Talking about death

by Virginia Morris

Even in this confessional age, we've been conditioned to avoid discussions of death--which is why, when the end nears, most of us are inadequately prepared to deal with it. The cost of that is great: many are haunted by memories of how inappropriately or painfully or uncomfortably their parents and grandparents died. Yet many of us avoid even considering the options, in all their complexity, that we will face one day. With its compelling argument that all of us, at any age, can and should face death before it faces us, this book 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.--From publisher description.