LACPA’s Spring Book Club Selection:

The Grieving Brain:

The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss

by Mary-Frances O’Connor

Book Summary

Mary-Frances O’Connor, a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist, looks at loss through both a scientific and a human lens in The Grieving Brain. She describes grief as a kind of learning process — the brain slowly coming to terms with a new reality when someone we love is no longer physically present. Along the way, she distinguishes between grief (the raw response to loss) and grieving (the ongoing adaptation), using real-life stories to illustrate these ideas.

For therapists, the book sparks meaningful conversations about how to support those who are on this journey. O’Connor shows that grief isn’t about “getting over it,” but about how the brain rewires and adjusts in its own time. She also offers practical tools and ideas to help guide people through this process. One grieving client shared that this was the first time she felt her own experience was truly echoed, and that O’Connor’s words helped her better understand it.  Taken together, the science, the stories, and her compassionate framing make this a rich and relevant read for any clinician who works with loss.

Awards and Recognition

Next Big Idea Club's "Top 21 Psychology Books of 2022", NPR SciFri Book Club Pick, Behavioral Scientist Notable Books of 2022

A Sample of Positive reviews on Amazon

"The Grieving Brain answered fascinating questions that I would not have thought to ask. State-of-science studies, fun facts and fascinating insights kept me turning pages and losing track of time."  - Ira Byock, MD, active emeritus professor, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible

"We will all be touched by loss. To understand grief is to understand a fundamental human experience. This book is a powerful and comprehensive exploration of grief, the best I have read.”  - Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD, pioneer in the end-of-life care field and author of Standing at the Edge and Being with Dying

“Absorbing and wise, The Grieving Brain offers insights and coping mechanisms for those of us who have peered up from the depths of grief and wondered, why does this hurt so much? How can I make a meaningful life for myself now?”  - Maryanne O’Hara, author of Little Matches

"For those who want to understand what’s happening to them and why grief is so confounding, this is a fascinating and comforting read.”  - Oprah Daily

“The Grieving Brain is a probing exploration into the science of grief and grieving. We are given an opportunity to view loss in a new way. If you have felt the pain of a loss and wondered if it will ever get better, O'Connor shows how the brain can help heal.” - Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Change

The Next Two Book Choice in 2026

Necessary Losses by Judith Viorst

Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together by Michael Morris 

Please RSVP directly to the Book Club facilitator

Santa Clarita – In person

Saturday, May 16th at 10 AM

This will be an In Person meeting at the home of Dr. Lynne Steinman

Address will be provided upon RSVP

RSVP to Dr. Lynne Steinman

[email protected]  

(661) 259-0144

Encino – on Zoom

Sunday, May 17th at 3:00 PM

Hosted by Dr. Pamela McCrory

[email protected]

(818) 999- 4126 

Westside – on Zoom

Sunday, May 17th at 3:00 PM

Hosted by Dr. Cris Scaglione 

[email protected]

(949) 939-1943

Join us for great discussions with LACPA members!