cover image Doors Close, Doors Open: Widows, Grieving, and Growing

Doors Close, Doors Open: Widows, Grieving, and Growing

Morton A. Lieberman. Putnam Publishing Group, $23.95 (287pp) ISBN 978-0-399-14141-6

How long should a widow grieve? What is more helpful: therapy or support groups? When a husband dies, who offers more help: family or friends? These questions and more are addressed by Lieberman, professor of human development and director of the Aging and Mental Health Project at UC-San Francisco, in this brief guide to grieving. For his study, the author interviewed more than 700 widows and widowers over a seven-year period, and his most salient finding is that ""there is no norm, no set pattern for healthy grieving and recovery."" Despite the title, he devotes a chapter to widowers and the differences between grieving men and women. His advice is sensible and on the mark, but readers should observe a few caveats. Despite the claim to represent all ages and income groups, most of Lieberman's examples seem to be drawn from the middle and upper-middle classes; interviewees tend to be older (40s plus). No mention is made of black couples, and same-sex relationships are not addressed. (Apr.)