Sociology: death and dying Books

Book Synopsis**DREAM COUNT, the searing, exquisite new novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is out now!**A devastating essay on loss and the people we love from the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.''Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language''On 10 June 2020, the scholar James Nwoye Adichie died suddenly in Nigeria.In this tender and powerful essay, expanded from the original New Yorker text, his daughter, a self-confessed daddy''s girl, remembers her beloved father. Notes on Grief is at once a tribute to a long life of grace and wisdom, the story of a daughter''s fierce love for a parent, and a revealing examination of the layers of loss and the nature of grief.''A work of dignity and of unravelling' GUARDIANAn exquisite howl of pain' TELEGRAPHTrade Review Praise for Notes on Grief ‘Both emotional and austere, a work of dignity and of unravelling’ Guardian ‘With raw eloquence, Adichie’s observations have, simultaneously, an academic detachment and an inescapable anguish at being “in the centre of this churning” with “porous edges that there is no way through” … Notes on Grief is both achingly personal and stunningly familiar to anyone who has felt that scattering’ Independent ‘An exquisite howl of pain written in the aftermath, last year, of the unexpected death of her father’ Telegraph ‘Notes on Grief is a moving account of a daughter’s sorrow and it is also a love letter to the one who has gone. … She is saying don’t go and she is saying goodbye and she is also saying sorry’ Observer ‘In 30 short sections, Notes on Grief lays a path by which we might mourn our individual traumas among the aggregate suffering of this harrowing time.’ New York Times ‘Feels raw, even for a book about grief … It is no salve for her own grief, but Adichie’s brave observance of her own pain, will be a gift to those also suffering their first year of loss in these strange times’ iNews ‘When you send a great writer into the valley of the dead, the reportage is better quality. In 1961 CS Lewis wrote A Grief Observed of the year after the death of his wife; in 2005 Joan Didion wrote The Year of Magical Thinking about the same time span after the death of her husband. Into this tradition falls Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie … For fans of the famously private Adichie – this is fascinatingly intimate. It is also delivered in the most readable, tender bites for any of the many of us whose attention has been shot by the harrowing of this past year’ The Times

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Book SynopsisAs a practising mortician, Caitlin Doughty has long been fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies. In From Here to Eternity she sets out in search of cultures unburdened by such fears. With curiosity and morbid humour, Doughty introduces us to inspiring death-care innovators, participates in powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in the West and explores new spaces for mourning - including a futuristic glowing-Buddha columbarium in Japan, a candlelit Mexican cemetery, and America''s only open-air pyre. In doing so she expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with ''dignity'' and reveals unexpected possibilities for our own death rituals.Trade ReviewEach chapter covers a culture with a highly distinctive and apparently ghastly approach to their dearly departed . . . Think Bill Bryson doing an underworld special. This humane book gently provokes you to wonder: what exactly is your ideal funeral? * THE TIMES *Caitlin Doughty, joyful member of the death-positive movement, describes what happens to our mortal remains with relish . . . Jaunty, boisterous and unsentimental, Doughty believes that we in the West have made death and its aftermath into a corporate, perfunctory affair, in which the meaning of an ending is denied. Her mission is to 'reclaim public understanding of dying' and to bring individuality and joy back into our dealings with the dead -- Nicci Gerard * OBSERVER *Compelling . . . Doughty's writing will give you the giggles as well as send a chill down your spine * GUARDIAN *From Here To Eternity is fascinating, thought-provoking and - who would have guessed? - sometimes funny. Put it on your bucket list -- Neil Armstrong * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Doughty's lively (and charmingly illustrated) cascade of anecdotes about how various cultures handle death spells out how contemporary Western fastidiousness about dead bodies is by no means universally shared. We are introduced to a variety of startling practices . . . and pervading the book is Doughty's ferocious critique of the industrialisation of death and burial that is standard in the United States and spreading rapidly elsewhere. Doughty invites us to look at and contemplate alternatives . . . we have choices beyond the conventional; we can think about how we want our dead bodies to be treated as part of a natural physical cycle -- Rowan Williams * NEW STATESMAN *Doughty is fun, with an eye for the bizarre and the absurd. She hits the road in quest of cultures untroubled by the western taboos surrounding mortality -- Robert McCrum * SPECTATOR *Doughty is a relentlessly curious and chipper tour guide to the underworld . . . a likable, witty companion. It is a difficult high-wire act: to make death interesting and funny enough that we'll drop our fears and read, without losing sight of the gravity of the topic. I couldn't help thinking that her dispatches from the dark side were doing us all a kindness * NEW YORK TIMES *From Here to Eternity is Doughty's tour of the death ways of other peoples, from Bolivia to Barcelona . . . [she] chronicles each of these practices with tenderheartedness, a technician's fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief * THE NEW YORKER *Doughty finds the humanity in other cultures' relationship with death that seems to be lacking in ours * VICE *From Indonesia to Mexico and all points in between, Doughty talks to a wide array of professionals, handling the topic with curiosity, frankness and no small amount of humour -- Doug Johnstone * THE BIG ISSUE *Both sensitive and light, and thoroughly researched, written by an author who genuinely wanted to learn from, not fetishise, other customs * GUARDIAN *Really fascinating -- Alice Waters * NEW YORK TIMES *In her jocular but reverential tone . . . Doughty doesn't offer a simple morbid travelogue; instead, she digs into diverse death experiences with deep veneration and examines ties to socioeconomic, status, female identity and religion * BOOKLIST *A study in cultures, places and profound moments - and with a necessary slice of morbid humour too * WANDERLUST *Moving and inspiring * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *Written with great humour and respect, this book will undoubtedly educate, entertain, and leave you dying to learn more * GEOGRAPHICAL *Far from morbid, but moving * WOMAN'S WAY *[Doughty's] fascinating tour of rituals contains liturgies that readers will surely observe as rare, macabre, unbelievable, ancient, and precious - sometimes simultaneously * KIRKUS *

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling historian of early Christianity takes on two of the most gripping questions of human existence where did the ideas of heaven and hell come from, and why do they endure?Trade Review‘[Ehrman’s] is a vast learning worn wonderfully lightly and he is an engaging but expert guide around how religious ideas were formed and shaped our world.’ * The Times *‘Many redoubtable volumes have been written about all this, but Ehrman, who already has more than two-dozen books on early Christianity under his belt, merrily blows the dust off the subject.’ * The Economist *‘This elegant history explores the evolution of the concept of the afterlife in Western thought... Well-trod subjects are presented with engaging clarity, and more contentious theories are laid out carefully.’ * The New Yorker *‘Ehrman, as always, writes in a very accessible way, and gives the reader plenty to think about.’ * Irish Independent *‘An impressively readable, clear and wide-ranging study.’ -- Spectator‘A number of religions and philosophies give detailed accounts of post-mortem existence; in this learned and highly readable book, Bart Ehrman offers a tour of the whole field… There are many nuances possible here; Ehrman presents them all with great clarity and massive scholarship.' * TLS *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface Chapter One: Guided Tours of Heaven and Hell Chapter Two: The Fear of Death Chapter Three: Life After Death Before There Was Life After Death Chapter Four: Will Justice Be Done? The Rise of Postmortem Rewards and Punishments Chapter Five: Death After Death in the Hebrew Bible Chapter Six: Dead Bodies That Return to Life: The Resurrection in Ancient Israel Chapter Seven: Why Wait for the Resurrection? Life After Death Right After Death Chapter Eight: Jesus and the Afterlife Chapter Nine: The Afterlife After Jesus’s Life: Paul the Apostle Chapter Ten: Altering the Views of Jesus: The Later Gospels Chapter Eleven: The Afterlife Mysteries of the Book of Revelation Chapter Twelve: Eternal Life in the Flesh Chapter Thirteen: Tactile Ecstasy and Torment in the Christian Hereafter Chapter Fourteen: Who Will Inherit the Blessings? Purgatory, Reincarnation, and Salvation for All Afterword Notes Index

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Book Synopsis'Utterly gripping' - The Guardian 'Fascinating' - The Sunday Times 'Moving' - Scotsman 'Engrossing' - Financial Times Sue Black confronts death every day. As a Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology, she focuses on mortal remains in her lab, at burial sites, at scenes of violence, murder and criminal dismemberment, and when investigating mass fatalities due to war, accident or natural disaster. In All That Remains she reveals the many faces of death she has come to know, using key cases to explore how forensic science has developed, and examining what her life and work has taught her. Do we expect a book about death to be sad? Macabre? Sue's book is neither. There is tragedy, but there is also humour in stories as gripping as the best crime novel. Part memoir, part science, part meditation on death, her book is compassionate, surprisingly funny, and it will make you think about death in a new light. ________ SUE BLACK'S NEW BOOK, WRITTEN IN BONE, IS OUT NOW _________ 'One might expect [this book] to be a grim read but it absolutely isn't. I found it invigorating!' (Andrew Marr, BBC Radio 4 'Start the Week') 'Black's utterly gripping account of her life and career as a professor of anatomy and forensic anthropology manages to be surprisingly life-affirming. As she herself says, it is "as much about life as about death"' (PD Smith Guardian) 'An engrossing memoir . . . an affecting mix of personal and professional' (Erica Wagner, Financial Times) 'A model of how to write about the effect of human evil without losing either objectivity or sensitivity . . . Heartening and anything but morbid . . . Leaves you thinking about what kind of human qualities you value, what kinds of people you actually want to be with' (Rowan Williams, New Statesman) 'For someone whose job is identifying corpses, Sue Black is a cheerful soul . . . All That Remains feels like every episode of 'Silent Witness', pre-fictionalised. Except, you know, really good' (Helen Rumbelow, The Times)Trade ReviewOne might expect [this book] to be a grim read but it absolutely isn’t. I found it invigorating! -- Andrew Marr * BBC Radio 4 'Start the Week' *Black’s utterly gripping account of her life and career as a professor of anatomy and forensic anthropology manages to be surprisingly life-affirming. As she herself says, it is “as much about life as about death”. -- PD Smith * Guardian *An engrossing memoir ... an affecting mix of the personal and professional. -- Erica Wagner * Financial Times *A model of how to write about the effect of human evil without losing either objectivity or sensitivity ... Heartening and anything but morbid... Leaves you thinking about what kind of human qualities you value, what kinds of people you actually want to be with. -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *For someone whose job is identifying corpses, Sue Black is a cheerful soul ... All That Remains feels like every episode of Silent Witness, pre-fictionalized. Except, you know, really good. -- Helen Rumbelow * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable stories of beloved pets?from the famous and unusual to the everyday?memorialized at burial sites around the world, accompanied by a rich selection of archival photos and the author''s evocative images of their final resting places.

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Book Synopsis ''Wonderful, thoughtful, practical'' - Cariad Lloyd, Griefcast''Encouraging and inspiring'' - Dr Kathryn Mannix, author of Amazon bestseller With the End in MindWe all know how this ends is a new approach to death and dying, showing how exploring our mortality really can change our lives.End-of-life doula Anna Lyons and funeral director Louise Winter have joined forces to share a collection of the heartbreaking, surprising and uplifting stories of the ordinary and extraordinary lives they encounter every single day. From working with the living, the dying, the dead and the grieving, Anna and Louise reveal the lessons they''ve learned about life, death, love and loss. Together they''ve created a profound but practical guide to rethinking the one thing that''s guaranteed to happen to us all. We are all going to die, and that''s ok. Let''s talk about it. This is a book about life and living, as much as it''s aTrade Reviewwonderful -- Cariad Lloyd * Griefcast *encouraging and inspiring -- Kathryn Mannix * palliative care doctor and author of With The End in Mind *We don't have to think about death and dying all the time but when we want to - or are forced to - how wonderful to have a manual to sustain and guide us through it all -- Sarah BrownThis book is one of the most important I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down -- Clemmie TelfordA truly compelling read that proves why it is so desperately important that we speak openly about death; of others' and the prospect of our own -- Elle WrightKindness, wisdom, and sensible advice for grappling with our common fate -- Caitlin DoughtyAnna Lyons and Louise Winter are no strangers to death. Between them, they have years of experience working closely with the dying and the bereaved. In their book Life. Death Whatever. Lyons and Winter blend practical information with compassionate advice which at times is less about dying and more about living. Full of real-world advice and hard-won insight, this is an honest, touching, and essential guide for each and every one of us for whom 'death is the future' -- Lindsey Fitzharris * bestselling author of The Butchering Art *This book is a total breath of fresh air and so needed for anyone who thinks dying isn’t going to happen to them because, um, it is. It’s a guide to death and dying that won’t scare the hell out of you and will in fact make you wonder why the heck you’d never considered how you want to die. A must read for all mere mortals -- Kris Hallenga * founder of CoppaFeel! *There is no formula for navigating your way through grief, or for dealing with the death of someone and I've been told so many times that there is no manual. But Life. Death. Whatever. is about as close to a manual as you're ever going to find -- Steve BlandThis book is vital – it should have been written years ago! -- Charlotte Philbya jewel of a book -- Fran Hall * CEO of The Good Funeral Guide *An intelligent, thought-provoking and comprehensive roadmap through life, death, whatever. Sensitively written and absolutely clear as day. I wish this book had been around when I lost my mother -- Ryan RileyHonest, helpful and healing; the emotionally intelligent guide to demystifying death, so we can live better lives -- Rosa HoskinsPractical, uplifting advice ... a manual for life and living – and embracing everything that life has to offer. Including the end. * Country & Town House *A fascinating book … something every single one of us needs ... I’ve never read a book like this before -- Jo Good * Radio 2 *A fantastic resource -- Georgina Godwin * Monocle *The conversation is open and honest and I don’t think I have read any other book that will have taught me as much as this one. -- Katie Hickey * Tipping the Balance Podcast *This should be required reading for all the living. * Booklist *Rare guidance through the minefield of talking to children about death ... directives about what to say or how to listen to someone is in mourning ... provide a toolbox for conversations in which we are likely to flounder. Sections such as these will ensure that We All Know How This Ends remains on my reference-book shelf. * TLS *Table of ContentsIntroduction This book begins at the end We really need to talk about death and dying Why we really don’t want to talk about it The Life. Death. Whatever. manifesto What is Five Things? What is Unsaid? Death & dying Can doulas be part of the future of end-of-life care? Why I became an end-of-life doula How to become an end-of-life doula What does a good doula look like? From doula to patient and back again When you’re first diagnosed Debunking the myths of palliative care and hospices Getting the most from your consultations with your doctor and specialist Sex and intimacy are still just as important when you’re unwell Dying doesn’t look like it does in the movies How to be there for someone when they are dying Preparing for death: doing your death admin Making funeral arrangements in advance Different places to die COVID-19: A pandemic in our lifetime ‘Out of order’ death Baby Amy The toll illness can take on relationships Assisted dying A matter of life and death The undeniable beauty in the impermanence of life Funerals Why I became a funeral director Not all funeral directors are the same How to choose a funeral director DIY funerals Seeing the person who has died can be a profound and meaningful experience What really happens after someone has died? Why would I want to see someone after they’ve died? Allowing children to do what is right for them Why funerals really matter How to have a good funeral Funerals & COVID-19 Planning your own funeral Ask a funeral director anything A truly poetic ending Grief What is grief? Your life after their death – the things we want you to know about grief Growing around grief Grief SOS How to support a grieving friend What to say when you don’t know what to say When a partner dies Grief lasts a lifetime We need to talk How to talk about death and dying How to talk to children about death, dying and grief All that’s left Unsaid Words left unspoken Life & living Regret This could be the last time The essentials of self-care Kintsugi: emotional damage and repair Everything we’ve learned about life and living from working with death and dying Get involved with Life. Death. Whatever. The dictionary of death & dying Resources & recommended reading Acknowledgements Index About the authors

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Book SynopsisCan we give Grandma a Viking funeral?Why don''t animals dig up all the graves?Will my hair keep growing in my coffin after I''m buried?Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. Here she offers her factual, hilarious and candid answers to thirty-five of the most interesting, sharing the lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn strange colours during decomposition? and why do hair and nails appear longer after death? The answers are all within . . .Trade ReviewNobody likes to think about mortality, but if you're going to, there are far worse places to start than Doughty. WILL MY CAT EAT MY EYEBALLS? is funny, dark, and at times stunningly existential. As to whether or not your cat will eat your eyeballs? You'll just have to read the book to find out * Guardian *Fascinating. Taking a no-holds-barred approach, Doughty writes in visceral and engaging detail about an often taboo subject * OBSERVER *Consistently good fun * SPECTATOR *There's serious science here, but also cultural lessons in death and dying, a little history, and a touch of gruesomeness wrapped in that shroud of sharp, witty humour * Philadelphia Tribune *[A] delightful mixture of science and humour * Library Journal *Doughty's answers are as delightful and distinctive as the questions. She blends humour with respect for the dead . . . Her investigations of ritual, custom, law and science are thorough, and she doesn't shy from naming the parts of Grandma's body that might leak after she is gone * Shelf Awareness *

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Book Synopsis'Combining vivid storytelling with thoughtful reflections… A Second Act calls to something deep inside me, inside all of us, not to let the wonder of being alive pass us by. I hope this book reaches readers everywhere, to inspire and console them’ -- Dr Kathryn Mannix, author and palliative care doctor 'Dramatic and heart-warming' The Times I’ve worked as a doctor for over twenty years, caring for patients who are in the thick fog between life and death. I’ve met hundreds of people who have died, were resuscitated and lived. I’ve long thought that these are the people that we should be listening to, not influencers or business gurus. They know what really matters. Dr Matt Morgan has met hundreds of people who’ve come back from the dead. Their hearts stopped, their bodies unresponsive, rescued from the brink of death by the modern intensive care techniques he specialises in.   People like Ed, who was walking through a park when there was a bang, a bright light and then nothing. Ed had been hit by a bolt of lightning – 300 million volts, enough to power a city for a day, coursed through his body, short-circuiting his heart. Ed was given life-saving CPR and he survived. He lives a little differently now, every day knowing the thin margins that separate life and death.  In A Second Act, Morgan introduces us to patients who’ve experienced hypothermia, overdoses, heart attacks and transplants to see how their lives have been transformed by the second chance they’ve been given. He shares the lessons they’ve learned, along with his own realisations about life and how to make the most of it. Life shouldn’t be wasted on the living.  

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Book SynopsisFrom the moment we first open our homes - and our hearts - to a new pet, we know that one day we will have to watch this beloved animal age and die. This book makes a forceful case that our pets, and the love we bear them, deserve better. It asks - and answers - the toughest questions pet owners face.Trade Review"Pierce has made an important contribution to the small body of literature dealing with aging and death in companion animals.... It should be required reading for every pet owner. Readers will identify with Pierce's feelings of ambivalence and see something of their own pets as they read about Ody's antics and challenges. Recommended." (Library Journal) "The best nature book this year (and also the best dog book) is immeasurably also the saddest.... This great little book is not a happy reading experience-but for dog people, it'll be a massively cathartic one." (Open Letters Monthly) "A book that all loving pet owners should read. Nothing will make the prospect of ending a good friend's life any easier, but at least it can help those awful decisions feel less of a stab in the dark." (New Scientist)"

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Book SynopsisWhat happens to us as we die? Discover the answers in this exclusive 25th anniversary edition of Sherwin B Nuland's seminal book With a foreword by Paul Kalanithi, bestselling author of When Breath Becomes Air.There are many books intended to help people deal with the trauma of bereavement, but few which explore the reality of death itself. Sherwin B. Nuland - with over thirty years'' experience as a surgeon - explains in detail the processes which take place in the body and strips away many illusions about death. The result is a unique and compelling book, addressing the one final fact that all of us must confront.''I don''t know of any writer or scientist who has shown us the face of death as clearly, honestly and compassionately as Sherwin Nuland does here''Trade ReviewHow We Die is a classic of medical writing. It’s at once scientific and accessible, precise and philosophical, elegant and blunt. Sherwin Nuland introduced a new kind of writing with this book, and his insights sparkle as much now as they did twenty-five years ago. They address not only how we die, but also how we can live. -- Andrew SolomonHow We Die teaches and gives us the courage to come to terms with our own death. As difficult as the facts may be, it shows us they are less frightening than our imagination. It is a book that should be read by all. -- Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works

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Book SynopsisExploring the practice of living resurrection in ancient Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Persian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Celtic, and Native American traditions, Freddy Silva explains how resurrection was never meant for the dead, but for the living--a fact supported by the suppressed Gnostic Gospel of Philip: “Those who say they will die first and then rise are in error. If they do not first receive the resurrection while they live, when they die they will receive nothing.” He reveals how these practices were not only common in the ancient world but also shared similar facets in each tradition: initiates were led through a series of challenging ordeals, retreated for a three-day period into a cave or restricted room, often called a “bridal chamber,” and while out-of-body, became fully conscious of travels in the Otherworld. Upon returning to the body, they were led by priests or priestesses to witness the rising of Sirius or the Equinox sunrise. Silva describes some of the secret chambers around the world where the ritual was performed, including the so-called tomb of Thutmosis III in Egypt, which featured an empty sarcophagus and detailed instructions for the living on how to enter the Otherworld and return alive. He reveals why esoteric and Gnostic sects claimed that the literal resurrection of Jesus promoted by the Church was a fraud and how the Church branded all living resurrection practices as a heresy, relentlessly persecuting the Gnostics to suppress knowledge of this self-empowering experience. He shows how the Knights Templar revived these concepts and how they survive to this day within Freemasonry.Trade Review“Freddy Silva’s latest book is his most brilliant, scintillating, and inviting of all, a superb book on global initiation over thousands of years. In it he explores how ancient sacred cultures guided people to experience psychic death while alive--a ritual near-death experience. The Lost Art of Resurrection is a truly remarkable contribution to the quest of reviving lost wisdom and a must-read for anyone interested in spirituality and sacred sites.” * Barbara Hand Clow, author of Awakening the Planetary Mind *“This is a breakthrough work that topples not only church dogma but a century of pyramidiots stumped by Egypt’s elusively empty sarcophagi. No mummy there! No, it’s all about the round-trip journey to the spirit world and what our ancestors were really doing in their secluded temples. Fabulously illustrated, this important book is as much about the cosmogony of the ancient wisdomkeepers as it is about the hidden chambers of the human mind.” * Susan Martinez, Ph.D., author of The Mysterious Origins of Hybrid Man *Table of ContentsA Scottish Faery Tale 1 A Noble Tradition Recently Suppressed 2 The Myth of Resurrection 3 What Is Initiation? 4 Early Followers of The Way 5 The Otherworld of the Celts 6 Secrets of the Beehive 7 Fifty Shades of Gnosticism 8 The Secret Bridal Chamber 9 What Happens in the Middle East Stays in Central America 10 Geezers of Nazareth 11 Inside the Great Pyramid and into the Otherworld 12 Egyptian Initiation 13 How to Travel to the Otherworld and Back. Or, the Pyramid Texts 14 Pharaoh Has Left the Building 15 Green Men, White Knights 16 The Science of the Otherworld 17 The Metamorphosis of the Soul Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2016 George L. Mosse Prize, American Historical Association""Winner of the 2016 Cundill Prize in Historical Literature, McGill University""Winner of the 2016 Stansky Book Prize, North American Conference on British Studies""Winner of the 2018 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, Nanovic Institute""Winner of the 2016 PROSE Award in European & World History, Association of American Publishers""2016 Gold Medal Winner in World History, Independent Publisher Book Awards""One of The Guardian’s Best Books of 2015, selected by Alison Light""One of Flavorwire’s 10 Best Books by Academic Publishers in 2015""One of Flavorwire’s 15 Best Nonfiction Books of 2015""Hardly a sentence in Laqueur's long book is wasted."---John Gray, New York Review of Books"[A] sprawling meditation on mortal remains. . . . Laqueur offers an intricate historical narrative about the place the dead occupy in our lives. . . . The Work of the Dead is a methodologically bracing book."---Thomas Meaney, London Review of Books"Laqueur effectively shows that remains of the dead matter long after they decompose . . . [and his] engaging writing style enlivens this somber subject." * Library Journal *"The product of prodigious research and a subtle and sophisticated knowledge of history, anthropology, and philosophy, The Work of the Dead is as magnificent--and mindboggling--as it is monumental."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Huffington Post"Enormously detailed and absorbing. . . . [A] remarkably supple and fascinating study, providing as it were the sociological and forensic underpinning of every ghost story ever told. . . . The Work of the Dead [is] both provocative and, you should pardon the term, lively (and readers should be sure not to miss the wonderfully argumentative end notes). It'll change the way you look at being dead and buried."---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly"Laqueur's book is a monumental undertaking, teeming with so many absorbing anecdotes and so much vivid information that it can be read either compulsively or for an hour a day, just to keep in sight of the nub of our fears and the often romantic absurdity of our hopes and superstitions."---Gregory Day, Sydney Morning Herald"This massive, mesmerizing work contains much that's worth pondering." * Publishers Weekly *"Monumentally learned. . . . Laqueur's mastery of this history, and his limpid prose, make this a deeply engaging text."---Deborah Lutz, Times Higher Education"The Work of the Dead is an enormous, erudite, sprawling, garrulous, exhausting and brilliant piece of work. And it never forgets that thread of 'intuition and feeling'." * Economist *"A major work of scholarship on an undiscovered country, the land of the dead, which, as it turns out, has had major implications for the living. Laqueur's book. . . aims to show that our care for the dead (‘materially and imaginatively') marks ‘the sign of our emergence from the order of nature into culture.'"---Jonathan Sturgeon, Flavorwire"[The Work of the Dead] is, quite simply, an extraordinary book. . . . [I]n short, this is the work of a great historian doing what we all do, only better: reckoning with death as we bide time until our own."---Darrin M. McMahon, Literary Review"Magnificent. . . . Dazzling in its scope, expertly researched and crafted,The Work of the Dead shows us what is important about our humanity and longings. It is also a page-turner and a terrific read."---Sharon R. Kaufman, Los Angeles Review of Books"After being asked what he would like to have done with his body after he died, the Greek philosopher Diogenes replied that he wanted it thrown out for animals to devour. Thousands of years later, his answer can still shock. Thomas Laqueur explains why in his sweeping history of the way humans have grappled with death--an abstract terror made concrete by the bodies that remain when the dead have passed on. Combining anthropological reflections on the cultural functions of the dead with historical investigations of the shifting ways their bodies have been treated, Laqueur uses the stubborn resistance to Diogenes' provocation to explore the world the dead left behind."---Tim Shenk, Dissent"Poetically, powerfully sweeping across human history, Laqueur explores what the rituals of caring for the departed reveal about the living. Their story is ours; their absence shapes art and architecture, communities and civilizations. In every era and every culture, Laqueur finds the dead body imbued with meaning." * Swarthmore Bulletin *"Laqueur's venerable research all leads to one principal concluding thought, which is that while we can know logically that the human corpse is unrelated to the personality it once held, it is the most intimately connected material thing that is left of a life."---Juniper Quin, SevenPonds"Do the dead matter? This is the central question in this meticulously researched, all-encompassing exploration of our mortal remains. . . . In this intimate and often very personal reflection, Laqueur asserts that we need our rituals to serve the dead to smooth over the rent that is caused in the passing of those we love. . . This thought-provoking tome, erudite and finely written, seemingly encapsulates all past uttering on the dead in our fleetingly short lives."---Julie Peakman, History Today"[An] invariably fascinating treatment of a morbid subject." * Choice *"One meticulously argumented stroll through time and beliefs, highly attractive in its depth and far-reachingness. . . . Laqueur has succeeded where many others had not: he opened for us a tiny window on the concept of death and dying without violating historiographic objectiveness or trying to impose judgements or values."---Amir Muzur, European Journal of Bioethics"We look at the masterpiece with awe: How is it possible to do so much, to say so much about the dead in so many societies over such a broad sweep of time, even in a book as capacious as this?"----Annette Becker, American Historical Review"The Work of the Dead is packed with information, surprises, unaccustomed lore and learning, and Laqueur shows throughout a sturdy curiosity, as he digs unflinchingly around and into his chosen topic."---Marina Warner, London Review of Books"Monumental." * New English Landscape *"Laqueur brings prodigious compassion, erudition, and independence of thought to his task: every page is instructive, whether he is discussing the pollution caused by crematoria, the problems of pauper burials, the belief that undressing a corpse and opening windows makes it easier for the soul to leave the body, or just the listing of the names of the dead."---David Ganz, The Review of Politics"Historians of death in particular should thus keep this book at hand. Richly illustrated, detailed and accessible, The Work of the Dead is infused with approximately 35 years of travel, conversations, discoveries in archives and personal experience. It invites all readers to think further about the role that the dead play in the way that we live."---Martin Robert, Mortality"This book is a monumental Magnum Opus covering the cultural history of how we are treated mortal remains. . . . This is surely the definitive treatment of the subject, a landmark and highly readable work."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer

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Book SynopsisLOS ANGELES TIMES AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER • The powerful memoir of a young doctor and former college athlete diagnosed with a rare disease who spearheaded the search for a cure—and became a champion for a new approach to medical research.“A wonderful and moving chronicle of a doctor’s relentless pursuit, this book serves both patients and physicians in demystifying the science that lies behind medicine.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene David Fajgenbaum, a former Georgetown quarterback, was nicknamed the Beast in medical school, where he was also known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled by his condition, which they had yet to even diagnose. Floating in and out of consciousness, Fajgenbaum prayed for a second chance, the equivalent of a dramatic play to second the game into overtime.Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived—only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease, an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed while on the only drug in development and realized that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: Between hospitalizations he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples, looking for clues that could unlock a new treatment. With the help of family, friends, and mentors, he also reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians, and eventually came up with an ambitious plan to crowdsource the most promising research questions and recruit world-class researchers to tackle them. Instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he would attempt to align them himself. More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, Fajgenbaum has seen his hard work pay off: A treatment  he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when the forces of determination, love, family, faith, and serendipity collide.Praise for Chasing My Cure“A page-turning chronicle of living, nearly dying, and discovering what it really means to be invincible in hope.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit“[A] remarkable memoir . . . Fajgenbaum writes lucidly and movingly . . . Fajgenbaum’s stirring account of his illness will inspire readers.”—Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity from Nobel Prize-winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan

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Book Synopsis'A beloved genius of storytelling and illustration' ObserverIn his customary pose as the grumpiest of grumpy old men, Raymond Briggs contemplates old age and death... and doesn't like them much. Illustrated with Briggs's inimitable pencil drawings, Time for Lights Out is a collection of short pieces, some funny, some melancholy, some remembering his wife who died young, others about the joy of grandchildren, of walking the dog... He looks back at his schooldays and his time as an evacuee during the war, and remembers his parents and the house in which he grew up. But most, like this one, are about his home in Sussex: Looking round this house, What will they say, The future ghosts? There must have been Some barmy old bloke here, Long-haired, artsy-fartsy type, Did pictures for kiddy books Or some such tripe. You should have seen the stuff He stuck up in that attic! Snowman this and snowman that, Tons and tons of tat.Trade ReviewA mesmerising jumble of jokes, drawings and elderly gripes… All human life – and death – is here in this lucky dip of memories and fears, irritations and idle thoughts… [Time For Lights Out] has black humour galore…and, as always, Briggs’s drawings have a touch of magic about them, conjuring human beings and their foibles out of a few precious lines. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *[Time for Lights Out is] direct and personal…on the tragi-comedy of growing old. [Briggs] looks on ageing with a beady but sympathetic eye…and mordant humour all the way through… there are plenty of excellent jokes in this book. -- Nicholas Tucker * The Times *Many congratulations to The Oldie's Raymond Briggs on his elegiac new book, Time for Lights Out. The great author and illustrator takes a funny, sombre, bittersweet approach to old age, with fond thoughts of his grandchildren, parents, childhood and his partner Liz. The book is illustrated with his characteristic understanding of real life... Bliss. * The Oldie *A beloved genius of storytelling and illustration. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer, *Graphic Novel of the Month* *

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Book SynopsisAs read on BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week'Moving, intellectual and unsentimental. I think it will become a classic' Melvyn Bragg'Thoughtful, subtle, elegantly clever and oddly joyous, Every Third Thought is beautiful' Kate Mosse In 1995, at the age of forty-two, Robert McCrum suffered a dramatic and near-fatal stroke. Since that life-changing event, McCrum has lived in the shadow of death, unavoidably aware of his own mortality. And now, in his sixties, he is noticing a change: his friends are joining him there. Death has become his contemporaries’ every third thought.And so, with the words of McCrum’s favourite authors as travel companions, Every Third Thought takes us on a journey towards death itself. This is a deeply personal book of reflection and conversation – with brain surgeons, psychologists, hospice workers and patients, writers and poets, and it confronts an existential question: in a world where we have learnt to live well at all costs, can we make peace with dying?Trade ReviewThoughtful, subtle, elegantly clever and oddly joyous, Every Third Thought is beautiful and - most of all - true -- Kate Mosse, author of LabyrinthEvery Third Thought is an important book, and one that brings death into the light, uncovering both the losses we have to endure, as well as the gifts we can receive if we are open to it. Profoundly moving and fascinating. It is a gem. -- Julia Samuel, author of Grief WorksAs an assemblage of great quotes and prompts for further reading, Every Third Thought rivals DJ Enright's anthology The Oxford Book of Death. McCrum adds striking metaphors of his own. -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *A wry and reflective treatise on mortality . . . fascinating and paradoxically enjoyable -- Roger Lewis * The Times *We have to think about death, and talk about it, perhaps rather more than we do. And if that’s so, there can be no better guide than a wise, humane and battered-about writer like McCrum. He has thought deeply, talked widely, read voraciously and experienced much . . . by the time I had finished this book, I had a silly grin on my face. That was partly because it ends with a happy surprise, but more importantly because you cannot confront the meaning of death without a refreshed and more vivid understanding of the glory of being alive . . . As I closed it, having stared pretty steadily at extinction, I found myself encouraged and fortified. So, really, thank you, Robert. -- Andrew Marr * Mail on Sunday *I can't think of another writer who could display such learning and erudition with this lightness of touch. Robert McCrum seems to have read everything, but you never feel he's lecturing; rather, he is a delightful and amused companion. The subject of Every Third Thought is so serious, yet it's illuminated by such humanity and flashes of wit that the reader closes it feeling oddly comforted. Only a writer in total command of his subject could present all this so deftly. Every Third Thought is a constant source of wisdom and interest . . . a gem -- Cressida ConnollyMarvellous . . . Every Third Thought is a reminder of the shadows on the grass, even at this time of year; that we shouldn’t be afraid of them, that in time they will come to enfold us all . . . McCrum's book shows us that we should grab all the living moments and live in them, while we are here. * Scotsman *A wonderful book, so personal that it holds you in its grip -- Rabbi Julia NeubergerA jewel of a book: our most profound thoughts, gracefully shaped . . . thoughtful, humane and full of warmth -- David BodanisEvery Third Thought is simply stunning: a brilliant, wise, compassionate and consoling account of death and dying in a secular age. McCrum moves seamlessly from personal testimonies to medical case studies to recent developments in neuroscience. He asks profound philosophical questions about mortality, finitude and the unknown. A uniquely beautiful and significant book -- Joanna Kavenna, author of The Ice Museum Reading McCrum's book, with its jaunty, gentle, meandering style, is like going on a country ramble with an exquisitely knowledgeable yet modest friend, discussing the meaning of life. Although it's a slender work on a well-worn subject, it would be hard to find a more agreeable or erudite companion for the journey along the road towards life's inevitable dead end. * Literary Review *Both intensely personal and coolly objective . . . McCrum carries us with him on a tour d'horizon that is witty, companionable and compulsively readable. And in the final pages comes a twist to make the heart soar: evidence that however bleak, however short the time left, it is never too late to be surprised by joy -- Maggie Fergusson * Spectator *Engaging and honest... A narrative full of vigour, even (sometimes) black humour... It is like wandering around with a wise peer, eavesdropping on his conversations and enjoying his literary quotations. With the distinguished British neurologist Andrew Lees, he discusses the death-in-life that is Alzheimer’s disease and continues this theme with world-famous brain surgeon (and bestselling author of Do No Harm) Henry Marsh -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *A beautifully contemplative account of what it means to be dying, as we all are, in the midst of life . . . a deep and engaged set of questions and ruminations . . . Strangely, by pressing so hard into his subject, he has written a book that is lifted and lightened with affirmation of life. There is not a single story that he tells, no matter how grave, that is not made joyous by the fine attention of his writing and its judicious and intelligent use of quotation and literary and scientific material . . . In McCrum’s book, the quotations, poetry and information collated are part of the weave of its fabric. It’s why his story has such lift and reach. It is never just about Robert McCrum thinking about death. It becomes a continuation of a great discussion that has been taking place since the beginning of recorded culture. -- Kirsty Gunn * New Statesman *Robert McCrum's elegant series of essays captures that sense of inevitability and surprise that comes into any discussion of mortality . . . He is an impeccable stylist . . . The book is graciously about others as much as it is about himself . . . It is also a work of literary criticism, examining the ways in which our anxieties about ageing and dying have been represented in prose and poetry. McCrum is admirably eclectic in his tastes here . . . This eloquent book shows that it is not just philosophy that "teaches us to die well," but literature - and more than that, a common humanity. -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *McCrum's investigative spirit takes hold and keeps pathos at bay . . . This is a brave book, which faces what most of us avoid thinking about, and it even manages a joke. -- John Carey * Sunday Times *An unflinching exploration of [McCrum's] own mortality and that of other people. It draws on personal experience, the testimony of friends, the works of great writers, and interviews with experts in medicine and psychotherapy, melded together in an engaging conversational style . . . McCrum’s bravery in staring into the abyss cannot be overestimated; reading his book inevitably brings moments of terror. But Every Third Thought has something positive to offer, too. The approach of death can reveal extraordinary reserves of courage and heighten people’s appreciation of the world around them. * Economist *And enthralling, wise and very necessary read * Radio Times *Moving, intellectual and unsentimental. I think it will become a classic -- Melvyn Bragg, New Statesman, Books of the Year 2017Every Third Thought – part autobiography, part meditations on death, part interviews – is seasoned by telling references to a wide range of literature. It is moving, intellectual and unsentimental. I think it will become a classic. -- Melvyn Bragg * New Statesman *McCrum writes with elegance and candour about the question of mortality salience. * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisWhat happens to your body after you have died?Fertilizer? Crash Test Dummy? Human Dumpling? Ballistics Practise? Life after death is not as simple as it looks. Mary Roach''s Stiff lifts the lid off what happens to our bodies once we have died. Bold, original and with a delightful eye for detail, Roach tells us everything we wanted to know about this new frontier in medical science. Interweaving present-day explorations with a history of past attempts to study what it means to be human Stiff is a deliciously dark investigations for readers of popular science as well as fans of the macabre.''Spry, common, sharp-witted survey brings a whole new meaning to the phrase Life after death'' Sunday Times''One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year'' Entertainment Weekly''Every chapter packed with more arresting details elegantly humourously expressed than one can hope for'' <

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Book Synopsis**PRE-ORDER NOW: MURDER ISN''T EASY: THE FORENSICS OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, THE FASCINATING NEW BOOK BY CARLA VALENTINE**''Part memoir and part manifesto, Valentine''s book lifts the lid on daily life in the mortuary . . . Valentine bares her own soul . . . with visceral attention to physical and emotional detail'' - Wendy Moore, Guardian''A fascinating portrait . . . one seriously intriguing read'' - Glamour''A grisly topic, but a glorious read'' - Mail on SundayA day in the life of Carla Valentine - curator, pathology technician and ''death professional'' - is not your average day. She spent ten years training and working as an Anatomical Pathology Technologist: where the mortuary slab was her desk, and that day''s corpses her task list.Past Mortems tells Carla''s stories of those years, as well as investigating the body alongside our attitudes towards death - shedding light on what tTrade ReviewIt is an understatement to say that Valentine is passionate about embracing death ... Part memoir and part manifesto, Valentine's book lifts the lid on daily life in the mortuary ... [Valentine] bares her own soul ... with visceral attention to physical and emotional detail -- Wendy Moore Guardian a fascinating portrait ... one seriously intriguing read Glamour There are sections of Valentine's writing that fondly brought back my first post-mortem experience. Rather than listening to the pathologist's monologue about coronary arteries, I was mesmerised by the painstaking focus of the APT ... Valentine succeeds in presenting her trade as a caring one. -- Kate Womersley Spectator

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Book SynopsisThe Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed structures in the world. It's also the most deadly. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,500 people have died jumping off the bridge, making it the top suicide site on earth. This title leads us on a journey that uncovers the reasons for the design decision that led to so many deaths.Trade Review"The appearance of the publication of this sensitive and humane apologia signifies the continuing struggle for maturity and depth in an American civilization capable of creating such a breathtaking path of sculptured steel across the entrance to a bay and a city so evocative of life." San Francisco Chronicle "The appearance of the publication of this sensitive and humane apologia signifies the continuing struggle for maturity and depth in an American civilization capable of creating such a breathtaking path of sculptured steel across the entrance to a bay and a city so evocative of life." Salt Lake Tribune "Compelling... The Final Leap is a highly readable book ... [and] is accessible to a wide range of readers." -- Tony O'Brien Metapsychology Online Review "Masterful... It is hard not to be emotionally moved by this relatively slim volume... Gripping, informative, maddening, and saddening." -- Daniel S. Weiss PsyccritiquesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue 1. Beauty and Death 2. Fatal Decisions 3. Endless Ripple 4. Opening Up 5. Surviving the Fall 6. In Lieu of a Net 7. Guardians of an Icon 8. The Barrier Debate Epilogue Appendices A. Explaining Suicide B. Help and Resources C. Golden Gate Bridge Suicides Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA beautiful and intimate exploration of first and last words?and the many facets of how language begins and ends?from a pioneering language writer.With our earliest utterances, we announce ourselves?and are recognized?as persons ready for social life. With our final ones, we mark where others must release us to death?s embrace. In Bye Bye I Love You, linguist and author Michael Erard explores these phenomena, commonly called ?first words? and ?last words,? uncovering their cultural, historical, and biological entanglements and honoring their deep private significance. Erard draws from personal, historical, and anthropological sources to provide a sense of the breadth of beliefs and practices about these phenomena across eras, religions, and cultures around the world.What do babies? first words have in common? How do people really communicate at the end of life? In the first half of the book, Erard tells the story of first words in human development and evolution, and how the attention to children?s early language?a modern phenomenon?arose. In the second half, he provides a groundbreaking overview of language at the end of life and the cultural conventions that surround it. Throughout he reveals the many parallels and asymmetries between first and last words and asks whether we might be able to use a linguistic understanding of end of life to discover what we truly want.

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Book SynopsisThroughout history, the nature and mystery of death has captivated artists, scientists, philosophers, physicians, and theologians. This eerie chronology ventures right to the borderlines of science and sheds light into the darkness. Here, topics as wide ranging as the Maya death gods, golems, and séances sit side by side with entries on zombies and quantum immortality. With the turn of every page, readers will encounter beautiful artwork, along with unexpected insights about death and what may lie beyond.

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Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Grave takes a ground-level view of how burial sites have transformed over time and how they continue to change. As a cemetery tour guide, Allison C. Meier has spent more time walking among tombstones than most. Even for her, the grave has largely been invisible, an out of the way and unobtrusive marker of death. However, graves turn out to be not always so subtle, reverent, or permanent. While the indigent and unidentified have frequently been interred in mass graves, a fate brought into the public eye during the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice today is not unlike burials in the potter's fields of the colonial era. Burial is not the only option, of course, and Meier analyzes the rise of cremation, green burial, and new practices like human composting, investigating what is next for the grave and how existing spaces of death can be returned to community life.Object Lessons Trade ReviewBeautifully written and filled with empathy and insight, Grave is a rumination over the how and why of human burial, complete with a slew of little known historical tidbits pulled together from years of the author’s fascination with the topic. It should be considered essential reading for anyone interested in funerary history, especially in the United States. * Paul Koudounaris, author of Heavenly Bodies, Memento Mori, and Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses *A thorough, insightful survey of the past, present, and future of the grave, and how humanity has grappled with the many problems and possibilities it represents. With compassion and an uncommon eye for detail, Allison Meier examines how the grave has functioned as a site of social inequality for centuries, and how a mixture of new technology and a revival of older practices may enliven cemeteries as sites of renewed community meaning. * Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses (2016) *Table of Contents1. The Grave: Our House of Eternity 2. Navigating Through Necrogeography 3. The Living and the Dead 4. The Privilege of Permanence 5. An Eternal Room of Our Own 6. No Resting Place 7. To Decay or Not to Decay 8. New Ideas for the Afterlife 9. Dead Space Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe landmark investigation into suicide and society—now in a new translation Émile Durkheim, one of the fathers of modern sociology, was the first to suggest that suicide might be as much a response to society as an act of individual despair. When he looked at social, religious, or racial groups that had high incidences of suicide, he discovered that abnormally high or low levels of social integration increase the likelihood of suicide. More than a century after its initial publication, Durkheim's groundbreaking work continues to fascinate and challenge those seeking to understand one of the least understandable of human acts.

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Book SynopsisThis book gives insights into the pain and suffering involved when people are grieving for someone who has committed suicide, but it also offers hope without diminishing the significance of the suffering involved. As such, it has a lot to offer, and is therefore to be welcomed.'- Well-Being'This book provides deep and valuable insight into the experiences of "suicide survivors" - those who have been left behind by the suicide of friend, family member or loved one.'- Therapy Today'The personal stories are full of pathos interest and will clarify where the death leaves those left behind. The list of self-help groups is world wide and it will be useful that you can point the bereaved and traumatized in the right direction.'- Accident and Emergency Nursing Journal'The authors describe powerfully the effect of suicide on survivors and the world of silence, shame, guilt and depression that can follow. Author Christopher Lake is a suicide survivor and co-author Henry Seiden is an experienced therapist and educator.They use sensitive and unambiguous language to provide an understanding of what it is like to live in the wake of suicide and the struggle to make sense of the world. They also look at how survivors might actively respond to their situation, rather than being passive victims. This book should be read by any professional who is likely to come into contact with people affected by suicide.'- Nursing Standard, October 2007'The book is well written and relevant to both survivors and professionals concerned for the welfare of those bereaved by suicide.'- SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide) Newsletter'Silent grief is a book for and about "suicide survivors," defined as people who have experienced the death of a friend or relative through suicide, and for anyone who wants to understand what survivors go through. The book explains the profound, traumatic effect suicide has on individuals bereaved in such circumstances. Using verbatim quotes from survivors it explains how they experience feelings of shame, guilt, anger, doubt, isolation and depression. This book provides good insight into the experience of individuals affected by suicide and can be a useful resource to anybody working with such people - be it prisoners who have lost someone close through suicide or the family of a prisoner following a self-inflicted death in prison.- National Offender Management Service. Safer Custody News. Safer Custody Group. May/June 2007Silent Grief is a book for and about "suicide survivors" - those who have been left behind by the suicide of a friend or loved one.Author Christopher Lukas is a suicide survivor himself - several members of his family have taken their own lives - and the book draws on his own experiences, as well as those of numerous other suicide survivors. These inspiring personal testimonies are combined with the professional expertise of Dr. Henry M. Seiden, a psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist.The authors present information on common experiences of bereavement, grief reactions and various ways of coping. Their message is that it is important to share one's experience of "survival" with others and they encourage survivors to overcome the perceived stigma or shame associated with suicide and to seek support from self-help groups, psychotherapy, family therapy, Internet support forums or simply a friend or family member who will listen.This revised edition has been fully updated and describes new forms of support including Internet forums, as well as addressing changing societal attitudes to suicide and an increased willingness to discuss suicide publicly.Silent Grief gives valuable insights into living in the wake of suicide and provides useful strategies and support for those affected by a suicide, as well as professionals in the field of psychology, social work, and medicine.Trade ReviewA well-done, very readable work for virtually all populations; highly recommended. -- Reviewed on Metapsychology Online ReviewsThis book is intended specifically neither for suicide survivors nor for professionals, yet it is well-suited to both audiences. Survivors will definitely find kinship - if not comfort - in the many personal stories featured here; they are also likely to feel less isolated and more accepting of their emotional reactions upon learning that they are not alone. Similarly, mental health professionals will benefit by gaining greater insight into and compassion for their clients who are suicide survivors. Overall, a well-done, very readable work for virtually all populations; highly recommended. -- Metapsychology Online ReviewsTable of ContentsPreface to the Revised Edition. Part One: The Short Term: "What's Happening to Me?" Introduction: Lukas's Story. 1. What Happens to the Survivor After Someone Commits Suicide. 2. Emotional Reactions to Suicide. 3. A Family's Story. Part Two: The Long Run: "What's Going to Happen to Me?" 4. The Bargain: A Deal We Make with Life. 5. Bargains: The Long Good-bye. 6. Bargains: Scapegoating. 7. Bargains: "I Am Guilty; I Am a Victim." 8. Bargains: Cutting Off. 9. Bargains: A Miscellany. 10. The Saddest Bargain: "Because You Died, I'll Die." 11. The Grand Bargain: Silence. 12. Reactions to an Adolescent's Suicide. Part Three: Giving Help and Getting Help: Listening and Talking. 13. Responding. 14. Giving Help by Listening. 15. Getting Help by Talking. 16. Talking with Children. 17. Living with Suicide: Some Stories About Responding. Epilogue: Lukas's Story: A Personal Summary. Notes. Appendix: Where to Find Self-Help Groups. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisSuitable for students and scholars of American culture, African-American literature, literary theory, gender studies, queer theory, and cultural studies, this book presents an exploration of death's relation to subjectivity in twentieth-century American literature and culture.Trade Review“Raising the Dead is a tour de force filled with provocative, original, and imaginative observations and insights. Sharon Holland draws on a dazzling range of influences and interprets an impressive array of diverse cultural forms as she asks and answers crucial questions about ancestry, origins, and heritage in African American and Native American life and culture.”—George Lipsitz, University of California, San Diego“A thorough, challenging, and compelling investigation of the themes of subjectivity, death, and their interrelation in twentieth-century American literature and culture.”—Emory Elliott, University of California, Riverside“A work of theoretical power and brilliant interpretive prowess.”—Wahneema Lubiano, Duke UniversityTable of ContentsAcknoweldgments ix Introduction: Raising the Dead 1 1 Death and the Nations Subjects 13 2 Bakulu Discourse: Bodies Made "Flesh" in Toni Morrison's Beloved 41 3 Telling the Story of Genocide in Leslie Marmon Silko's Almanac of the Dead 68 4 (Pro)Creating Imaginative Spaces and Other Queer Acts 103 5 "From this Moment Forth, We Are Black Lesbians": Querying Feminism and Killing the Self in Consolidated's Business of Punishment 124 6 Critical Conversations at the Boundary between Life and Death 149 Epilogue 175 Notes 183 Selected Bibliography 209 Index 227

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Book SynopsisA New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller “Doughty chronicles [death] practices with tenderheartedness, a technician’s fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief.” —Jill Lepore, The New YorkerTrade Review"Doughty is a relentlessly curious and chipper tour guide to the underworld, and the weirder things get, the happier she seems.… Her dispatches from the dark side [are] doing us all a kindness—offering a picture of what we’re in for, even if we’d rather not know." -- New York Times Book Review"Illuminating.… From Here to Eternity humanizes rituals that might otherwise seem unfathomable." -- Paste"Thought-provoking.… Unless you and your friends are immortal, this book pertains to you." -- A. J. Jacobs"Caitlin Doughty is razor sharp, and writes about death with exceptional clarity and style. From Here to Eternity manages to be both an extremely funny travelogue and a deeply moving book about what death means to us all." -- Dylan Thuras, co-founder of Atlas Obscura"Doughty writes bluntly about open-air cremations, natural burials and body composting, bringing a little more clarity and a little less mystery to the question: 'What happens to us after we die?'" -- NPR"The macabre travelogue is a thoughtful reflection and a smart critique of the American funeral industry, with plenty of gallows humor thrown in." -- Smithsonian"From Here To Eternity is fascinating, thought-provoking and—who would have guessed?—sometimes funny. Put it on your bucket list." -- Mail on Sundays"It sounds a bit like Eat, Pray, Die, but her project is much larger than its premise first implies. She is searching not for personal spiritual enlightenment or the morbid titillation of thana-tourism, but for practical, radical alternatives to our corporatized death industry. Her travels illuminate a host of compelling possibilities for better funerals and a less fraught relationship with our dead." -- New Republic"Doughty finds the humanity in others cultures' relationship with death that seems to be lacking in ours." -- VICE"This humane book gently provokes you to wonder: what exactly is your ideal funeral?" -- The Times

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth look at how mortuary cultures and issues of death and the dead in Africa have developed over four centuriesIn My Time of Dying is the first detailed history of death and the dead in Africa south of the Sahara. Focusing on a region that is now present-day Ghana, John Parker explores mortuary cultures and the relationship between the living and the dead over a four-hundred-year period spanning the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. Parker considers many questions from the African historical perspective, including why people die and where they go after death, how the dead are buried and mourned to ensure they continue to work for the benefit of the living, and how perceptions and experiences of death and the ends of life have changed over time. From exuberant funeral celebrations encountered by seventeenth-century observers to the brilliantly conceived designer coffins of the late twentieth century, Parker shows that the peoples of Ghana have developed one of the world's moTrade Review"[A] bold, sweeping analysis of the actions of the living in commemorating the dead over several centuries of Ghana’s history." * Choice Reviews *

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Book SynopsisNaomi Westerman was an anthropology student studying death rituals when her whole family died, turning death from the academic to the deeply personal. She struggled with grief and talking about, particularly as a young woman, realising while death is everywhere in our culture, grief is harder to find in specialist ways.

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Book SynopsisPROSE Award Finalist for Psychology and Applied Social WorkArgues that a range of behaviors such as murder-suicide, terrorism, and mass shootings are better understood as motivated by suicidal impulses than by homicidal onesMass shooters often display behaviors that strongly mirror the warning signs for suicide: lives led in isolation, intense personal suffering, disaffection, and struggle. Letters detailing why they did what they did paint pictures of intense misery and loneliness. As this book makes clear, private despair sometimes leads to social violence.In this groundbreaking work, Thomas Joiner offers a unified theory of suicide, making the case that many acts that appear homicidal are best understood primarily as suicidal. We must recognize that there are several forms of suicidal violence, some of which masquerade as other types of acts, including terrorism and murder. These include suicide-by-cop, suicide terrorism, murder-suicide, and runninTrade ReviewA must read for anyone who desires to understand the complex web of factors that contribute to violent behavior. For decades, scholars have argued that violence cannot be predicted. In The Varieties of Suicidal Experience, however. Joiner does just that -- by building on his decades of expertise and groundbreaking theory of suicide. -- Rheeda Walker, Author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental HealthIn The Varieties of Suicidal Experience Joiner manifestly displays his extraordinary scholarly gifts. . . . He shrewdly makes his points with beautifully crafted—and accessible—language brimming with compelling case examples that vividly illustrate his arguments. No one in the field of suicidology today thinks, reflects on, explores, and writes about the topic of suicide quite like Thomas Joiner. This extraordinary new book explores suicidal violence, in all its forms, displaying an intellectual acumen and the sage wisdom of one of the field’s most astute thinkers and singular scholars. -- David A. Jobes, Director of the Suicide Prevention Laboratory, The Catholic University of America, Washington DCJoiner builds on what is arguably history’s most scientifically tested, supported and impactful theory addressing suicidality, the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. ITS has not only moved an entire field forward but literally reshaped it. Joiner's application across vexing problems like murder-suicide, suicide by cop, suicide terrorism, and physician-assisted suicide is impressive, incisive, and practically accessible. Not only do his clarity and precision improve our understanding of these troubling problems, but he crafts an explanatory narrative that allows us to work to coherently identify strategies, targeted interventions, and policies that offer hope of progress to reduce the tragedy of suicide and assuage the suffering of those affected. Once again, Joiner takes on some of the greatest challenges society faces today. The end result is that he helps us more accurately understand why these tragic things happen and opens the door for solutions. -- M. David Rudd, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and President Emeritus, University of Memphis

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Book SynopsisUtterly fascinating. —Bill BrysonAn incredible journey. —Siddhartha Mukherjee*WINNER OF THE 2025 ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARD FOR BEST BOOK ON BIOLOGY*A groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity and mortality—from Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki RamakrishnanThe knowledge of death is so terrifying that we live most of our lives in denial of it. One of the most difficult moments of childhood must be when each of us first realizes that not only we but all our loved ones will die—and there is nothing we can do about it.Or at least, there hasn’t been. Today, we are living through a revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in understanding why we age—and why some species live longer than others. Could we eventually cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?Venki Ramakrishnan, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and former president of the Royal Society, takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology, asking whether we must be mortal. Covering the recent breakthroughs in scientific research, he examines the cutting edge of efforts to extend lifespan by altering our physiology. But might death serve a necessary biological purpose? What are the social and ethical costs of attempting to live forever?Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.

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Book SynopsisExplores the extraordinary states of expanded consciousness that arise during comas, both positive and negative Every day around the world, thousands of people are placed in medically-induced comas. For some coma survivors, the experience is an utter blank. Others lay paralyzed, aware of everything around them but unable to move, speak, or even blink. Many experience alternate lives spanning decades, lives they grieve once awakened. Some encounter ultra-vivid nightmares, while others undergo a deep, spiritual oneness with the Universe or say they have glimpsed the Afterlife. Examining the beautiful and disturbing experiences of those who have survived comas, Alan and Beverley Pearce explore the mysterious levels of consciousness this near-death experience unlocks. They demonstrate how a key element of the brain is switched off by coma-inducing sedatives, allowing the mind to break free from the body and experience a greater expansion of consciousness. Rev

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