books
Many authors have written on the subject of death and dying, from dealing with grief and bereavement to traditions around death and funerals in different cultures around the world.
Here is a selection of books available from Amazon.
In her first memoir, Roz Chast brings her signature wit to the topic of aging parents. Spanning the last several years of their lives and told through four-color cartoons, family photos, and documents, and a narrative as rife with laughs as it is with tears,
There is an unspoken dark side of modern medicine–keeping patients alive at any price. Two thirds of Americans die in healthcare institutions, tethered to machines and tubes, even though research shows that most prefer to die at home in comfort, surrounded by loved ones.
For most of human history, death was a common, ever-present possibility. It didn’t matter whether you were five or fifty – every day was a roll of the dice. But now, as medical advances push the boundaries of survival further, we have become increasingly detached from the reality of being mortal.
One of the most important psychological studies of the late twentieth century, On Death and Dying grew out of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s famous interdisciplinary seminar on death, life, and transition. In this remarkable book, she first explored the now-famous five stages of death:
From her first day at Westwind Cremation & Burial, Caitlin Doughty threw herself into her curious new profession. Coming face-to-face with the very thing we go to great lengths to avoid thinking about she started to wonder about the lives of those she cremated and the mourning families
There are many books intended to help people deal with the trauma of bereavement, but few which explore the reality of death itself. How We Die sets out to explain exactly what happens to each of us when we die. Sherwin B. Nuland – with over 30 years’ experience as a surgeon –
For over 20 years , hospice nurse Maggie Callanan has tended to the terminally ill and been a cornerstone of support for their loved ones. Here is the guide we all need to understand the special needs of the dying and those who care for them. From supporting a husband or wife faced with
From Ira Byock, prominent palliative care physician and expert in end of life decisions, a lesson in Dying Well. Nobody should have to die in pain. Nobody should have to die alone. Dying Well brings us to the homes and bedsides of families with whom Dr. Byock has worked,
A doctor on the front lines of hospital care illuminates one of the most important and controversial social issues of our time. Though the vast majority of Americans would prefer to die at home—which hospice care provides—many of us spend our last days fearful
The Buddhist approach to death can be of great benefit to people of all backgrounds—as has been demonstrated time and again in Joan Halifax’s decades of work with the dying and their caregivers. Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings, her work is a source of wisdom
Thinking about planning a funeral? Want to save time and money? We all come to a stage in our lives when it’s natural to think about what will happen when we are gone. We wonder about loved ones and what we would like to leave to them as a parting gift.
Written by the Buddhist meditation master and popular international speaker Soygal Rinpoche, this highly acclaimed book clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It includes not only a lucid, inspiring and
This is a book written for you and your children,” explains Joey O’Connor. “It initiates a conversation on a difficult subject most people prefer to avoid. It is about people like you and me struggling to figure out what they really believe when the unbelievable has happened.
Experts in end-of-life care tell us that we should talk about death and dying with relatives and friends, but how do we get such conversations off the ground in a society that historically has avoided the topic? This book provides one example of such a conversation.
What is it like to mourn today, in a culture that has largely set aside rituals that acknowledge grief? After her mother died of cancer at the age of fifty-five, Meghan O’Rourke found that nothing had prepared her for the intensity of her sorrow.
From one of America’s iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage–and a life, in good times and bad–that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child.
