What you'll actually find inside this "parody of a grief manual" by Jason Roeder (a former senior editor and senior writer at The Onion):
INTRODUCTION: Devastation Perfected
Five Grieving Visualization Power Postures
A Short History of Grief
CHAPTER I: Hospitals: Pregaming for Grief
A Hospital Who's Who
Health Care Directives (treatments that may be used)
Know Your Hospital Televisions
Hospice Care
Last Words That Wow
Using a Last Word Service
CHAPTER II: Fun with Aftermath
A List of Funerals, Caskets and Headstones
Surefire Eulogy Starters
Experiencing Grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance)
A Short History of The Never-Released Sixth Stage of Grief
How Much Am I Allowed To Blame God? A State-By-State Breakdown
Grief Speed Run
Dealing with Regrets
Visiting The Grave
Rating Grief with The Chili Pepper System
Dealing with Belongings (Keep, Sell, Donate, etc.)
Grief and Toxic Relationships
Grieving for Pets
A Pupa Press "Books by Insects for The World" Advert
CHAPTER III: Other People
Your Support System (Family, Friends, Strangers, Grief Counsellors)
A Short History of Grief Counsellors
A Letter To Your Friend Who Wants To Help But Doesn't Know How
Competitive Grief
What Do I Do with Sympathy Cards?
Sharing The Bad News (Social Media, Face To Face)
Grief and Dating
Common Condolences, Ranked
Your Postmortem Notification Checklist (callous companies and agencies to notify)
CHAPTER IV: Self-Care
Tending To Your Grieving Mind (Triggers, Grief Affirmations, Gratitude in Grief)
Tending To Your Grieving Body (Eating, Moving, Sleeping, etc.)
Overlooked Meditation Apps
The Grief Calorie Counter
Creating Your Way Through Grief (Writing a Journal (with 28 writing prompts to get you started), Writing a Letter, Arts & Crafts, Creating a compilation of songs)
Eleven Little Ways To Brighten Your Day
CHAPTER V: Keeping Them Alive, Though Not Really
Ashes and Other Bodily Souvenirs
A Short History of Urns
Memorial Charitable Works (Charitable Gifts, Scholarships, Public Memorials, Starting a Nonprofit, etc.)
New and Old Traditions
Completing Your Loved One's Bucket List
Planting a Tree
You Are The Memorial
A Word on Necromancy
CHAPTER VI: The Six Types of Grievers
The Informal Grief Archetype Assessment (a self-diagnostic test).
CONCLUSION: Don't Worry, You'll Die Too and FURTHER READING
I give it a 9/10. A useful little guidebook stuffed with jokes with a striking cover by Benjamin Marra (the beloved Grammy-nominated cartoonist)! If you are dealing with grief, you will most certainly find something in Jason's book (which is dedicated to his mother, a traveling home-health nurse) to appease your sorrow. The Sincerity Corner footnotes, where the author stops satirizing and gets real, are very poignant and the best part of the manual. It needed more interior illustrations by Dale Cullinane.
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