Best of
Death

1997

The Next Place


Warren Hanson - 1997
    A comforting message of hope and a gift of compassion for the bereaved. Exquisite, color illustrations.

Dying Well: Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life


Ira Byock - 1997
    Nobody should have to die alone. This is Ira Byock's dream, and he is dedicating his life to making it come true. Dying Well brings us to the homes and bedsides of families with whom Dr. Byock has worked, telling stories of love and reconciliation in the face of tragedy, pain, medical drama, and conflict. Through the true stories of patients, he shows us that a lot of important emotional work can be accomplished in the final months, weeks, and even days of life. It is a companion for families, showing them how to deal with doctors, how to talk to loved ones—and how to make the end of life as meaningful and enriching as the beginning.Ira Byock is also the author of The Best Care Possible: A Physician's Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life.

Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death


Joan Halifax - 1997
    Inspired by traditional Buddhist teachings, her work is a source of wisdom for all those who are charged with a dying person's care, who are facing their own death, or who are wishing to explore and contemplate the transformative power of the dying process. Halifax offers lessons from dying people and caregivers, as well as guided meditations to help readers contemplate death without fear, develop a commitment to helping others, and transform suffering and resistance into courage. She says, "Why wait until we are actually dying to explore what it may mean to die with awareness?" A world-renowned pioneer in care of the dying, Joan Halifax founded the Project on Being with Dying, which helps dying people to face death with courage and trains professional and family caregivers in compassionate and ethical end-of-life care.

Cat Heaven


Cynthia Rylant - 1997
    Her shining artwork illustrates a world of peace for cats in Heaven, where no tree is too tall for exploring, where there is no lack of angels' laps for sleeping. If your child wonders where his or her kitty goes after a happy life on Earth, they can rest assured that all cats "know where the angel cats fly. They'll run past the stars and the moon and the sun . . . to curl up with God in the sky."

The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing Over


Starhawk - 1997
    This is the core of Pagan belief – and the heart of this unique resource guide to de

Requiem: By the Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Indochina


Tim Page - 1997
    This book is a memorial to those men and women, and in many cases it includes the last photographs they took.    Horst Faas and Tim Page, two photographers who worked and were wounded in Vietnam, have gathered many thousands of pictures by those who were killed. Their search has taken them through the archives in Hanoi as well as those of Western agencies. In some cases families have generously provided access to private files where unknown bodies of work have lain unseen for more than forty years.    The list of the dead includes some of the greatest photographers of the century, such as Robert Capa and Larry Burrows, and some who had been working in Vietnam for only a matter of days before their deaths. A number of the Cambodian photographers working for the Western press were executed. Other photographers, like Sean Flynn and Dana Stone, disappeared. Their loss inspired Tim Page to begin this memorial.    The resulting sequence of photographs follows the course of the war and the transformation of the serene landscapes of Cambodia and Vietnam into scenes of nightmarish devastation. At the moments of intense battle one is reminded not only of the courage of the photographers but of the compassion amid the brutality of war. These photographers were intimate with war to a degree that may well be denied future generations. That intimacy led to their deaths. Their photographs are their legacy.

Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness


Dalai Lama XIV - 1997
    For modern science, the transitional states of consciousness lie at the forefront of research in many fields. For a Buddhist practitioner these same states present crucial opportunities to explore and transform consciousness itself. This book is the account of a historic dialogue between leading Western scientists and the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Revolving around three key moments of consciousness--sleep, dreams, and death--the conversations recorded here are both engrossing and highly readable. Whether the topic is lucid dreaming, near-death experiences, or the very structure of consciousness itself, the reader is continually surprised and delighted. Narrated by Francisco Varela, an internationally recognized neuroscientist, the book begins with insightful remarks on the notion of personal identity by noted philosopher Charles Taylor, author of the acclaimed Sources of Self. This sets the stage for Dr. Jerome Engel, Dr. Joyce MacDougal, and others to engage in extraordinary exchanges with the Dalai Lama on topics ranging from the neurology of sleep to the yoga of dreams. Remarkable convergences between the Western scientific tradition and the Buddhist contemplative sciences are revealed. Dr. Jayne Gackenbach's discussion of lucid dreaming, for example, prompts a detailed and fascinating response from the Dalai Lama on the manipulation of dreams by Buddhist meditators. The conversations also reveal provocative divergences of opinion, as when the Dalai Lama expresses skepticism about "Near-Death Experiences" as presented by Joan Halifax. The conversations are engrossing and highly readable. Any reader interested in psychology, neuroscience, Buddhism, or the alternative worlds of dreams will surely enjoy Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying.

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food


Ann N. Martin - 1997
    Her research reveals some startling facts: that the pet food industry conducts animal testing in order to improve their product, and includes euthanized cats and dogs in the mix to heighten protein content. In this revised and updated edition, Martin continues to explore the shocking processes by which commercial pet foods are produced. She offers alternative recipes for feeding pets, nutritional advice, and an exploration of "Pet Peeves," in which she explores several scams aimed at pet owners. This groundbreaking book gives us a glimpse into exactly what we are doing when we buy pet food.

The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances


Peter S. Beagle - 1997
    It also features the original whimsical Chesley Award-winning cover illustration by talented Bay Area artist Michael Dashow. "The Last Unicorn, Beagle's most beloved novel, was an underground bestseller in the late 1960s and 1970s. This collection includes two of Beagle's popular unicorn stories, "Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros" and "Julie's Unicorn," as well as "Lila the Werewolf," which is anthologized in the "Oxford Book of Fantasy, and a tribute to J. R. R. Tolkien, "The Naga."ContentsIntroduction: “Under the Zucchini” by Patricia A. McKillipFiction“Come Lady Death”“Julie’s Unicorn” “Lila the Werewolf”“My Daughter’s Name Is Sarah”“Pittsburgh Stories (a Recollection)”“Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros”“Telephone Call”“The Naga”Essays“D. H. Lawrence in Taos” “Learning a Trade” “My Last Hero”“The Poor People’s Campaign”

Finding Peace in Life's Storms


Charles Haddon Spurgeon - 1997
    Spurgeon unwraps God’s gift of hope as he presents us with strong encouragement and a powerful tool for surviving daily struggles and temptations. This book will renew and strengthen your walk with Christ as you discover how to…*Weather difficult personal storms*Experience God’s secure protection*Receive daily strength and encouragement*Turn painful memories into blessings*Build a solid foundation of faith and trust*Receive the outpouring of God’s love*Replace fear and doubt with peace*Know that Jesus will never let you go*Be assured of your salvation No case is too desperate for God. There is no problem He cannot overcome. Hope in God can see you through your greatest difficulties and meet every longing of your heart.

Does Your House Have Lions?


Sonia Sanchez - 1997
    Nominated for the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award for PoetryRecommended Reading from EmergeAn epic poem on kin estranged, the death of a brother from AIDS, and the possibility of reconciliation and love in the face of loss.

Death: A Philosophy Course


Shelly Kagan - 1997
    But what am I to make of that fact? This course will examine a number of issues that arise once we begin to reflect on our mortality. The possibility that death may not actually be the end is considered. Are we, in some sense, immortal? Would immortality be desirable? Also a clearer notion of what it is to die is examined. What does it mean to say that a person has died? What kind of fact is that? And, finally, different attitudes to death are evaluated. Is death an evil? How? Why? Is suicide morally permissible? Is it rational? How should the knowledge that I am going to die affect the way I live my life? This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2007.

Alfie and the Birthday Surprise


Shirley Hughes - 1997
    MacNally, really does need cheering up. Alfie thinks a party might be just the thing, and there's an extra special surprise in store for Mr. MacNally. Full color.

Something to Remember Me By


Susan V. Bosak - 1997
    A girl shares many experiences with her grandmother over the years, and many times the old woman gives her a small gift to help her remember.

When the Bough Breaks: Forever After the Death of a Child


Judith R. Bernstein - 1997
    Explaining that parents can never get over the loss of a child, a psychologist and bereaved parent offers strategies by which parents can accept and integrate the effects of trauma into their lives.

A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System


Stephen S. Hall - 1997
    Hall traces the story of how doctors have learned to harness the immune system and its "commotions" to develop a wide array of cutting-edge therapies. Moving deftly between laboratory and bedside, Hall's absorbing narrative navigates the politics of discovery and elucidates the dazzling complexities of the microscope slide, tracking the curiously potent cells and molecules at the heart of the immune response. From the author of "the best book written about the new age of biology" (Nobel laureate Philip Sharp), who "succeeds marvelously in making science accessible to the general reader," (New York Times), this fast-paced account of medicine in the making is part of the Sloan Foundation Technology Book series.

Seven Choices: Finding Daylight after Loss Shatters Your World


Elizabeth Harper Neeld - 1997
    Now, an internationally respected authority on personal change maps the terrain between life as it was and life as it can be. Readers can move at their own pace through the seven distinct phases of loss and can work towards a stronger, more balanced self. The author's own story of the loss of a young husband, combined with the tales of dozens of individuals, and the most recent research on coping with loss, helps readers to become happier, healthier, and wiser beings.

From Death to Birth: Understanding Karma and Reincarnation


Pandit Rajmani Tigunait - 1997
    Through a series of lively stories drawn from the ancient scriptures and his own experience, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait reveals the truth about karma, how we create it, why it becomes our destiny, and how we can use it to shape the future of our dreams.

Widow to Widow: Thoughtful, Practical Ideas for Rebuilding Your Life


Genevieve Davis Ginsburg - 1997
    From learning to travel and eat alone to creating new routines to surviving the holidays and anniversaries that reopen emotional wounds, Ginsburg give guidance on:Dealing with anger and guiltMaintaining family relationshipsDating after widowhoodHandling moneyResponding to others' supportAnd moreWidow to Widow walks readers through the challenges of widowhood and encourages them on their path to building a new life.

Speak You Also: A Survivor's Reckoning


Paul Steinberg - 1997
    A chemistry student, Steinberg was assigned to work in the camp's laboratory alongside Primo Levi, who would later immortalize his fellow inmate as "Henri," the ultimate survivor, the paradigm of the prisoner who clung to life at the cost of his own humanity. "One seems to glimpse a human soul," Levi wrote in If This Is a Man, "but then Henri's sad smile freezes in a cold grimace, and here he is again, intent on his hunt and his struggle; hard and distant, enclosed in armor, the enemy of all."Now, after fifty years, Steinberg speaks for himself. In an unsparing act of self-scrutiny, he traces his passage from artless adolescent to ruthless creature determined to do anything to live. He describes his strategies of survival: the boxing matches he staged for the camp commanders, the English POWs he exploited, the maneuvers and tactics he applied with cold competence. Ultimately, he confirms Levi's judgment: "No doubt he saw straight. I probably was that creature, prepared to use whatever means I had available." But, he asks, "Is it so wrong to survive?"Brave and rare, Speak You Also is a profound and necessary addition to the body of Holocaust writing: a survivor's reckoning with culpability and survival.

Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley


Robert P. Sharp - 1997
    Illustrated with photographs, maps, and diagrams, "Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley" provides an on-the-ground look at the processes sculpting the terrain in this land of extremes for everyone interested in how the earth works.

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: With an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction


Tom Bevel - 1997
    It is a critical bridge between forensics and the definition of a precise crime reconstruction. The second edition of this bestselling book is thoroughly updated to employ recent protocols, including the application of scientific method, the use of flow charts, and the inter-relationship of crime scene analysis to criminal profiling. It provides more illustrations, including color photographs, and explains the use of computer programs to create demonstrative evidence for court.

Elysium--A Gathering of Souls: New Orleans Cemeteries


Sandra Russell Clark - 1997
    Sandra Russell Clark's photographs, however, offer a perspective unavailable to the naked eye: her luminous black-and-white duotones register atmosphere and time, as well as the solid substances of chiseled stone, sculpted marble, and wrought iron. Andrei Codrescu offers his poet's view of cemeteries generally and of his adopted hometown's in particular, confiding that he has used places of eternal rest as his private coffeehouses since he was a teen. Historian Patricia Brady follows with a fascinating discussion of New Orleans' distinctive burial practices and places over the past two hundred years. Evocative passages from writers including William Faulkner, Truman Capote, and Tennessee Williams enhance the progression of photographs. A listing of, and a map locating, the twenty cemeteries represented in the collection complete the volume.

On This Site


Joel Sternfeld - 1997
    Accompanied by brief text, presents photographs of fifty ordinary, now tranquil, places in the United States where violence has occurred.

Going Out in Style: The Architecture of Eternity


Douglas Keister - 1997
    Captions describe the architectural style, the life of

The Dying Time: Practical Wisdom for the Dying & Their Caregivers


Joan Furman - 1997
    All caregivers need to know what's between these covers. This book demystifies the process of death, yet honors the sacredness of life's final transition. Highly recommended." Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Prayer Is Good Medicine"Living until we die can be difficult. This book can guide you through that time. It is practical, spiritual, and filled with wisdom."Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine, and MiraclesHere is a comprehensive and thorough handbook for the dying and their caregivers. Joan Furman and David McNabb walk the reader through the dying time, providing details on how to make the environment conducive to peace and tranquillity, give physical care, understand and respond to the emotional and spiritual crises that naturally occur, and stay healthy as a caregiver. They answer with honesty and sensitivity the questions most frequently asked, such as what actually happens at the time of death. The book also deals with arranging for a meaningful memorial service and handling grief for those who are left behind. And it offers guided imagery for coping with pain and suggests literature and music to ease the passage of those whose health is irreversibly failing.

A Mother's Grief Observed


Rebecca Faber - 1997
    A powerful and personal journal that chronicles a mother's grief after the loss of a child and her ultimate realization of God's faithfulness.

Underworld, Vol. 1: Cruel and Unusual Comics


Kaz - 1997
    The lead character in most is Bitchy Bitch, the perma-nently PMS'd and PO'd embodiment of the female id, who also stars in her own series of cartoon shorts on the Oxygen Network's X-Chromosome animated series.The raunchiest collection, focusing on Bitchy's sexual excapades.