Book Review: A New Normal

BY: Tensie Holland, LSW

CATEGORY: Grief and Loss
PUBLICATION: About Grief
​A New Normal: Learning to Live with Grief and Loss
By Darlene F. Cross, MS, MFT

 Darlene Cross, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, working with those who are grieving, struggled with her own first significant loss before she decided to write this book. She describes it as offering "information that helps you make sense out of what you are thinking, feeling, and experiencing," and offers "respectful and practical answers." "You want a book that helps you know what to DO!"

This paperback of 86 pages explores how to make the grieving process work for you, the impact of loss by type of relationship, and includes questions, answers and the dispelling of myths connected to bereavement. The author focuses on normalizing the grieving process while acknowledging its individual uniqueness. Cross advises "take what works and pitch what doesn't." She introduces other newly bereaved people that she has worked with in her practice, sharing their stories and her interventions. Throughout the book there are "new normal" tips to help guide the reader. The book concludes with the author's personal story of loss and her journey to achieve a new balance.

Reader-friendly and covering many topics, this book can assist anyone who is grieving.