21 Best Books About Suicide for This Year

Thinking about death is natural, but thoughts of suicide can overwhelm those struggling with depression or other mental health problems. Books about suicide, from novels to practical guides to personal stories, can help those struggling better understand this difficult subject.

It’s not uncommon for people to have thoughts about dying or wanting to die without making plans to harm themselves (passive suicidal ideation). But when suicidal ideation becomes frequent, lasting, and is accompanied by strong urges to act or includes a specific plan it is especially high-risk and demands immediate intervention.

If you or someone you care about is considering suicide, don’t hesitate to reach out to your therapist or to call the national suicide hotline 800-273-8255. If you’re experiencing an emergency, don’t wait – call 911 for immediate assistance.

Books for Those Feeling Alone

If you’re feeling lonely and isolated, it can be hard to reach out. It can be even more difficult to find others who feel the same way, so these books are to show you that you’re not alone.

1. Reasons to Stay Alive, by Matt Haig

Through a series of conversations with his younger self, author Matt Haig illustrates the cliche, but true adage, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”  Many face mental health problems, and Haig is one of them. Reasons to Stay Alive is his journey of how he battled his depression, one day at a time, minute by minute, to come out the other side. It’s not about eradicating his depression, but about finding reasons beyond that to stick around, and appreciating life all the more for it.

2. The Recovery Letters: Addressed to People Experiencing Depression, by Olivia Sagan and James Withey

This anthology is a series of letters written by those who have lived with depression for those currently living with depression. Originally a series of posts online, these heartfelt and comforting letters aren’t paying lip service to the “it gets better” cliche; these writers know exactly how hard it is, and they want you to know you’re not alone.

3. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, by Andrew Solomon

The Noonday Demon is a National Book Award winner by Andrew Solomon. Meticulously researched, this book covers treatment for depression and information on suicide, anti-depressants, pregnancy and depression, and more. Solomon examines suicidality and depression from personal, cultural, and scientific lenses, revealing subtle complexities about the devastating disease, moral and ethical questions, and reasons to feel a sense of hope.

Books for Teenagers Dealing With Suicide or Losing a Friend to Suicide

Losing a friend or loved one to suicide is difficult for anyone, especially teenagers, who already may be struggling with new emotions and feelings as they grow from children to adults. Finding books that are tailored to understanding teen suicide can help them better navigate a difficult time. Similarly, novels of teens experiencing depression or similar circumstances may give readers perspective and validation that they are not alone.

4. The Healing Your Grieving Heart Journal for Teens (Healing Your Grieving Heart series), by Alan D Wolfelt, Ph.D.

Another one in his Grieving Heart Series, Dr. Wolfelt’s Journal for Teens is a practical resource for young adults struggling with a recent loss. With open questions and compassionate advice, Dr. Wolfelt helps teenagers work through specific emotions they felt when their loved one died, and the things they wish they could say. This allows them to acknowledge their feelings and begin healing.

5. Living When a Young Friend Commits Suicide: Or Even Starts Talking About It, by Earl A. Grollman and Max Malikow

Written by a grief counselor and a psychotherapist, this book is a tactical guide for teenagers, young adults, and college students struggling with losing a friend to suicide or even as they begin to talk about it. Suicide rates have tripled in recent years for teenagers, making a book like this all the more important. Advice varies from how to talk to others about loss and avoiding unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol abuse.

6. The Astonishing Color of After, by Emily X.R. Pan

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely convinced that her mother turned into a bird after dying by suicide. She travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time, hoping to find the bird that is her lost mother.

Pan’s novel is a “heartbreaking and magical” book about finding one’s self after heartbreak and grief, joy, and love. Teens may relate to Leigh’s stubborn focus in the face of grief, but readers of all ages will likely appreciate the desire to make magic out of tragedy.

7. The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, by Shaun David Hutchinson

Teenager Andrew thought he should have died with the rest of his family in that car crash. But he’s left at the hospital, hiding from everyone and living off the cafeteria food. When he meets Rusty, a gay teenager brought to the ER after being set on fire, he starts to consider a life outside the hospital and what it might mean to move on past loss and grief.

8. Suicide Notes, by Michael Thomas Ford

Young Jeff doesn’t know why he’s in the hospital – he’s fine. He doesn’t belong here. He’s not like the other kids in the psych ward. As time progresses, however, he begins to realize why he’s here and what it means for him going forward. This novel explores what it means to be a teenager struggling with thoughts of depression and suicide and might be good for teenagers facing the same thoughts.

Books for Those Dealing With the Loss of a Loved One by Suicide

In the light of a tragedy, it’s the ones left behind who must try to pick up the pieces. These stories feature parents, brothers, and loved ones forced to grapple with how someone they cared about could take their own life. Books like these may provide comfort and practical advice for those suffering the grief and loss of a loved one by suicide.

9. The Gift of Second: Healing from the Impact of Suicide, by Brandy Lidbeck

For those struggling with the loss of a loved one due to suicide, the tragedy can be unbearable. Author Brandy Lidbeck is a licensed marriage and family therapist and also a two-time survivor of suicide loss. The Gift of Second is a how-to manual on letting go of survivor’s guilt, taking care of yourself, and practical tips for dealing with the immediate aftermath and the following year.

10. Aftermath: Picking Up the Pieces After a Suicide, by Gary Roe

Counselor Gary Roe has made a career writing about loss and his expert advice and compassionate counseling may be hopeful for those dealing with the death of a loved one by suicide. How do you pick up the pieces after someone you loved took their life? Roe wrote Aftermath as an outline for connecting with loved ones around you and finding compassion for yourself during an undeniably difficult time.

11. No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One, by Carla Fine

Though mental health conversation has abounded in recent years, it is still incredibly difficult for many to talk about suicide today. That’s what Carla Fine discovered after her husband died by suicide in 1989. Dealing with her feelings of anger, hurt, guilt, and confusion was made all the harder by how she was unable to speak honestly about them. She wrote No Time to Say Goodbye to share with other survivors the message she learned.

12. Shattered: From Grief to Joy After My Son’s Suicide, by Rebecca Tervo

Losing a child is already incredibly difficult for any parent, but losing a child to suicide is especially tragic. That’s what author Rebecca Tervo found after her teenage son died by suicide. She shares how she picked up the shattered pieces of her life, from her grief-stricken family to the impact on his school, to find joy again through counseling and soul-searching. If you’re looking for a book that shows how to find the light after insurmountable darkness, Shattered may be for you.

13. Tragedy Plus Time: A Tragi-comic Memoir, by Adam Cayton-Holland

Comedy and tragedy don’t sound like they go together, but that’s exactly how comedian Adam Cayton-Holland sought to deal with his sister’s suicide just as his comedy career was beginning to take off.

The intersection of dark humor and trauma can be blurry for some, but Cayton-Holland navigates his journey of grief with comedy, joy, and yes, even rage. Tragedy Plus Time is about grief, loss, and the complicated places in between.

14. My Father Before Me: A Memoir, by Chris Forhan

Author and poet Chris Forhan and his siblings learned early on that certain emotions and thoughts were simply not discussed. In 1973, Forhan’s father died by suicide. Forty years later, he digs into his family’s past and tries to make sense of how different he is from his father, and how similar.

A coming-of-age memoir set in the ’60s, My Father Before Me is a good companion for readers who grew up in silent families and explores what it means to break free of the past while also recognizing the family you have.

15. The Girl Behind the Door: A Father’s Quest to Understand His Daughter’s Suicide, by John Brooks

The Girl Behind the Door is the story of an adoptive father’s search for answers and truth about his teenage daughter’s suicide. In the wake of her death, Brooks spends many months trying to understand what happened and why. He reads, talks to his daughter’s friends, teachers, doctors, therapists, and birth parents, and consults with several mental health experts. Ultimately, he shares the lessons learned on his journey for answers. His hope is that his pain and subsequent research will help others avoid a similar tragedy and/or heal from the trama of suicide.

16. History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life, by Jill Bialosky

In 1990, author Jill Bialosky’s sister died by suicide. In the decades since, Bialosky has dealt with extreme guilt, confusion, and devastation. Now, in her informative and empathetic memoir, History of a Suicide, she tries to reconstruct her sister’s inner life, understand the most fundamental questions about human nature, and examine the difference between depression and suicidal ideation. Drawing on personal research, family history, medical reporting, and literary criticism, Bialosky has created a testimony to empathy and healing.

17. Aftershock: Help, Hope and Healing In the Wake of Suicide, by David Cox and Candy Arrington

According to Aftershock by David Cox and Candy Arrington, someone dies by suicide every seventeen minutes. Naturally, the people they love are left with an impossible task – to cope with the pain and eventually heal. This book collects and presents the necessary knowledge and resources for those left in the wake of an event like suicide. As a recovery-based book, Aftershock offers encouragement and support, diving deep into the complex emotions involved in depression and suicidality.

Books For Children Dealing With Suicide

From losing a parent or family member, or simply a person that was important to them, explaining loss and death to a child can be difficult. These books help children identify their feelings of loss and how to deal with them.

18. Someone I Love Died by Suicide: A Story for Child Survivors and Those Who Care for Them, by Doreen T. Cammarata

This storybook, recommended in conjunction with therapy, is made to help children identify the difficult emotions they face after losing someone by suicide. It’s also a good resource for those now taking care of children in light of suicide.

Author Doreen T. Cammarata, MS, is a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in grief counseling. Someone I Love is a good book for children or anyone devastated by suicide.

19. Healing Your Grieving Heart for Kids: 100 Practical Ideas, by Alan D Wolfelt, Ph.D.

This practical guide is perfect for helping children understand their emotions after losing someone they loved, and how to cope with healthy habits going forward. It encourages them to acknowledge the difficult feelings they’re facing and reach out for help when they need it.

Author and grief counselor Alan D. Wolfelt has written on grief before as the “Children and Grief” columnist for Bereavement Magazine, including other works like “The Journey Through Grief” and “The Understanding Your Grief Journal.”

Books About the Science of Suicide

The statistics surrounding suicide paint a stark picture. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of certain age groups. In 2017, suicides outnumbered homicides for deaths that year. Understanding how and why this happens may help prevent more suicides in the future.

20. The Neuroscience of Suicidal Behavior, by Kees Van Heeringen

Suicide is thought to be a reaction to overwhelming stress, but leading research shows it’s more likely an extreme reaction to normal situations. So how does that happen and why does the brain react in such a way? Professor Kees van Heeringen dives deep into how the brain reacts to traumatic stressors in life that may lead to suicidal thoughts in the future.

21. Why People Die by Suicide, by Thomas Joiner

From a biological standpoint, it almost doesn’t make sense: why would someone override mankind’s strongest instinct: self-preservation? Clinical psychologist Thomas Joiner explores why humans consider suicide, using years of research as well as his own personal experience. The result is a guide written for both those treating suicidal patients and those struggling after the suicide of someone close to them.

Finding a Therapist Who Can Help With Thoughts of Suicide or the Aftermath of Suicide

If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to reach out. There are effective therapy options for depression and feelings of hopelessness. Experienced therapists can help you navigate difficult feelings and help you find a path toward healing.

If you are considering taking your life or know someone who may be, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or 911 for emergencies.