First published 1996
Sherwin Nuland sets out to strip away the myths surrounding death and dying. The physician draws from his medical experience and personal encounters with mortality to examine seven common causes of death: old age, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, accidents, heart disease, and strokes. Nuland presents specific cases from his practice alongside stories from his own family's experiences with death. He reveals the biological realities behind each type of dying while acknowledging that every person's death remains individual and distinct. The book challenges cultural myths that shield us from mortality's truth. Nuland argues that society has constructed barriers of false beliefs to avoid confronting death's inevitability. Through clinical observation combined with compassionate storytelling, he shows readers the actual processes that occur when life ends, offering clarity about our most universal human experience.
Genres: death, medical, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: clinical-observation, personal-narrative
Paperback · Droemersche Verlagsanstalt Th. Knaur Nachf., GmbH & Co.