At a budget hearing before the Boston City Council earlier this month, BPL president Amy Ryan told the councilors that the library purchased more than 2,000 books on coping with anxiety, grieving and loss after the Marathon bombings. In addition, even though the main library at Copley Square was forced to close for a week due to its close proximity to the bombing site, all the 25 branches were open the next day. "They were crowded," reported Ryan. "People were busy checking in with one another. Libraries are community spaces."
According to Catherine Willis, Chief of Technical and Digital Services at the BPL, a total of 2,410 books were ordered on the subject of loss and anxiety. The cost for the books would have been more than $30,000 but the vendor gave the BPL a 'sizeable' discount to bring the final amount down to around $15,000. The books have begun to arrive at libraries throughout the system, including the South End Library.
South End Library's children's librarian Margaret Gardner collected several links for library patrons, including:
1. Tips for parents and teachers on how to deal with children's fear of war and terrorism from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
2. Talking to children about violence, also by NASP
3. Talking with kids about news, sponsored by PBS Parents
4. Times of Grief and Sadness, a list of 19 books for children from the BPL web site's Boston PL Kids Lists.
Gardner told FOSEL that kids and teens who have been at the South End branch since the bombings have expressed themselves through art, which she plans to continue to do. Two teens created "the dove of peace" in the front window facing Tremont Street the first week after the bombing, and another teen artist made the two doves of peace by the circulation counter, with hand prints and words from younger children.
Below is the full list of the BPL's books that are, or will soon be arriving at a library near you, and the number of copies available.
| Aikman, Becky. | Saturday night widows : the adventures of six friends remaking their lives | 7 | Adult |
| Albano, Anne Marie. | You and your anxious child : free your child from fears and worries and create a joyful family life | 5 | Adult |
| Amend, Allison. | A nearly perfect copy : a novel | 11 | Adult |
| Askew, Rilla. | Kind of kin | 12 | Adult |
| Backhaus, Jeff. | Hikikomori and the rental sister : a novel | 12 | Adult |
| Bacon, Armen. | Griefland : an intimate portrait of love, loss, and unlikely friendship | 8 | Adult |
| Bateman, Tracey Victoria. | The widow of Saunders Creek : a novel | 5 | Adult |
| Baudrillard, Jean | The Spirit of Terrorism : And Other Essays | 5 | Adult |
| Beattie, Melody. | The grief club : the secret to getting through all kinds of change | 5 | Adult |
| Bedford, Lisa. | Survival mom : how to prepare your family for everyday disasters and worst-case scenarios | 6 | Adult |
| Berger, Susan A. | The five ways we grieve : finding your personal path to healing after the loss of a loved one | 3 | Adult |
| Bessette, Alicia. | A pinch of love | 5 | Adult |
| Bien, Thomas. | The Buddha's Way of Happiness : healing sorrow, transforming negative emotion & finding well-being in the present moment | 2 | Adult |
| Blaustein, Margaret. | Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents : how to foster resilience through attachment, self-regulation, and competency | 2 | Adult |
| Brach, Tara. | True refuge : finding peace and freedom in your own awakened heart | 11 | Adult |
| Brantley, Jeffrey. | Calming your anxious mind : how mindfulness & compassion can free you from anxiety, fear, & panic | 9 | Adult |
| Brown, Erica, 1966- | Happier endings : overcoming the fear of death | 14 | Adult |
| Bstan-Êdzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, 1935- | The wisdom of compassion : stories of remarkable encounters and timeless insights | 13 | Adult |
| Burns, Donna M. | When kids are grieving : addressing grief and loss in school | 2 | Adult |
| Chansky, Tamar Ellsas. | Freeing your child from anxiety : powerful, practical strategies to overcome your child's fears, phobias, and worries | 7 | Adult |
| Chödrön, Pema. | Comfortable with uncertainty : 108 teachings on cultivating fearlessness and compassion | 3 | Adult |
| Chödrön, Pema. | The places that scare you : a guide to fearlessness in difficult times | 5 | Adult |
| Chödrön, Pema. | When things fall apart : heart advice for difficult times | 13 | Adult |
| Chopra, Deepak. | God : a story of Revelation | 17 | Adult |
| Cloyed, Deborah. | The summer we came to life | 11 | Adult |
| Coetzee, J. M., 1940- | Slow man | 7 | Adult |
| Cohen, Judith A. | Treating trauma and traumatic grief in children and adolescents / A Clinician's Guide | 2 | Adult |
| Cohen, Leah Hager. | The grief of others | 15 | Adult |
| Cooper, Gwen, 1971- | Love saves the day : a novel | 10 | Adult |
| Cope, Pam. | Jantsen's gift : a true story of grief, rescue, and grace | 3 | Adult |
| Dahlie, Michael. | The best of youth : a novel | 10 | Adult |
| De Becker, Gavin. | The gift of fear : survival signals that protect us from violence | 7 | Adult |
| De Feo, Ronald. | Solo pass | 6 | Adult |
| Deits, Bob, 1933- | Life after loss : a practical guide to renewing your life after experiencing major loss | 5 | Adult |
| Deraniyagala, Sonali. | Wave | 12 | Adult |
| Didion, Joan. | The year of magical thinking | 15 | Adult |
| Dreher, Rod. | The little way of Ruthie Leming : a Southern girl, a small town, and the secret of a good life | 16 | Adult |
| Dunn, Bill. | Through a season of grief : devotions for your journey from mourning to joy | 5 | Adult |
| Ellmann, Lucy, 1956- | Mimi : a novel | 7 | Adult |
| Emerson, David, 1969- | Overcoming trauma through yoga : reclaiming your body | 4 | Adult |
| Ericsson, Stephanie, 1953- | Companion through the darkness : inner dialogues on grief | 6 | Adult |
| Evans, Richard Paul. | The road to grace | 5 | Adult |
| Frankl, Viktor E. (Viktor Emil), 1905-1997. | Man's search for meaning | 25 | Adult |
| Frazier, Ian. | The cursing mommy's book of days | 10 | Adult |
| Friedman, Russell. | Moving beyond loss : real answers to real questions from real people | 10 | Adult |
| Gaiman, Neil. | Fragile things : short fictions and wonders | 5 | Adult |
| Gewirtz, Matthew D. | The gift of grief : finding peace, transformation, and renewed life after great sorrow | 2 | Adult |
| Gil, Eliana | Working with children to heal interpersonal trauma : the power of play | 2 | Adult |
| Gilbert, Kellie Coates. | Mother of Pearl | 5 | Adult |
| Goldman, Linda, 1946- | Great answers to difficult questions about death : what children need to know | 7 | Adult |
| Gonzales, Laurence, 1947- | Surviving survival : the art and science of resilience | 10 | Adult |
| Gordon, Terry A. | No storm lasts forever : transforming suffering into insight | 10 | Adult |
| Greenspan, Miriam. | Healing through the dark emotions : the wisdom of grief, fear, and despair | 6 | Adult |
| Greenwood, T. (Tammy) | The hungry season | 6 | Adult |
| Guthrie, Nancy | O love that will not let me go : facing death with courageous confidence in God | 5 | Adult |
| Hall, Louisa, 1982- | The carriage house : a novel | 9 | Adult |
| Hance, Jackie. | I'll see you again : a memoir | 15 | Adult |
| Henkin, Joshua. | The world without you | 12 | Adult |
| Hickman, Martha Whitmore, 1925- | Healing after loss : daily meditations for working through grief | 5 | Adult |
| Higgins, Lisa Verge. | The proper care and maintenance of friendship | 11 | Adult |
| Hinton, J. Lynne. | Welcome back to Pie Town | 10 | Adult |
| Hodges, Samuel J | Grieving with hope : finding comfort as you journey through loss | 10 | Adult |
| Holland, Debra. | The essential guide to grief and grieving | 4 | Adult |
| Hunter, John, 1954- author. | World peace and other 4th-grade achievements | 16 | Adult |
| Isaacs, Florence. | My deepest sympathies : meaningful sentiments for condolence notes, plus a guide to eulogies | 5 | Adult |
| Jacobson, Don | When God makes lemonade : true stories that amaze and encourage | 10 | Adult |
| James, John W. | The grief recovery handbook : the action program for moving beyond death, divorce, and other losses including health career, and faith | 16 | Adult |
| James, John W. | When children grieve : for adults to help children deal with death, divorce, pet loss, moving, and other losses | 6 | Adult |
| Kabat-Zinn, Jon. | Wherever you go, there you are : mindfulness meditation in everyday life | 15 | Adult |
| Kimball, Michael, 1967- | Big Ray : a novel | 6 | Adult |
| King, Claire, 1980- | The Night Rainbow | 15 | Adult |
| Kinkade, Thomas, 1958-2012. | A wandering heart | 5 | Adult |
| Klein, Daniel M. | Nothing serious : a novel | 11 | Adult |
| Kolf, June Cerza. | When will I stop hurting? : dealing with a recent death | 5 | Adult |
| Kornfield, Jack | The Art Of Forgiveness, Lovingkindess, And Peace | 3 | Adult |
| Krueger, William Kent. | Ordinary grace : a novel | 16 | Adult |
| Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth. | On death and dying : what the dying have to teach doctors, nurses, clergy, and their own families | 12 | Adult |
| Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth. | On grief and grieving : finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss | 4 | Adult |
| Kultgen, Chad, 1976- | The average American marriage : a novel | 12 | Adult |
| Kumar, Sameet M. | Grieving mindfully : a compassionate and spiritual guide to coping with loss | 2 | Adult |
| Kushner, Harold S. | The book of Job : when bad things happened to a good person | 6 | Adult |
| Kushner, Harold S. | When bad things happen to good people | 15 | Adult |
| Lankford, Adam, 1979- | The myth of martyrdom : what really drives suicide bombers, rampage shooters, and other self-destructive killers | 5 | Adult |
| Latiolais, Michelle. | Widow : stories | 10 | Adult |
| Lavigne, Michael. | The wanting | 14 | Adult |
| Lee, Ashton. | The Cherry Cola Book Club | 5 | Adult |
| Lee, Deborah. | The compassionate-mind guide to recovering from trauma and PTSD : using compassion-focused therapy to overcome flashbacks, shame, guilt, and fear | 4 | Adult |
| Lee, Linda Francis. | Emily and Einstein / A Novel of Second Chances | 10 | Adult |
| Levine, Peter A. | Trauma-proofing your kids : a parents' guide for instilling confidence, joy and resilience | 3 | Adult |
| Levine, Peter A. | Waking the tiger : healing trauma : the innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences | 14 | Adult |
| Lewis, C. S. (Clive Staples), 1898-1963. | A grief observed | 16 | Adult |
| Malchiodi, Cathy A. | The art therapy sourcebook | 6 | Adult |
| Marasco, Ron. | About grief : insights, setbacks, grace notes, taboos | 11 | Adult |
| Martin, John D. | I can't stop crying : it's so hard when someone you love dies | 15 | Adult |
| Martinez, J. Michael (James Michael) | Terrorist attacks on American soil : from the Civil War era to the present | 4 | Adult |
| Matta, Christy. | The stress response : how dialectical behavior therapy can free you from needless anxiety, worry, anger, & other symptoms of stress | 5 | Adult |
| Miller, Serena, 1950- | Hidden mercies : a novel | 5 | Adult |
| Milliken, Maureen. | The afterlife survey : a Rabbi, a CEO, a dog walker, and others on the universal question - what comes next? | 8 | Adult |
| NhaÌÌ‚t H?anh, ThiÌch. | Anger : wisdom for cooling the flames | 5 | Adult |
| NhaÌÌ‚t H?anh, ThiÌch. | Fear : essential wisdom for getting through the storm | 13 | Adult |
| Nugent, Benjamin. | Good kids : a novel | 12 | Adult |
| Odell, Jonathan, 1951- | The healing : a novel | 5 | Adult |
| Orange, Cynthia. | Shock waves : a practical guide to living with a loved one's PTSD | 4 | Adult |
| Paisley, Michelle | Yoga for a Broken Heart : A Spiritual Guide to Healing from Break-Up, Loss, Death or Divorce | 2 | Adult |
| Peretti, Frank E. | Illusion : a novel | 8 | Adult |
| Podrug, Junius. | The disaster survival bible | 5 | Adult |
| Punnett, Ian, 1960- | How to pray when you're pissed at God / Or Anyone Else for That Matter | 10 | Adult |
| Quick, Matthew, 1973- | The silver linings playbook | 29 | Adult |
| Rando, Therese A. | How to go on living when someone you love dies | 5 | Adult |
| Raney, Deborah. | After all | 8 | Adult |
| Rapp, Emily. | The still point of the turning world | 12 | Adult |
| Rathkey, Julia Wilcox. | What children need when they grieve : the four essentials : routine, love, honesty, and security | 4 | Adult |
| Ratner, Austin. | In the land of the living : a novel | 12 | Adult |
| Ritchie, Cinthia. | Dolls behaving badly : a novel | 11 | Adult |
| Rogers, Michael Allen, 1949- | What happens after I die? | 4 | Adult |
| Rothbaum, Barbara Olasov. | Reclaiming your life from a traumatic experience : workbook | 15 | Adult |
| Rothschild, Babette. | Trauma essentials : the go-to guide | 2 | Adult |
| Rupp, Joyce. | My soul feels lean : poems of loss and restoration | 2 | Adult |
| Scheunemann, Frauke. | Puppy love | 5 | Adult |
| Schonfeld, David J., 1959- | The grieving student : a teacher's guide | 4 | Adult |
| Schrank, Ben. | Love is a canoe | 12 | Adult |
| Schuster, Marc, 1973- | The grievers | 8 | Adult |
| Simons, Paullina, 1963- | Children of liberty | 13 | Adult |
| Smith, Haywood, 1949- | Out of warranty | 9 | Adult |
| Smolinski, Jill. | Objects of my affection | 5 | Adult |
| Sorensen, Julia. | Overcoming loss : activities and stories to help transform children's grief and loss | 5 | Adult |
| Spencer, Elizabeth DuPont, 1966- | The anxiety cure for kids : a guide for parents | 4 | Adult |
| Spencer, Katherine, 1955- | The Way Home : Thomas Kinkade's Angel Island | 6 | Adult |
| Stahl, Bob. | Calming the rush of panic : a mindfulness-based stress reduction guide to freeing yourself from panic attacks & living a vital life | 10 | Adult |
| Stavlund, Mike. | A force of will : the reshaping of faith in a year of grief | 6 | Adult |
| Stearns, Ann Kaiser. | Living through personal crisis | 4 | Adult |
| Stern, Robin. | Project rebirth : survival and the strength of the human spirit from 9/11 survivors | 4 | Adult |
| Stewart, Carla. | Broken wings : a novel | 5 | Adult |
| Stothard, Anna. | The pink hotel | 12 | Adult |
| Sussman, Ellen, 1954- | The Paradise Guest House : a novel | 12 | Adult |
| Tappouni, Therese Amrhein | The Gifts of Grief : Finding Light in the Darkness of Loss | 8 | Adult |
| Thoene, Bodie, 1951- | When Jesus wept | 9 | Adult |
| Tipping, Colin C. | Radical forgiveness : a revolutionary five-stage process to : heal relationships, let go of anger and blame, find peace in any situation | 5 | Adult |
| Tirch, Dennis D., 1968- | The compassionate-mind guide to overcoming anxiety : using compassion-focused therapy to calm worry, panic, and fear | 11 | Adult |
| Trout, Nick. | The patron saint of lost dogs | 15 | Adult |
| Welshons, John E. | Awakening from grief : finding the way back to joy | 3 | Adult |
| West, Spencer, 1981- | Standing tall : my journey | 3 | Adult |
| Westberg, Granger E | Good Grief | 3 | Adult |
| Westfall, John. | Getting past what you'll never get over : help for dealing with life's hurts | 23 | Adult |
| Whitson, Stephanie Grace. | The message on the quilt | 5 | Adult |
| Wilde, Samantha. | I'll take what she has : a novel | 5 | Adult |
| Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975. | The bridge of San Luis Rey | 10 | Adult |
| Williams, Mark. | Mindfulness : an eight-week plan for finding peace in a frantic world | 21 | Adult |
| Williams, Mary Beth. | The PTSD workbook / Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms | 10 | Adult |
| Wiseman, John "Lofty" | SAS Urban Survival Handbook : How to Protect Yourself Against Terrorism, Natural Disasters, Fires, Home Invasions, and Everyday Health and Safety Hazards | 4 | Adult |
| Wolf, Elaine. | Danny's mom : a novel | 7 | Adult |
| Wolfelt, Alan D. | The Mourner's Book of Faith : 30 Days of Enlightenment | 5 | Adult |
| Wolfelt, Alan D., Ph.D. | The Mourner's Book of Courage : 30 Days of Encouragement | 2 | Adult |
| Wolfelt, Alan. | Healing your grieving heart : 100 practical ideas | 5 | Adult |
| Wolfelt, Alan. | The wilderness of grief : finding your way | 2 | Adult |
| Wong, David, 1975 Jan. 10- | This book is full of spiders : seriously, dude, don't touch it | 8 | Adult |
| Yancey, Philip | Where Is God When It Hurts? | 2 | Adult |
| Yancey, Philip. | Disappointment with God : three questions no one asks aloud | 2 | Adult |
| Yang, Jeffrey | Time of grief : mourning poems | 2 | Adult |
| Chicken soup for the soul : grieving and recovery : 101 inspirational and comforting stories about surviving the loss of a loved one | 3 | Adult | |
| Life after trauma : a workbook for healing | 19 | Adult | |
| Poems of mourning | 6 | Adult | |
| Alcorn, Randy C. | Heaven for kids | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Aliki. | Feelings | 50 | Child / Teen |
| Annunziata, Jane. | Sometimes I'm scared | 7 | Child / Teen |
| Applegate, Katherine. | The one and only Ivan | 34 | Child / Teen |
| Arnold, Elana K. | Sacred | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Bergren, Lisa Tawn. | God gave us heaven | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Blos, Joan W. | A gathering of days : a novel | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Bodeen, S. A. (Stephanie A.), 1965- | The raft | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Brody, Jessica. | Unremembered | 10 | Child / Teen |
| Brown, Laurene Krasny. | When dinosaurs die : a guide to understanding death | 26 | Child / Teen |
| Bunting, Eve, 1928- | Rudi's pond | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Burpo, Todd. | Heaven is for real for kids | 6 | Child / Teen |
| Buscaglia, Leo F. | The fall of Freddie the leaf : a story of life for all ages | 31 | Child / Teen |
| Cassidy, Sara. | Windfall | 2 | Child / Teen |
| Coker, Rachel. | Interrupted : a life beyond words | 6 | Child / Teen |
| Cook, Julia | Grief is Like a Snowflake | 10 | Child / Teen |
| Cormier, Robert. | After the first death | 24 | Child / Teen |
| Crist, James J. | What to do when you're scared & worried : a guide for kids | 19 | Child / Teen |
| Crowe, Carole. | Waiting for dolphins | 7 | Child / Teen |
| Emberley, Ed. | Glad monster, sad monster : a book about feelings | 20 | Child / Teen |
| Eubanks, Sonja | Death and dying | 4 | Child / Teen |
| Fitzgerald, Helen. | The grieving teen : a guide for teenagers and their friends | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Fritts, Mary Bahr, 1946- | If Nathan were here | 16 | Child / Teen |
| Geithner, Carole. | If only | 8 | Child / Teen |
| Goldman, Linda, 1946- | Children also grieve : talking about death and healing | 9 | Child / Teen |
| Gootman, Marilyn E., 1944- | When a friend dies : a book for teens about grieving & healing | 17 | Child / Teen |
| Graff, Lisa (Lisa Colleen), 1981- | Umbrella summer | 16 | Child / Teen |
| Guanci, Anne Marie. | David and the worry beast : helping children cope with anxiety | 20 | Child / Teen |
| Hainsworth, Emily. | Through to you | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Hanson, Warren. | The next place | 7 | Child / Teen |
| Heegaard, Marge | When Someone Very Special Dies : Children Can Learn to Cope With Grief | 20 | Child / Teen |
| Heegaard, Marge | When Something Terrible Happens : Children Learn to Cope With Grief | 20 | Child / Teen |
| Holmes, Margaret M., 1944- | A terrible thing happened | 36 | Child / Teen |
| Huebner, Dawn. | What to do when you worry too much : a kid's guide to overcoming anxiety | 14 | Child / Teen |
| Kaplow, Julie B., 1974- | Samantha Jane's missing smile : a story about coping with the loss of a parent | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Klise, Kate. | Little Rabbit and the Night Mare | 15 | Child / Teen |
| LaFleur, Suzanne M. | Love, Aubrey | 11 | Child / Teen |
| Laybourne, Emmy. | Monument 14 | 14 | Child / Teen |
| Lewis, Beverly, 1949- | What is God like? | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Lewis, Stewart. | You have seven messages | 14 | Child / Teen |
| Loewen, Nancy, 1964- | Saying good-bye to Uncle Joe : what to expect when someone you love dies | 10 | Child / Teen |
| Loth, Sebastian. | Remembering Crystal | 18 | Child / Teen |
| Lowry, Lois. | A summer to die | 36 | Child / Teen |
| Martin, Ann M., 1955- | Welcome to Camden Falls | 9 | Child / Teen |
| Mayfield, Sue. | Living with bereavement | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Meiners, Cheri J., 1957- | When I feel afraid | 12 | Child / Teen |
| Mellonie, Bryan. | Lifetimes : the beautiful way to explain death to children | 28 | Child / Teen |
| Mills, Joyce C., 1944- | Gentle Willow : a story for children about dying | 10 | Child / Teen |
| Myers, Edward, 1950- | Teens, loss, and grief : the ultimate teen guide | 12 | Child / Teen |
| O'Brien, Anne Sibley. | A path of stars | 16 | Child / Teen |
| Palmer, Pat, 1928- | I wish I could hold your hand-- : a child's guide to grief and loss | 11 | Child / Teen |
| Payne, Lauren Murphy, 1956- | Just because I am : a child's book of affirmation | 11 | Child / Teen |
| Penn, Audrey, 1947- | The kissing hand | 17 | Child / Teen |
| Penn, Audrey, 1947- | Chester Raccoon and the acorn full of memories | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Pennypacker, Sara, 1951- | Stuart goes to school | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Posesorski, Sherie. | Shadow boxing | 10 | Child / Teen |
| Rock, Lois, 1953- | When good-bye is forever | 6 | Child / Teen |
| Romain, Trevor. | What on earth do you do when someone dies? | 23 | Child / Teen |
| Romain, Trevor. | Stress can really get on your nerves! | 17 | Child / Teen |
| Rosen, Michael, 1946- | Michael Rosen's sad book | 29 | Child / Teen |
| Seuss, Dr. | My many colored days | 29 | Child / Teen |
| Shaw, Susan, 1951- | One of the survivors | 17 | Child / Teen |
| Spelman, Cornelia. | When I miss you | 21 | Child / Teen |
| Tangvald, Christine Harder, 1941- | Someone I love died | 2 | Child / Teen |
| Vail, Rachel. | Sometimes I'm Bombaloo | 21 | Child / Teen |
| Varley, Susan. | Badger's parting gifts | 23 | Child / Teen |
| Verdick, Elizabeth. | How to take the grrrr out of anger | 14 | Child / Teen |
| Vigna, Judith. | Saying goodbye to Daddy | 11 | Child / Teen |
| Violi, Jen. | Putting makeup on dead people | 9 | Child / Teen |
| Wagenbach, Debbie. | The grouchies | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Wild, Margaret, 1948- | Harry & Hopper | 9 | Child / Teen |
| Wilhelm, Hans, 1945- | I'll always love you | 25 | Child / Teen |
| Winsch, Jane Loretta. | After the funeral | 5 | Child / Teen |
| Wolfelt, Alan. | Healing your grieving heart for teens : 100 practical ideas | 13 | Child / Teen |
| Wolff, Ferida, 1946- | Is a worry worrying you? | 5 | Child / Teen |