Book Recommendation: "It's OK That You're Not OK" by Megan Devine
Note: This article originally appeared in my Grief Massage Newsletter. To receive articles like this in your inbox monthly, be sure to subscribe here.
I first discovered Megan Devine, writer/grief advocate/founder of Refuge in Grief back in 2013.
She was one of the first voices online to really start telling the truth about what grief is like - and how difficult it is to grieve in a culture that prefers to "fix" everything.
Her website, Refuge in Grief, is truly a refuge online, filled with honest, lyrical, beautiful words. She tells the truth, in every possible way.
Telling the Truth About Grief
For years, I have recommended Megan and her website (along with a TED-style talk called "Pain Deserves Acknowledgement Not Repair") to students in my live and live-webinar Grief Massage trainings. She has her finger on the pulse of what it feels like to grieve in a world that minimizes, avoids, and even stigmatizes grief.
I was so excited when she partnered with Sounds True (one of my favorite publishers) to release a book in 2017 - and the title really says it all!
"It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand" is a powerful grief resource for grievers, those who care about them, and anyone in any profession who wants to be of service to grieving people.
Did you know that in addition to my work with The Institute for Grief Massage Inc, I am also a grief counselor in training?
I have spent the past several months interning at a local Hospice and have been so pleased to be able to recommend this book to clients and colleagues.
Many of my fellow counselors-in-training at my university have also discovered Megan Devine and are reading her book in order to be of greater service to grieving clients.
I highly recommend this book - and this is purely coming from my heart.
I am not an affiliate in any way and will receive no benefit or compensation if you read or purchase Megan's book. It's just SO good and SO helpful, and I really want to share it with you.
If you read and enjoy it, please be sure to let me know!
References: Devine, M. (2017). It's ok that you're not ok. Sounds True: Boulder, CO
Devine, M. Pain deserves acknowledgement not repair. Online: https://chrisguillebeau.com/megan-devine/