THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON THAT HAS TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 9 MILLION READERS'Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary' Cecelia Ahern__________Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague? Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it? For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.Don't miss Mitch's uplifting new novel THE LITTLE LIAR, out now.__________WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE'You cannot put the book down until you reach the end . . . Too good to be missed. It is really an all-time hit''One of the most beautiful books I've read in a long, long time . . . It will always be one of my favourite books''This book moved me immensely and its teachings will stay with me''A simple yet moving account of love and loss - but also hope for something better''A book I will read and re-read' Read more

In this moving and compassionate classic, hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years’ experience tending the terminally ill—now updated with new material from the authors.Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments; we also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share.Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them prepare emotionally and spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end. Read more

Published  2002, the revised, 3rd edition of the bestseller "Final Exit" describes the ways in which a dying person may consider hastening the end of their life if suffering is unbearable. Laws and ethics are outlined in a straightforward fashion. Drug dosage tables and the latest inert gas technique of 'self-deliverance' are explained, with illustrations.Bantam Dell published an updated version in April 2010, known as edition 3.1 Read more

A Spiritual Guide to Uncovering Raw Authenticity During Grief and LossRest in the embrace of God’s love. Even in Darkness is a grief journal, created to share the light during the darkest moments of suffering. Written by a Christ follower and grieving mother, Morgan Cheek refocuses her pain and suffering using a profound knowledge of the Bible, and inspires Christians to grip onto their faith during difficult times.Throughout her own struggles, Cheek manages to hold onto faith and is continually comforted by God’s grace. As she documents her deepest thoughts and rawest conversations with God, the feelings that she shares are real, honest and unquestionably inspiring.This spiritual journal will help uncover emotions while motivating individuals to explore their deeper purpose in life. With multiple bible verses and gentle prompts that accompany the more than 40 devotions, Even in Darkness serves as an excellent grief recovery handbook for those who are suffering with depression and hopelessness. Follow the author through her own feelings of grief, as she draws the reader closer to God by courageously speaking the truth and reminding Christians that they are not alone.FEATURES:Beautifully written, revealing the real and raw feelings of grief41 devotions with gentle prompts to aid in recoveryStunning, modern design for easy readingCan be used daily or as neededExcellent for anyone suffering with grief or lossInspiring quotes and affirmations throughoutMultiple scripture references for those who are seeking the truth during difficult timesThis bible journal makes a thoughtful gift for Christians, women, men and girls who are suffering with loss or grief. Read more

★★★★★ Imagine you just found out you only had a few years to live—what would you do?From Molly Kochan, the subject of the popular acclaimed podcast Dying for Sex comes her honest, raw, and insightful memoir about love and loss, and what it looks like to take a swan dive straight into the deep end of darkness, searching for the light on the other side.When Molly is diagnosed as terminal with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer at age 42, she realizes for the first time that "life is short" is more than some stupid cliché. With this new ticking-clock hanging over her head Molly make a decision . . . to start living HER LIFE. She leaves her husband and goes on a quest, searching for life's answers via a sexual journey of exploration. She juggles dozens of online suitors and brings kinks and fetishes into the real world, all while dealing with the ups and downs of her cancer treatment. But then something happens. As Molly lays in her hospital bed fighting through the last months of her existence, she decides she isn't finished yet. She still has things to say. Molly digs deep wanting answers to her lifelong questions. She pulls out her laptop and finishes the story she’d been waiting her whole life to write.With a sense of dark humor, and a bright spirit that will leave you breathless, Molly leaves no stone unturned. From her days of enduring childhood trauma to navigating her relationships, through the lens of never feeling good enough to her final days of forgiveness where she finds enlightenment and the answer she had been looking for all along.In Screw Cancer Becoming Whole, Molly Kochan takes us on a profound journey into the life of a truly amazing woman who left us all too soon. It's a deeper dive and a perfect companion to the Dying for Sex podcast. Her courageous memoir is a must-read testament for anyone who has ever felt life should be something more, something special, something alive. This is Molly's love letter to life. ♥♥♥♥♥ Read more

With sensitivity and insight, this series offers suggestions for healing activities that can help survivors learn to express their grief and mourn naturally. Acknowledging that death is a painful, ongoing part of life, they explain how people need to slow down, turn inward, embrace their feelings of loss, and seek and accept support when a loved one dies. Each book, geared for mourning adults, teens, or children, provides ideas and action-oriented tips that teach the basic principles of grief and healing. These ideas and activities are aimed at reducing the confusion, anxiety, and huge personal void so that the living can begin their lives again. Included in the books for teens and kids are age-appropriate activities that teach younger people that their thoughts are not only normal but necessary. Read more

Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow Read more

"One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting."―Entertainment WeeklyStiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers―some willingly, some unwittingly―have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries―from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. Read more

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When someone you love dies, Earl Grollman writes, "there is no way to predict how you will feel. The reactions of grief are not like recipes, with given ingredients, and certain results. . . . Grief is universal. At the same time it is extremely personal. Heal in your own way."If someone you know is grieving, Living When a Loved One Has Died can help. Earl Grollman explains what emotions to expect when mourning, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to work through feelings of loss. Suitable for pocket or bedside, this gentle book guides the lonely and suffering as they move through the many facets of grief, begin to heal, and slowly build new lives. Read more

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"This book serves the needs of the person sitting by the bedside as much as it does the person who is lying in the bed. In it you will find gentleness and peace in the experience of death." — Marianne WilliamsonIn gentle, compassionate language, The Needs of the Dying helps us through the last chapter of our lives.Author David Kessler has identified key areas of concern: the need to be treated as a living human being, the need for hope, the need to express emotions, the need to participate in care, the need for honesty, the need for spirituality, and the need to be free of physical pain. Examining the physical and emotional experiences of life-challenging illnesses, Kessler provides a vocabulary for family members and for the dying that allows them to communicate with doctors, with hospital staff, and with one another, and—at a time when the right words are exceedingly difficult to find—he helps readers find a way to say good-bye. Using comforting and touching stories, he provides information to help us meet the needs of a loved one at this important time in our lives. Read more

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Hard Choices for Loving People: CPR, Feeding Tubes, Palliative Care, Comfort Measures, and the Patient with a Serious Illness, Sixth Edition, is a guide for helping patients and families with end-of-life decisions. --BOOK TOPICS INCLUDE-- - Considering the goals of medical care before making healthcare decisions - Treatments such as CPR, feeding tubes, dialysis, pacemakers, implanted defibrillators, hospitalization, palliative care, and hospice care as they apply to patients with a serious illness - The emotional and spiritual concerns at the end of life for people of any or no faith tradition; the journey at the final stages of life is framed as a journey of letting go and letting be Dr. Ira Byock, founder and chief medical officer of the Providence Institute for Human Caring and author of Dying Well, endorses the book as 'clear and concise, yet sensitive to the emotional turmoil of potential readers. Over the years, Hard Choices for Loving People is the book I have recommended most often to families confronting the complexities of medical treatments for loved ones with serious illnesses.' Since the book was first published in 1990, more than 3.8 million copies have been sold. Hard Choices is available as an audiobook and in Spanish, Decisiones Difíciles para los Seres Queridos. Read more

Only the scathing wit and searching intelligence of Jessica Mitford could turn an exposé of the American funeral industry into a book that is at once deadly serious and side-splittingly funny. When first published in 1963, this landmark of investigative journalism became a runaway bestseller and resulted in legislation to protect grieving families from the unscrupulous sales practices of those in "the dismal trade."Just before her death in 1996, Mitford thoroughly revised and updated her classic study. The American Way of Death Revisited confronts new trends, including the success of the profession's lobbyists in Washington, inflated cremation costs, the telemarketing of pay-in-advance graves, and the effects of monopolies in a death-care industry now dominated by multinational corporations. With its hard-nosed consumer activism and a satiric vision out of Evelyn Waugh's novel The Loved One, The American Way of Death Revisited will not fail to inform, delight, and disturb. "Brilliant--hilarious. . . . A must-read for anyone planning to throw a funeral in their lifetime."--New York Post"Witty and penetrating--it speaks the truth."--The Washington Post Read more

Meant to comfort and give direction to bereaved parents, Beyond Tears is written by nine mothers who have each lost a child. This revised edition includes a new chapter written from the perspective of surviving siblings.The death of a child is that unimaginable loss no parent ever expects to face. In Beyond Tears, nine mothers share their individual stories of how to survive in the darkest hour. They candidly share with other bereaved parents what to expect in the first year and long beyond:*Harmonious relationships can become strained*There is a new definition of what one considers "normal" *The question "how many children do you have?" can be devastating*Mothers and fathers mourn and cope differently*Surviving siblings grieve and suffer as well*There simply is no answer to the question "why?" This sharing in itself is a catharsis and because each of these mothers lost her child at least seven years ago, she is in a unique position to provide perspective on what newly bereaved parents can expect to feel. The mothers of Beyond Tears offer reassurance that the clouds of grief do lessen with time and that grieving parents will find a way to live, and even laugh again.Contributors include Ellen Mitchell, Carol Barkin, Audrey Cohen, Lorenza Colletti, Barbara Eisenberg, Barbara Goldstein, Madelaine Perri Kasden, Phyllis Levine, Ariella Long, and Rita Volpe. Read more

UPDATED 2024FINALIST for Foreword's Indie Book of the YearBeing present at the bedside—and EVEN AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH—can become an experience embedded in the minds and souls of family members for generations. It is a deeply emotional time, one of relief and sadness. Anyone who has taken that final journey with a loved one will never, ever forget those moments.Dr. Edward Creagan has dedicated his life to death. And now this esteemed medical doctor examines death, not only from a medical standpoint, but from an acutely emotional perspective as events beyond our control unfold.For more than forty years, he has been at the bedside with patients at the Mayo Clinic, addressing the end-of-life questions patients and their families ask. This book is about navigating those last days, at the bedside, and saying farewell with hope, love, and compassion.Dr. Ed answers these questions and more:How can we die a good death?What happens at the deathbed?What is death, actually?Why does a person's life story matter at the end of life?Doc, how long do I have to live?What is hospice?What if the family doesn't agree on treatment? Now what?How do we control pain at the end of life?What is DNR?Should there be a feeding tube?Who pulls the plug?Can you help me understand the advance directive?Who cares for the caregivers?How to use this book at the bedside--From the Introduction: "Sadly, many of you may be reading this book because you are sitting at the bedside of a loved one whose health is declining. You are in the eye of the medical storm. I hope my words will give you the type of hope I have given to thousands of families and patients over the years in my practice at the Mayo Clinic. I don't know you, but I know where you are and the questions you need answers to."Our test readers often told us, "I wish I had this book when I was sitting by my mother's bed." We have organized the book to answer the most pressing questions you may have in this situation. Use the table of contents to find the sections most relevant to you.Dr. Ed welcomes your feedback at his website www.AskDoctorEd.com where you can follow his blog posts on the empowered patient, on physician burnout, and on his observations about life (and death). View his short TikTok talks @dr.edcreagan. READ NOW. Read more

An “absolutely magnificent” book (The New Republic)—the fruit of almost two decades of study—that traces the changes in Western attitudes toward death and dying from the earliest Christian times to the present day. A truly landmark study, The Hour of Our Death reveals a pattern of gradually developing evolutionary stages in our perceptions of life in relation to death, each stage representing a virtual redefinition of human nature. Starting at the very foundations of Western culture, the eminent historian Phillipe Ariès shows how, from Graeco-Roman times through the first ten centuries of the Common Era, death was too common to be frightening; each life was quietly subordinated to the community, which paid its respects and then moved on. Ariès identifies the first major shift in attitude with the turn of the eleventh century when a sense of individuality began to rise and with it, profound consequences: death no longer meant merely the weakening of community, but rather the destruction of self. Hence the growing fear of the afterlife, new conceptions of the Last Judgment, and the first attempts (by Masses and other rituals) to guarantee a better life in the next world. In the 1500s attention shifted from the demise of the self to that of the loved one (as family supplants community), and by the nineteenth century death comes to be viewed as simply a staging post toward reunion in the hereafter. Finally, Ariès shows why death has become such an unendurable truth in our own century—how it has been nearly banished from our daily lives—and points out what may be done to “re-tame” this secret terror.The richness of Ariès's source material and investigative work is breathtaking. While exploring everything from churches, religious rituals, and graveyards (with their often macabre headstones and monuments), to wills and testaments, love letters, literature, paintings, diaries, town plans, crime and sanitation reports, and grave robbing complaints, Aries ranges across Europe to Russia on the one hand and to England and America on the other. As he sorts out the tangled mysteries of our accumulated terrors and beliefs, we come to understand the history—indeed the pathology—of our intellectual and psychological tensions in the face of death. Read more

Swallowed by a Snake is a book for men and women about the masculine side of healing from loss. Discover new and powerful ways to heal. How the genders differ in their healing. Greater understanding between partners. Examples of successful transformation of loss. New ways to understand your grief. Ways the individual's loss can impact the entire family. Swallowed by a Snake is meant to be a map and a guide through the experience of loss. It will help you move through the pain of loss and into a place of healing and transformation. Read more

As evidenced in the Terri Schiavo case that made national headlines, having a living will is an essential element in ensuring that the way in which you would like to spend your last days will be respected. It informs both family and doctors of your medical treatment preferences in specific situations. An ethical will is a complementary text that communicates personal values, beliefs, blessings, and advice to relatives and to future generations. It can be more meaningful to friends and family than any material possession you could bequeath to them. Together, living and ethical wills ensure that your wishes and hopes are "on the record," not to be lost, ignored, or forgotten. Offering practical and inspirational advice for people at any stage of life, Ethical and Living Wills includes: --Three recommended writing approaches to capturing our feelings for posterity --Expert information for understanding the legal and practical issues involved in documenting your medical care and treatment preferences in commonly occurring situations --Advice on when to distribute both ethical and living wills -- Tips to protect the legacy you leave in an ethical will-preparing and caring for the document you create Read more