Living Life Dying Death: A Guide to Healthy Conversations About Death and Dying to Inspire Life and Living

Taylor, a social worker specializing in hospice care, shares more than 30 years of experiences confronting death in this slim book offering short conversation starters on several topics related to death and grieving: compassion, euphemisms, impermanence, nonjudgment, and sadness. Many of these almost poem-like discussion starters end with questions to encourage dialogue, e.g., %E2%80%9CWhat do you hope for in life and death?%E2%80%9D and %E2%80%9CWhat would be left unsaid or undone if you died unexpectedly?%E2%80%9D Others give more practical advice, such as that people who are dying often eat less or lose their appetites. While Taylor supports having conversations about spirituality, her advice and ideas do not favor any specific religious belief. The book also includes illustrations by Anthony Taylor in the introduction. Although this may not be a comprehensive guide to death and dying, Taylor certainly accomplishes her goal of giving readers the courage to start a conversation about living and dying when coping with health problems or grief.