Talking About Death

Description

Even in this candidly confessional age, we've been conditioned to avoid discussions of death. Our youth-worshipping culture does everything to deny death, which is why, when the end nears, most of us are inadequately prepared to deal with it. And the cost of that is great: many are haunted by memories of how inappropriately or painfully or uncomfortably their parents and grandparents died. Many of us avoid even considering the options, in all their complexity, that we will most likely face one day, given our new longevity and the profound advances in medicine. With its wise and very compelling argument that all of us, at any age, can and should face death before it faces us, Talking About Death addresses the cultural, personal, medical, and legal concerns that are necessary for us--as individuals and as a society--to prepare for a good death, a death where the dying are in control and not, as is too often the case, caught in a downward spiral of medical intervention and misunderstood intentions. Virginia Morris skillfully weaves together personal stories and practical matters, scientific fact and spiritual sensitivity into an important book about how we can achieve a greater sense of peace in dying, and rediscover the art of living.

An award-winning journalist, Virginia Morris has devoted her career to researching and writing about health care, medical research and related social and political issues for the last 25 years. She is the author of How to Care for Aging Parents, which won the Books for a Better Life Award and instantly became the best-selling book on the subject when it was first released in 1996. The most recent updated and expanded edition was published in 2014. She is also the author of Talking About Death, which came out in paperback in 2004. Virginia has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Morning Show, Primetime, NPR, CNN, and a host of other national media. She also appeared before Congress, testifying before the bicameral Joint Economic Committee in 2007. She now lectures around the country on both subjects. She lives with her husband and two children in the New York area.