In the Light of Dying: The Journals of a Hospice Volunteer

In moving, unsentimental prose, Taylor, an accountant, recalls her work to ease the last days of 10 terminally ill patients as a volunteer in a program, here unidentified, that seeks to provide the dying with physical care and pain control, while offering practical and spiritual support to patients, their families and friends. In chapters named for the patients, many of whom were lonely, old and sometimes eccentric women, the author relates experiences of intimacy, such as when she synchronized her own breathing with a patient's after other communication had almost ceased. She also credits hospice work with helping her resolve conflicts and heal old wounds in her own life as she developed new strengths and values. Keen, compassionate observations and felicitous expressions add depth and flavor to this journal. (May)