Talking about Death: Comforting Advice about Uncomfortable Issues Book

	A Word of Un-Warning: Reading About Death Won't Kill You	1
	Jack: One Birth, One Death	11
I	Dying today
	Unhappy Endings: Death Is Often Painful and Lonely	25
	A Matter of Survival: Efforts at Reform Have Fallen Short	35
	Mere Immortals: Death Has Become a Stranger	49
	A Portrait of Death: A Look at Life's End	63
	Ars Moriendi: In Search of the "Good Death"	77
II	Down a new path
	Confronting Death: Addressing Our Fears and Beliefs	95
	Talking About Dying: Conversations Bring Understanding and Intimacy	111
	Choices in the End: A Look at Medical Issues and Options	127
	The Possibilities: Making the Passage Richer	141
	Putting Ink to Paper: A Review of Legal Documents	161
	Death Manners: Ill at Ease in the Presence of Death	169
	The Next Generation: Teaching Our Children About Death	183
III	Avoiding common obstacles
	The Spiral of Hope: When Hope Is Not Helpful	195
	Where Is "There"?: By Waiting, We Often Miss the Boat	213
	Taking the Blame: We Are Not the Cause of Death	227
	In the Land of Doctors: Navigating the Medical Terrain	233
IV	Brilliance in the shadow of death
	Ars Vivendi: The Art of Dying Teaches Us the Art of Living	251
	Margaret: A Lesson on Living	259
	Index	269