Living Through Loss

Living Through Loss provides a foundational identification of the many ways in which people experience loss over the life course, from childhood to old age. This second edition features new and expanded content on diversity and trauma, including discussions of gun violence, police brutality, suicide, and an added focus on systemic racism.

Nancy R. Hooyman is the Hooyman Professor Emerita in Gerontology and dean emerita at the University of Washington School of Social Work. Her books include Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, tenth edition (2017), and Aging Matters: An Introduction to Social Gerontology (2014).

Betty J. Kramer is professor emerita at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is coeditor of Men as Caregivers: Theory, Research, and Service Implications (2001).

Sara Sanders is a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa, where she also serves as the associate dean for strategic initiatives and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Wendy Lustbader, author of Counting on Kindness: The Dilemmas of Dependency:
Uniquely, the authors interweave professional and scholarly knowledge with personal experience. As a clinician and teacher, I found myself tallying up my own losses and acknowledging reverberations of old sorrows. The overall effect is a sense of being grounded in the midst of great complexity—a gift both to the scholar and the clinician.

Deborah Waldrop, University at Buffalo:
Living Through Loss is an important, timely, and compelling book that presents an evolved perspective of the universal experiences of loss and grief. This book is authentic, grounded, and written from the authors’ deep awareness and knowledge—leading the reader to a richer understanding of loss across the life course.

Tracy A. Schroepfer, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
At a time when people are reeling from the many losses dealt by the pandemic, the second edition of this book could not be timelier. The life span approach taken and interventions provided for each life stage impart a wealth of critical information and guidance to current and future clinicians.

Allan Cole, author of Good Mourning: Getting Through Your Grief:
This second edition of a splendid book explores the pervasiveness of loss in multiple forms (death and non-death). The authors examine loss in terms of a range of theoretical understandings and provide approaches to intervention that consider social, cultural, and environmental contexts and influences. This is a rich addition to the consideration of loss.

Provides a comprehensive overview of grief theory, a review of losses experienced at different points in our lives, and evidence informed interventions. This timely text would provide an excellent introduction for practitioners working with bereaved people as well as be highly practical for a course textbook that students would be able to return to later once in practice.

Roger Woodruff, director of palliative care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia:
This book is both a mine of information and provides an enormous amount of food for thought and reflection. Highly recommended.

Invaluable. . . . It was written for social workers, but its insights, information, and practical application will be helpful for a range of professional workers who come into contact with people who are grieving a significant loss.