Welcome to the Grief Club

Because You Don't Have to Go Through It Alone

Contributors

By Janine Kwoh

Formats and Prices

Price

$16.00

Price

$22.00 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Hardcover $16.00 $22.00 CAD
  2. ebook $10.99 $13.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around February 1, 2022. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

Welcome to the club that no one ever wants to join but so many of us end up needing. We’re so sorry that you’re here.

Based on her own experience with grief—the author’s partner died when both were in their late twenties—and those of other Grief Club members, Janine Kwoh uses brief writings, illustrations, and creative diagrams to explore the wide range of emotions and experiences that grief can encompass. For anyone who has lost a loved one or who is close to someone who is grieving, Welcome to the Grief Club is a book of solace, connection, hope, and reassurance. It addresses with empathy and honesty the aspects of grief that so many of us experience but that aren’t widely discussed: the variety and volatility of emotions—sadness, anger, guilt, joy; the physical symptoms of grief; and how grief isn’t linear, but it does change and soften over time. It affirms that there is truly no right or wrong way to grieve and assures us that the things we feel that surprise us or seem strange are often common and always valid.

Humor helps us to survive, and the book uses a lighthearted approach to cover powerful topics, like supremely unhelpful things that people say to those who are grieving, grief trigger bingo, and everyday acts of resilience. This book is a companion that says, I see you and you are not alone, from one grieving person to another. It is a gentle reminder to give yourself permission to grieve for as long as—and in whichever ways—you need.

Excerpt

Someone you care about has died.

You are now a member of the Grief Club—the club that no one wants to be part of but is here for you when you need it. Some of us are grieving family members; others are grieving partners and friends. Some of our loved ones were young and others were older. Some of their deaths were anticipated, while others were unexpected. What we have in common as Grief Club members is that we have all loved and lost.

It can seem as if no one understands what you're going through. You may be wondering if what you're experiencing is "normal," or how you can possibly survive this loss. As fellow unwilling Grief Club members, we get it. We really, really do. While grief is different for everyone, we know that whatever you're feeling is valid, and that while losing someone you care about is excruciatingly hard, you will get through this.

Welcome to the Grief Club—we're so sorry that you're here.

GRIEF CLUB

clubhouse rules

MEMBERSHIP

Club membership is open to anyone who has experienced a significant loss.*

Club capacity is unlimited at any given time.

Membership enrollment is automatic.

Members of all ages, races and ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, nationalities, religions, and backgrounds are welcome here.

member conduct

Members are expected to grieve on their own timelines and in any manner of their choosing.

The experiencing of all feelings is permitted and encouraged.

Crying is allowed at all hours. Not crying is also allowed.

Frequent use of profanity is acceptable.

Proper attire is required. This includes but is not limited to: head-to-toe sweats and whatever clothing is closest.

Please keep in mind that this is the Grief Club, NOT the Grief Olympics—any comparison of grief is strictly prohibited.

Any person who utters the phrase "Everything happens for a reason" will be removed immediately from the premises.

Existing club members are encouraged to extend a welcome and their condolences to new members.

Thank you for keeping this an inclusive, supportive,

albeit slightly sad, and judgment-free environment.

—Management

This is the absolute pits.

They died, but somehow the rest of the world continues on—people are still stressing over deadlines, complaining about their commute, and making brunch plans, as if no one noticed this new gaping void in the universe. Your life as you know it has been shattered, and they're wondering if you can send over your meeting notes by the end of the day.

You may feel as if you're living in a parallel, broken universe that no one seems to acknowledge, and that you're reeling from a loss that no one else sees. This can make you want to grab someone—anyone—and shake them until they recognize your new reality. It can make you want to pull them into your universe so they have no choice but to experience for themselves the pain you're in.

Our losses don't impact others as deeply, even if we sometimes wish they would. On top of that, the way we approach grief as a society doesn't help: We're not accustomed to, and therefore not adept at, talking about and dealing with grief. Some people won't acknowledge your loss because it makes them uncomfortable, or they're afraid of saying the wrong things, or they don't want to make you sad by bringing it up. Others will offer their condolences and support immediately after the death, but oftentimes will stop acknowledging it after the first few weeks or months.

An unintended consequence of the whiplash speed at which everyone else returns to life as usual is that it can seem as if the loss you are grieving isn't important. You may feel like you should be grieving less, or at least more privately, and moving through your grief more quickly than you are.

Genre:

  • “Grief is an overwhelming journey without a road map, but Janine Kwoh has generously given us this lantern to carry down an uncharted path. Welcome to the Grief Club provides instant community for one of the loneliest experiences a person can go through.” —Mari Andrew, New York Times bestselling author of Am I There Yet?

    “Through graphics and short, compact passages, this meticulously presented guide blends wit, charm, and empathy to explore the diverse aspects of loss and grief in an immensely accessible way. . . . Kwoh’s narrative offers camaraderie and inspires hope.” —Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

    “This is a lovely, sensitive, and—dare I say—humorous take on what it is like to be a person who has lost someone very dear to you. No matter how you’ve felt or what you’ve done to cope, The Grief Club can help.” —Ms. Magazine

     

On Sale
Feb 1, 2022
Page Count
128 pages
ISBN-13
9781523511716

Janine Kwoh

Janine Kwoh

About the Author

Janine Kwoh is the owner and designer of Kwohtations, a stationery company and letterpress print and design studio. Kwohtations is an ever-evolving collection of greeting cards and gifts that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences, always with humor and empathy. Janine's hope is that others will recognize some of themselves in what she creates and feel a bit more seen, more connected, and less alone.

While Janine doesn’t have any formal training in writing or illustration, she believes you can learn how to do anything by reading the internet and asking for help. Exhibit A: This book. When she’s not printing cards or writing about grief, you can often find her trying to keep her ducks in a row, but one of them is always wandering off in search of snacks.

Janine currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, but considers home to be wherever her friends are.

Learn more about this author