Books
By no means a comprehensive list, these are some of the books I have read which I found impactful and useful. There is an abundance of material written on the subject of death.
Finish Strong by Barbara Coombs Lee
Finish Strong is more than a statement, it’s an attitude. Experience connection through these amazing stories of courage and inspiration. When you combine the word finish with strong, you create a powerful platform for action. You often hear these two words from athletes as they describe their goals. From the president of Compassion & Choices, the guide to achieving the positive end-of-life experience you want and deserve.
Caring for the Dying by Henry Fersko-Weiss
Caring for the Dying describes a whole new way to approach death and dying. It explores how the dying and their families can bring deep meaning and great comfort to the care given at the end of a life. This brave, reassuring book succeeds at eliminating the negativity surrounding death. Henry Fersko-Weiss shares stories and strategies in his Caring for the Dying that show how doula programs remove pain and fear from the dying process and instead help the dying and their families to infuse death with ritual significance.
Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan
Not only is Final Gifts entertaining, it is full of information for people who are terminally ill, their loved ones and the professionals who care for them. This was one of the first books I read on caring for the dying. It was an easy read and had so much information about near death awareness. This book offers impressive insights into the experience of dying, offered by two hospice nurses with a gift for listening.
Being with Dying by Joan Halifax
In this long-awaited book of inspiring and practical teachings, Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax offers the fruits of her many years of work with dying people. Halifax offers lessons from dying people and caregivers, as well as guided meditations to help readers contemplate death without fear, develop a commitment to helping others, and transform suffering and resistance into courage. A world-renowned pioneer in care of the dying, Joan Halifax founded the Project on Being with Dying, which helps dying people to face death with courage and trains professional and family caregivers in compassionate and ethical end-of-life care.
A Beginner’s Guide to the End by BJ Miller, MD and Shoshana Berger
“There is nothing wrong with you for dying,” palliative care doctor BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger write in A Beginner’s Guide to the End. Theirs is a clear-eyed and big-hearted action plan for approaching the end of life, written to help readers feel more in control of an experience that so often seems anything but. Their book offers everything from step-by-step instructions for how to do your paperwork and navigate the healthcare system to answers to questions you might be afraid to ask your doctor, like whether or not sex is still okay when you’re sick. You’ll be walked through how to break the news to your employer, whether to share old secrets with your family, how to face friends who might not be as empathetic as you’d hoped, and to how to talk to your children about your will. There are also lessons for survivors, like how shut down a loved one’s social media accounts, clean out the house, and write a great eulogy. An honest, surprising, and detailed-oriented guide to the most universal of all experiences.