Talking About Death Won’t Kill You: The Essential Guide to End-of-Life Conversations

Kortes-Miller, a professor of social work at Lakehead University in Ontario, makes a strong case for why people need to talk about how they want to die and under what conditions they want to be kept alive. “Our fear and societal avoidance of dying... have caused us to relinquish control and ownership of our dying. We lack the language and courage to have these important conversations with those we love,” she writes. This useful handbook offers a road map. Her suggestions include involving children in discussions about the death of a loved one and advice on ways to create a compassionate workplace when a colleague or employee is dying or has died, such as encouraging the person who is ill to set guidelines about what personal information they feel comfortable sharing. A pragmatic chapter discusses how to address end-of-life options with health care providers. The book also offers insight on such difficult questions as when and how to talk with someone who is dying and when and how to share information about death, particularly on social media. This challenging book asks readers to face their fears of dying, and it will help those who do be more prepared for their own deaths and to ease the grief of loved ones. Agent: Jesse Finkelstein, Transatlantic Agency. (Mar.)