February, 2006.
Transforming suffering into strength, misconceptions into understanding, and shame into dignity, Beverly Cobain and Jean Larch break through the dangerous silence and stigma surrounding suicide to bring readers this much-needed book. Cobain's achingly honest account of dealing with the suicide of a loved one, along with personal stories from others who experienced this profound loss, provide powerful insight into the confusion, fear, and guilt family members experience.
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Grieving the Unexpected: The Suicide of a Son by Dr Gary Leblanc. Essence Publishing (Canada); January, 2003.
Dr. LeBlanc openly discusses his family's struggle to survive such a dreadful event, the variables that sustained them during the initial shock and the healing process that enabled them to commence their journey towards wholeness. Honest and insightful, Grieving the Unexpected will help those who minister to hurting people better understand what families and individuals experience when confronted with terrible loss, and will testify to the sustaining comfort of God's presence.
Case studies, markers in the experience of many survivors and a directory of support groups nation-wide.
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My Son, My Son: A Guide to Healing After a Suicide in the Family by Iris Bolton, Curtis Mitchell
Mom's perspective, very positive reader reviews.
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Stranger on the Bridge - My journey from despair to hope by Johnny Benjimin. Buebird 2018
The Stranger on the Bridge is a memoir of the journey Jonny made both personally, and publicly to not only find the person who saved his life, but also to explore how he got to the bridge in the first place and how he continues to manage his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder.
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The Suicidal Mind, Edwin S. Shneidman Pub. Date: Mar 1998, Publisher: Oxford Univ Press
"The Suicidal Mind" brims with insights into the suicidal impulse and with helpful suggestions for counteraction methods. Throughout, Dr. Edwin Shneidman offers practical, explicit maneuvers to assist in treating a suicidal individual--steps that can be taken by concerned friends or family and professionals alike.
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Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, Postvention
by Earl Grollman - Published by Beacon Press (1988)
Offers advice on how to recognize the warning signs of potential suicide attempt, how to intervene when a suicide has been attempted, and how to comfort families and friends who have lost a loved one to suicide.
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Survivors of Suicide by Rita Robinson - Published by Newcastle Publishing Co. (1989)
Survivors of Suicide is a helping guide for those family and friends left behind when a loved one commits suicide. This newly revised edition goes into more detail about teen suicide and the help that is available, and dispels the myths surrounding suicide.
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Words I Never Thought to Speak by Victoria Alexander Publisher: New York : Toronto : New York : Lexington Books ; Maxwell Macmillan Canada ; Maxwell Macmillan International, ©1991.
First person accounts of people's struggles after a loss by suicide.
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White - Behind Mental Health Stigma
nsights from individuals and communities which explore public narratives and share collective frameworks to unpack our current understanding of mental health. (thewhitebooksg2020)
Andrew, You Died Too Soon: A Family Experience of Grieving and Living Again by Corrine Chilstrom. Scriptural,
Christian approach to grief and transformation from a tragic event, her son's suicide at 18.
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Do I Matter? A journey to building your self esteem by Wong Lai Chun. Epigram Books, 2019
This book aims to help its readers understand the factors that influence one’s self-esteem and what can be done to reframe it—ultimately to develop acceptance and love for oneself regardless of challenges or crisis in life. Produced in conjunction with the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS)
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The Empty Chair by Berly Glover
Author writes about issues and experiences from the experience of the suicide of a brother and a daughter.
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The Enigma of Suicide by George Howe Colt, Publisher: Touchstone Books (04/01/1992)
Results from a 10 year investigation on the problem of suicide. Includes first person accounts with sections on: Adolescent Suicide; History; The Range of Self-Destructive Behavior; Prevention; The Right to Die and Survivors.
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Letters to Aly - surviving my BFF's suicide by Lee-Ann (Epigram Books)
A very moving account of a young Singaporean trying to come to terms with her friend's suicide. An excellent book for local teenagers who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
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Loss Adjustment by Linda Collins (Ethos Books, 2019)
Loss Adjustment is a mother’s recount of her 17-year-old daughter’s suicide.A stunningly intimate portrait of loss and grief, Loss Adjustment is a breaking of silence—a book whose face society cannot turn away from. For Media Links and more - click here.
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Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (Penguin Life 2016)
Matt Haig’s accessible and life-affirming memoir of his struggle with depression, and how his triumph over the illness taught him to live
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Silent Grief - Living in the Wake of Suicide by Christopher Lukas & Henry M. Seiden. Published by Simon & Schuster 01 February, 1988
Lukas and Seiden, a television writer/producer (and suicide survivor) and a clinical psychologist, discuss how the emotional aftermath of suicide differs from that of normal bereavement not only in duration but because of the hidden implication of responsibility and higher risk of suicide for those relatives left behind.
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Stronger Than Death: When Suicide Touches Your Life by Sue Chance - Published by Avon Books (1992)
A psychiatrist shares the life and suicide death of her only child and her personal struggle to cope with this tragic event.
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The Suicide Of My Son by Trudy Carlson - published by Benline Press (1995)
After the suicide death of her teenage son Ben, Trudy Carlson sheds light into the little-understood symptoms of depressive illness and anxiety disorders in youngsters. She explains the biological nature of these conditions, and maps out a low-cost, effective school-based program for recognizing and treating school-aged youth. The correlation between depressive illness and teen suicide is examined.
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Suicide: Why? by Adina Wrobleski
Suicide Why? is an excellent, very informative book on suicide. Adina Wrobleski, using her extensive knowledge and insight takes much of the mystery out of the most misunderstood subject. She explains, through the books question and answer format, what society must know in order to save lives. This book is also a good place for a suicide survivor to start when trying to find answers to the many questions he/she may have after the loss of a loved one by suicide.
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Why Suicide? by Eric Marcus - Published by HarperCollins (1996)
A nonjudgmental guide for people whose lives have been touched by suicide. It offers practical answers to such related concerns as what to tell others, preventability, and what to do with suicidal feelings.
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BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
After a Suicide
The Dougy Center
An activity book to assist children. 62 pages.
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Living when a Young Friend Commits Suicide
by Earl Grollman and Max Malikow
Easy to read for youth, also includes signs of impending suicide, what to do, who to tell.
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When A Friend Dies: A Book For Teens About Grieving & Healing by Marilyn Gootman Publisher: Minneapolis : Free Spirit, ©1994
If you are grieving the death of a friend, do something for yourself. Take the time to read this book. It isn't very long—there aren't a lot of words—but you may find the help you need to cope with your sadness and begin to heal. (Reviewed By: Allina Health Hospice 2018)
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POETRY
They Speak Only Our Mother Tongue by Theophilus Kwek, Ethos Books, 2011
“There is something deeply compelling about Kwek’s poetry, because it never purports to be other than what it is: the heartfelt yet deeply considered views of an informed young person on the cusp of a wider world.” - Alvin Pang, author of City of Rain and Testing The Silence
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Circle Line by Theophilus Kwek, Math Paper Press, 2013
Ultimately pragmatic—and yet a contradiction in terms—the 'Circle Line' is a daily metaphor for journeys that take us back to the same place: but not quite. Again and again, and differently each time, every stop becomes a starting-point for us to consider what happens when our circles align, or when our lines, as in these pages, come full circle.