While most study and research is published in journals, there are some useful books available, in many cases written by chaplains, including AHPCC members. Some of the books listed below were recommended reading for our annual conferences, while others explore the theological or practical underpinning of our work. We would encourage members to recommend books they have found helpful, and also to submit brief reviews (ideally, of about 400-600 words).

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Published in 2021

Laura Menéndez, Teresa Menéndez, & Maru Guerrico Sepúlveda (2021 Eng), ‘Sammy Found A Treasure’

Self-published via eltesorodesammy.com, ISBN: 9781527296305, €16.00 (inc p&p).

‘Sammy Found A Treasure’ tells the story of a young boy, Sammy, whose mum has died but left a very special present for him, which will help him in the process of healing his heart. Before she died, she gathered all her strength and wrote her name in Sammy’s heart. She loved him so much that her love became imprinted in him forever. This present will accompany him always and is so valuable that Sammy wants to share it with other children who, like him, have also lost a loved one.
Alongside the book is a website with information on child bereavement, reading guides, activities, and resources, and an audio reading of the book.

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Tom Gordon (2021) ‘Whispers of Wisdom’

Wild Goose Publications, ISBN: 9781849527699, £10.99

Bereavement is integral to the human condition. Despite living in a more open society than we’ve ever known, those who are bereaved today find that this apparent openness isn’t translated into the genuine support they seek, leaving many to struggle with loss in isolation and loneliness. Even within families and close friendships, opportunities for bereaved people to be listened to, or to explore issues that are strange and confusing, are not as readily available as they hope or expect. Tom Gordon’s extensive experience over many years of working with bereaved people, both individually and in support groups, gives him a deep understanding of and sensitivity to these issues, as well as providing him with a fund of stories about how people have coped with bereavement, and have overcome and adapted to the changes and challenges of the losses in their lives. In this book, Tom gives a voice to these people, allowing us to be drawn into the world they inhabit, sharing their joys and anxieties, and hearing them speak of learning and normality, painfulness and hope, failures and successes, devastation and adjustment. As ordinary people have found insight and support in the isolation of their losses, Tom believes that their whispers of wisdom are needed to help others who are bereaved know that they too can be understood and supported in their grief.
Tom Gordon is a retired Church of Scotland minister, and former hospice chaplain and bereavement care facilitator. Now resident in East Lothian, he writes extensively and has had several books published by Wild Goose Publications.

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Satwant Kaur Rait (2021) ‘A Comprehensive Guide to Religious and Spiritual Care for Sikh Patients in NHS Hospitals and Hospices’

i2i Publishing, Manchester. ISBN13: 9781838222390, £19.99

Sikh patients need chaplaincy support specific to their religious beliefs and cultural traditions. Dr Satwant Kaur Rait, an honorary hospital chaplain, has produced an in-depth guide to providing this service. The book will be invaluable to chaplains, volunteers and all those involved in providing religious help for Sikhs in hospitals and hospices. Contents cover Sikh history and values; ceremonies and rituals; philosophy and psychology. An overview of the development of Sikh chaplaincy and official guidelines provide further insight into the need for these services. Dr Rait demonstrates that generic chaplaincy is insufficient, and discusses the role of a healthcare chaplain; Sikh religious care and rituals; and end of life care and bereavement. A consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic is also highlighted: as volunteer chaplains have been unable to work, many Sikh patients have been deprived of religious and spiritual support in hospital.
Dr Rait’s informative guide clearly shows the importance of establishing greater inclusivity and accessibility in chaplaincy services for all faiths.

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Published in 2020

David Buck (2020) ‘Can You Be the Air?’

David is distributing via kingsfoldpublications@gmail.com £9.95 (with 20% discount for AHPCC members) + p&p

“… this collection of poems is about who and what really matters in both life and death. It encompasses all that makes up the ‘beautiful untidiness’ that we experience: our relationships, our connections, the mystery of what it is to be human.”

“It’s a great delight to see David’s work in print and published. His poetry sensitively and thoughtfully expresses emotions and insights from his work as a palliative care chaplain and spiritual lead. David’s work has been an inspiration to so many people who are aware of his writing so I sincerely hope that his published work gets a wider readership.
Our association has benefited from David’s considerate and perceptive thoughts and poems over the years. Please recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what we do and how it feels to do what we do.
Congratulations, David!

Karen Murphy, AHPCC President

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Alison Jean Lester (2020) ‘Absolutely Delicious’

In Absolutely Delicious, Alison Jean Lester describes the roads leading to her mother, Valerie’s cooperation with her terminal disease and her decision to forego treatments that might have prolonged her life, but also might have ruined her death. It is a story that illuminates the benefits of acceptance and the many gifts offered by daring to own one’s end.
Absolutely Delicious forces us to ask some difficult questions – what makes a ‘good’ death? How can we best prepare for our own death, and those of our close family and friends? – inviting us to be more open about death and our own mortality. Alison Jean Lester’s moving tribute to her mother, which is interspersed with poetry and stunning illustrations, touchingly explores the importance of communication when faced with death, and offers us a window on how dying can be better approached if we are prepared to confront it honestly.
For more details, see the Press Release here
or email Hannah Hargrave.
Absolutely Delicious will be published on October 22nd in paperback, £9.99

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Jacki Thomas (2020) ‘Salt in a Secular Society’

Jacki is self-publishing and distributing via saltinsecular@btinternet.com £4.95 including p&p
Jacki writes:
“Anybody expecting an account of the research (Jacki’s PhD was ‘Voicing the spiritual: a dynamic exploration and analysis of the role of the chaplain in English hospices’) will be disappointed – I’ve used the research and stories from the interviews to show (I hope) that Christians / the Church could learn a lot from hospice chaplains.”
Christians are charged with ‘being salt’. ‘Salt in a Secular Society’ uses the experience of the hospice chaplain to show what that means in today’s world. Chaplains work in a secular environment in which they are not allowed to evangelize. They are charged with providing spiritual care by recognizing and responding to the needs of the human spirit, which flourishes when there is meaning and purpose to life. For the sake of all creation, including humanity, it is not only relevant but essential for all Christians to learn how to become salt in our secular society.
‘Salt in a Secular Society’ is a short book, designed for reflection or discussion, with fewer than 100 pages, in ten chapters with Food for Thought questions concluding each chapter.
“No musts or mustn’ts but the expressing of kind understandings and perceptive suggestions” (Lay church-goer).

Member’s Review by Karen Murphy

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Edward C. Valandra, Waŋbli Wapȟáha Hokšíla, et al (2020) ‘Colorizing Restorative Justice’

Living Justice Press, US, ISBN ISBN13: 9781937141233 $35.00
From the Introduction:
The twenty authors of color in this book raise unsettling issues about restorative justice and restorative practices (RJ/RP), situated as they are in white supremacist settler societies that sustain deep roots in European invasion and colonizing. The contradiction between restorative practices and the Western, white supremacist, settler societies in which we practice them is inherent. We People of Color and Indigenous Peoples have not created the contradiction. It is there. But we collectively experience this contradiction in ways Whites do not. We feel an urgency about addressing this contradiction that our White settler colleagues seem not to perceive or express. We also feel an urgency about critically informing communities of color and Indigenous communities that this contradiction, while not of our making or choosing, is one we negotiate in restorative justice.

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Renska Kruizinga et al (2020) ‘Learning from Case Studies in Chaplaincy’

Eburon Academic Publishers, NL, ISBN 9789463012812 € 28,00
Table of Contents and Preview
A significant publication for chaplains wishing to engage in research using case studies.
Publishers’ Note: The recent production of case studies in chaplaincy care combines the narrative nature of chaplaincy with the rigors of research demanded in contemporary care settings.
The contributions in this volume from both practitioners and academic researchers join reflections on the challenges and promises of case study research in chaplaincy care with the results of specific case studies. Based on reflections on methodology and professionalization in chaplaincy, the volume hopes to contribute to answering the question of how and why chaplaincy works. As such, the book aims for a wide readership of scholars, chaplains and policy makers.
‘Learning from Case Studies’ originated from the first international conference on case study research in chaplaincy care that was held in Amsterdam in 2019.

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Published in 2019

Rosie Deedes (2019) ‘Into the Depths: A Chaplain’s Reflections on Death, Dying and Pastoral Care’

Sacristy Press, Durham. ISBN: 9781789590326 £12.99
NB The AHPCC has been given a 10% discount – use the voucher code “TVB5H6”
Publishers’ Note: Pastoral care often takes clergy and other ministers into the depths of human life. As a chaplain and priest in prisons and a hospice, Rosie Deedes has encountered death and dying on many occasions. In this reflective and practical book, she considers the nature of pastoral care, particularly in situations that take minsters to the edge of institutions and society. This book will help those who engage in ministry to understand the key features of pastoral care; what qualities those who provide it need; and how those who offer it can remain resilient.
The book tackles some of the taboo subjects around death and dying; and it shows how listening to those we encounter, as well as reflecting on Jesus’ own death and dying, can enable good pastoral care to take place. She argues that chaplaincy, as a ministry on the edge, is vital to the life and work of the Church in the twenty-first century, and that pastoral care is an essential component of all ministry. She offers insights from her extensive experience of pastoral situations which will inform and enrich the practice of all who show care to others.

Member’s Review by Karen Murphy

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Jan Brind and Tessa Wilkinson (2019) ‘Funeral, Thanksgiving and Memorial Services with CD ROM – Creative Ideas for Pastoral Liturgies’

Canterbury Press, Norwich. ISBN: 9781853118555 £22.99

Publishers’ note: Arising out of many year’s experience of helping to lead local church worship and counselling work in a children’s hospice, this is the first of three new volumes that focuses on the occasions when many non-churchgoers visit a church: for christenings, weddings, funerals, and memorials. These rites of passage present key opportunities for occasional visitors to encounter the Christian faith. If they are imaginatively handled a lifelong interest can be aroused. If they are insensitively done, people can be put of for life. This practical resource offers prayers, forms of words and many tried and tested ideas for creating rituals that give support at a time of great need following a death. It will enable the creation of rites (based on the authorized liturgical texts) that are beautiful, memorable and meaningful. Particular help is given for that most difficult of pastoral challenges, the death of a child and the care of the bereaved family.

Jan Brind is a pastoral assistant for liturgy at St Andrew’s Church, Cobham, and has served on the Guildford Diocese Worship Committee. She lives in Surrey. Tessa Wilkinson is an artist and counsellor who has encouraged many to discover their creative gifts. She lives in London.

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Published in 2018

George Fitchett and Steve Nolan (2018) ‘Case Studies in Spiritual Care’: Healthcare Chaplaincy Assessments, Interventions and Outcomes

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN: 9781785927836  £19.99

Publishers’ note:
Through a rich variety of case studies, this book provides insight into the patient’s needs and the chaplain’s perspective, as well as discussions of spiritual assessments and spiritual care interventions. Case studies such as a request to baptise a child complicated due to his admission for ‘psychiatric reasons’, as well as work with military veterans, such as a female transgender veteran who has been alienated from her faith, show the breadth and complexity of work that chaplains undertake daily.
Each section also includes critical responses to the case studies presented from a chaplain and related healthcare professional. This book will enable chaplains to critically reflect on the spiritual care they provide, and provide an informed perspective for healthcare professionals and others involved in chaplaincy services.

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Pia Matthews (2018) ‘Ethical Questions in Healthcare Chaplaincy’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN: 9781785924217 £19.99

Publishers’ note: This textbook untangles the complicated ethical dilemmas that arise during the day-to-day work of healthcare chaplaincy, and offers a sturdy but flexible framework which chaplains can use to reflect on their own practice.
Tackling essential issues such as consent, life support, abortion, beginning and end of life and human dignity, it enables chaplains to tease out the ethical implications of situations they encounter, to educate themselves on relevant legal matters and to engage with different ethical viewpoints.
The book combines case studies of familiar scenarios with thorough information on legal matters, while providing ample opportunity for workplace reflection and offering guidance as to how chaplains can best support patients and their families while preserving their own integrity and well-being.
Clear, sensitive and user-friendly, this will be an indispensable resource for healthcare chaplains and all healthcare professionals interested in spiritual care.

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Sam Wells (2018) ‘Incarnational Mission’

Canterbury Press, Norwich. ISBN 9781786220363 £14.99

Publishers’ note:
“In this follow-up to Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church, Samuel Wells explores what it means for Christians and churches to engage with the world.  Drawing on the Gospels, Acts, and personal insights gleaned from more than two decades in ministry, he shows how `being with’ others includes experiences of presence, attention, mystery, delight, participation, partnership, enjoyment and glory.
His vivid narratives and wise reflections will help Christian readers better understand how to be with all kinds of people outside the church, including:
Being with Seekers; Being with Those of Other Faiths; Being with the Hostile; Being with Neighbours; Being with Government; Being with the Excluded.”

Member’s Review by Mike Rattenbury

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Published in 2017

Andrew Goodhead and Nigel Hartley (2017 ‘Spirituality in Hospice Care: How Staff and Volunteers Can Support the Dying and Their Families’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781785921025 £18.99

Publishers’ note: Publishing on the 50th anniversary of the opening of St Christopher’s Hospice – widely thought of to be the first modern hospice, combining pain and symptom management with education and training – this edited collection discusses what motivates professionals and volunteers to provide spiritual care.
This book shows how the world of hospice care is moving on from Cicely Saunder’s, founder of St Christopher’s Hospice, legacy to providing spiritual care in a more integrated manner. With entries from doctors, nurses and CEOs among others, this book informs good practice for professionals and volunteers providing spiritual care for patients and their families. It looks at how, for many of these professionals, spirituality does not have to be grounded in organised religion, but stems from understanding and providing for our human needs.

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Karen Murphy and Bob Whorton [eds] (2017) ‘Chaplaincy in Hospice and Palliative Care’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781785920684 £18.99

Publishers’ note:
“In an increasingly secular society chaplaincy is no longer widely accepted as a necessary element of palliative care. A meditative reflection on the role played by hospice chaplains, this book argues that chaplains have a vital part to play in the care of a patient, their family, and those supporting them.”

‘Chaplaincy in Hospice and Palliative Care’ is a collection of insights, and contains contributions from many AHPCC members.

Church Times review, Ann Fulton

Methodist Recorder Review, John Lampard

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Averil Stedeford (2017) The Long Way Down

Aspect Design, Malvern. £6.00

Publishers’ note: “Averil Stedeford was a GP while her children were small and subsequently trained as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. She worked for twelve years in the Sir Michael Sobell House hospice in Oxford as a therapist and teacher of palliative care to a range of professional staff. Her book ‘Facing Death, Patients, Families and Professionals’ included a number of her poems in the second edition and she regularly used them in teaching, especially with medical students. Soon after she left the hospice, her husband was found to have inoperable cancer.  The present volume is a moving account of the experience with him during his last illness and of her journey through bereavement. It is vivid, tender and demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit and of creativity in the face of death and loss.”

Member’s Review by David Buck

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John Caperon, Andrew Todd and James Walters [eds] (2017) ‘A Christian Theology of Chaplaincy’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781785920905 £18.99
Publishers’ note: Chaplaincy is a rapidly growing ministry, but one that has been the centre of little theological discussion. Focusing on understanding what chaplaincy is and how it is exercised in different contexts, this book intends to support the work of chaplains by providing a theological examination of their ministry.
The chapters in this book discuss how the work of chaplains outside the structures of the Church and yet frequently carried out by ministers authorized by the Church relates to some of the key questions of how the Church understands itself in relation to the world (i.e. institutions and structures that are not part of the church), whether or not the chaplains should engage in converting non-Christians to Christianity, and how chaplaincy is carried out both from within Christianity and in a multi-faith environment.
This book explores the role of chaplains and the benefits of chaplaincy as a form of ministry as well as an examination of the personal characteristics and disposition best suited to serving as a chaplain. Chaplaincy and Christian Theology considers the nature of chaplaincy in public spaces and the implications of Christian theology within this ministry. Essential reading for chaplains, students of theology, and anyone involved in Christian ministry and Christian theology.

Member’s Review by Mike Rattenbury

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Published in 2016

Gordon J. Hilsman (2016) ‘Spiritual Care in Common Terms: How Chaplains Can Effectively Describe the Spiritual Needs of Patients in Medical Records’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781785927249. £16.99

Publishers’ note: Encouraging a broad, compassionate, humanistic approach to spirituality, this book shows how patients’ spiritual needs can be communicated well within interdisciplinary teams, leading to better patient wellbeing.
This book describes the art of charting patients’ spiritual perspectives in an open way that will help physicians and nurses to better direct medical care. It includes practical information on how to distil spiritual needs into pragmatic language, helping to demystify spiritual experience. Drawing on his extensive practical experience, the author also suggests key points to emphasise that will enrich chart notes for medical records, including brief, relative narratives, trusting one’s own impressions, reflecting holistically on the patient’s life, patient attitudes towards treatment and recovery, and describing families’ opinions on the health care situation of their loved one. The book shows healthcare professionals of all disciplines how to engage in a shared responsibility for the spiritual care of their patients.

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Line Nyhagen & Beatrice Halsaa (2016) ‘Religion, Gender and Citizenship: Women of Faith, Gender Equality and Feminism’

Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. ISBN 9781137405333. £14.99

Publishers’ note: How do religious women talk about and practise citizenship? How is religion linked to gender and nationality? What are their views on gender equality, women’s movements and feminism? Via interviews with Christian and Muslim women in Norway, Spain and the UK, this book explores intersections between religion, citizenship, gender and feminism.

Chapters include: (1) Towards Lived Religion and Lived Citizenship: Binaries and Complexities in the Study of Religion, Gender, Feminism and Citizenship. (2) Religious Identities and Meaning-making. (3) Religion and Citizenship as Lived Practice: Intersections of Faith, Gender, Participation and Belonging. (4) Religious Women and Gender Equality. (5) Religious Women, Women’s Movements and Feminism. (6) Faithful Women: Lived Religion and Citizenship, Gender Equality and Feminism.

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Published in 2015

George Fitchett & Steve Nolan (2015) ‘Spiritual Care in Practice: Case Studies in Healthcare Chaplaincy’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781849059763. £18.99

Publishers’ note: “These diverse case studies make a compelling case for the importance of effective spiritual care in healthcare and provide unprecedented insight into the essential role of the chaplain within the healthcare team. Presented alongside critical reflections and responses from professionals within chaplaincy, psychology, psychiatry and nursing, they provide an honest and detailed look into how healthcare chaplains actually work with the people in their care and reveal the vital role of narrative and imagination in effective transformative practice.
From a 16 year-old with a belief that God would enable a miraculous recovery from paralysis, to an African man with a history of psychosis and depression whose cultural belief in witches complicated his treatment, to a dying Jewish man, aggressive and isolated due to his traumatic life experiences, each case includes insight into the patient’s needs and chaplain’s perspectives, discussion of spiritual assessments and spiritual care interventions, and accounts of significant encounters and dialogues.
The nine paediatric, psychiatric and palliative case studies and reflections in this ground-breaking book will enable chaplains to critically reflect on the spiritual care they provide and communicate their work more effectively, help healthcare professionals develop a clearer understanding of the care chaplains deliver, and provide an informed perspective for those who develop policy around spiritual care and need to make the case for chaplaincy services.”

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Richard Morgan (2015) ‘At the Edge of Life: Conversations when Death is Near’

Upper Room Books, Nashville TN. ISBN 9780835813327.

Publishers’ note:
Drawing on sixty years of experience as pastor, hospice chaplain, volunteer, and friend to dying persons, Richard Morgan offers perspective and advice to people coping with a family member, friend, or patient who is approaching the time of death.
These thirty meditations take us from accepting our own mortality and the impending death of someone we care about through “making preparations,” “finding closure,” and “dying moments.” In each meditation Morgan uses personal stories and scripture to lead into a reflection question and prayer. The result is a sense of peace that gives readers confidence as companions to the dying.

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Paul Nash, Kathryn Darby & Sally Nash (2015) Spiritual Care with Sick Children and Young People

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781849053891. £14.99

Publishers’ note: Exploring both principles and best practice of the spiritual care of sick children and young people, this remarkable and inspiring book equips the reader to think critically and creatively about how to provide care in hospitals, hospices and other care contexts for ill and disabled children.
Written for staff from any allied health discipline, the authors explore the potential spiritual needs and issues faced by sick children and young people. They provide evidence-based practice principles, and a range of activity-based interactions that empower the child or young person and expand discussion of meaning and identity. The book includes stories and multidisciplinary practice examples, as well as many ideas; practical activities; discussion of work with families, and also of the various tensions and issues that can emerge.
Based on evidence-based practice and research carried out by the Chaplaincy Team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the book will be helpful and inspiring reading for chaplains, nurses, play and youth workers, therapists and anyone else involved in the care of sick children and young people.

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Ali Khan Mansur, Sophie Gilliat-Ray & Stephen Pattison (2015) ‘Understanding Muslim Chaplaincy’

Routledge, London. ISBN 9781409435938. £14.99

Publishers’ note: Understanding Muslim Chaplaincy provides a lens through which to explore critical questions relating to contemporary religion in public life, and the institutionalisation of Islam in particular. Providing a rich description of the personnel, practice, and politics of contemporary Muslim chaplaincy, the authors consider the extent to which Muslim chaplaincy might be distinctive in Britain relative to the work of Muslim chaplains in the USA and other countries. This book will make a major contribution to international debate about the place of religion in public life and institutions.
This book derives from research that has depended on exclusive access to a wide range of public institutions and personnel who largely work ‘behind closed doors’. By making public the work of these chaplains and critically examining the impact of their work within and beyond their institutions, this book offers a ground-breaking study in the field of contemporary religion that will stimulate discussion for many years to come about Islam and Muslims in Western societies.

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Douglas Ellory Pett (2015) ‘The Healing Tradition of the New Testament’

Lutterworth, Cambridge. ISBN 9780718893873. £20.00

Publishers’ note: Healing is crucial to Christian theology and ministry and has a great evangelistic power. Over the last fifty years, there has been a radical shift in social attitudes towards sickness and healing. Though there has always been a clear ministry for spiritual and pastoral care, the responsibilities of those ministering to the sick – and even the definition of sickness itself – have been challenged. Meanwhile, the popularity of ‘alternative’ healing and magical cults has grown. There is certainly no lack of accounts of those who have ‘miraculously’ recovered from ‘incurable diseases’, even at the point of death – scientific proof, however, is often wanting.
It is frequently said that ‘healing is central to the Gospel’. In this book, Douglas Ellory Pett asserts that although this is inaccurate, the statement raises essential questions: how did the early Christians interpret the healings of the New Testament? Was the interpretation of the various writers always the same and, if not, which should be accepted? Did healing continue in the early Christian communities? What is the theological basis for the Church’s healing sacraments? The answers to these difficult questions are interwoven with our contemporary understanding of medical science and of society.
‘The Healing Tradition of the New Testament’ is a scholarly analysis of the New Testament texts about the healing ministry of Jesus and an examination of the evidence for healing in the first four centuries of the Early Church. By returning to these earliest sources, Dr Pett reveals the original spiritual significance of the healing miracles of Jesus. He shows how this understanding of the true healing tradition can enrich the practice of Christianity today, restoring the health of the Church, society and the individual.

Member’s Review by Mike Rattenbury

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Jonathan Pye, Peter Sedgwick & Andrew Todd, Eds (2015) ‘Critical Care. Delivering Spiritual Care in Healthcare Contexts’

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. ISBN 9781849054973. £19.99

Publishers’ note: A collection of essays focusing on spiritual care within the delivery and provision of healthcare today.  The contributors combine academic and professional expertise to discuss themes including: spirituality, pluralism and multi-faith practice, healthcare ethics, legal and policy issues, mental health, and beginning and end of life issues.

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