Death Books


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Death Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Death
2001 Nights, Volume 1: The Death Trilogy Overture (2001 Nights)
Published in Paperback by VIZ Media LLC (1996-03-22)
Author:
List price: $16.95
New price: $10.52
Used price: $8.25

Average review score:

Precise yet Imaginative Graphic Storytelling
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-04
Yukinobu Hoshino's 2001 Nights is not your average manga.

With precise and detailed drawings, and a tangible indebtedness to Arthur C. Clarke, Hoshino tells in a series of short stories the future of mankind's journey into space. Beginning with a classic Cold War sf story, continuing on with the discovery of life--of sorts--on the moon, and furthering outward to the utmost boundaries of the solar system, Hoshino tells his stories with steadily increasing imagination, pulling the reader gradually from more mundane hard sf to weirdly handled (but very Clarkeian) cosmic and religious issues in the volume's final, lengthy chapter, "Lucifer Rising," which smacks of Clarke's "The Star" as well as Gene Wolfe's "All the Hues of Hell."

Not only are these excellent comics, they are some of the best sf short stories you're likely to read, though Hoshino sometimes plays fast and loose with science if it helps the plot.

Only Wish It Is All in Color!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-11
Okay, ditto all the other glowing reviews; I normally don't post my opinions unless it's different from others', but this is one of the few times when a product has got me so enthused that I simply must join in the praise. IT'S GREAT!...I got chills all over just like I first did as a kid when it dawned on me how vast the universe could be, and how alone humankind seems in it...I must say, this is quite an effective "twist" on one's usual expectations of Science Fiction, a twist which actually in effect restores the sense of melancholia which a deep, prolonged contemplation of outer space usually seems to instill sooner or later...

[have edited original today 2008 MAR b/c I finally really do realize that even with a spoiler alert people are just going to read on anyway, of course, and get the surprising though very simple ending, which I was commenting about, and that would just totally destroy the beautiful cumulative effect of reading all three volumes to get there, to that beautiful, majestic, haunting, and chilling vision....]

Has Yukinobu Hoshino done any other stuff, I wonder??? Now that I'm "onto him", I'm gonna go look for his other works....

This makes my top 10 list of essential graphic novels
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-13
This is an amazing trilogy (read my other 2 reviews of vols. 2 & 3). The below reviews are so accurate to what I want to say, that I won't repeat them. I love this series. It's some of the best sci-fi comics I've ever read. There's an overwhelming sense of vastness to the universe and a sad feeling for mankind in the stories - no matter how far they get in space, it's still not enough - there's no end to the immenseness!
The stories are wonderfully believable and the Japanese artwork is not the `big eyed', Hello Kitty stuff one comes to expect of manga.
Whoever decided to translate this series for America should be given an award for recognition of intelligent comic work. It's that good. I've read the 3 books several times and they're wonderful with each read.
Each volume ends with an epic tale. Volume 1 has "Lucifer" which is a great concept of an anti-matter universe which may be responsible for the Big Bang theory. Great stuff. Get these books - they're wonderful. This is the way comics should be done!

2001 Nights and other great worlds
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-13
I bought this book in the spring while I was in college studying comics. When you read so many comics, even the good ones seem to go pale. This graphic novel made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. With mature visuals and sensitive writing Yukinobu Hoshino sows accurately the vastness of the universe and the importance of human destiny within it and beyond it. The occasional over-explaining takes away very little in this epic. A great read by anyone's standards; comics fan or not.

A Manga Odyssey
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-22
2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my favorite movies for its detailed and believable vision of a future that is still largely unrealized. I was pleasantly surprised to see Yukinobu Hoshino pay homage to Kubrick's visual style throughout much of 2001 Nights, in scenes that were recognizably inspired by the film. The skillfully-rendered black-and-white panels throughout the book are evocative of the silence and vastness of space, yet the human characters are drawn with grace and style, without the occasional cartoonish facial expressions that mar other manga I've read. This stylistic discipline helps to keep the work focused and believable.

Aside from the fantastic artwork, the author lays out a sweeping story of humankind's quest to find its destiny beyond Earth, told in a series of time-separated vignettes. He touches upon issues of cooperation, isolation, exploration, greed and even religion -- and manages to pull this off without becoming trite.

It's pretty tough to describe in words something that is so visually distinctive and compelling. I originally ordered this book on a whim, but it has just blown me away.

Death
400 Hours: A Father's Journal of his Daughter's Kidnap and Murder
Published in Hardcover by Graystone Publishing Company (2000-01-01)
Author: Keith Benton Calhoun
List price: $22.95
New price: $19.99
Used price: $2.26
Collectible price: $22.95

Average review score:

Friend of Hollie's
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-03
I actually had the extreme fortune of working with Hollie at the local grocery store in Madison, MS in the early 90's and I found out about her death when I was at home visiting from college in ATL. I was mortified to find out that she was killed and even more so that anybody would do that to her. She was THE most caring, honest and funniest person I've ever known. She was amazing! I can only imagine the pain it is for Mr. Calhoun father to write such an in-depth account on the loss of not only his daughter, but Hollie, as a person. I didn't believe it was about her until I saw her picture on the inside flap cover. This book doesn't even convey how good a person Hollie really was and its even more heartbreaking for me because I really knew her. A phrase that Hollie would say everytime she was right about something, "Thank you for playing!" I still use it today.

A Fathers Grieves
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-05
I found 400 Hours to be an extremely poignant and gut wrenching story.The authors pain was horrific.I came away feeling that I knew the entire family and had somehow gone through the entire grieving process with them.It's all there.The author made it easy to read by weaving in and out of the various family members and how they each came to grips with the loss of Hollie.I highly recommend this book.

a hearttugging read
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-14
With this book you really feel the pain of Hollies family and the agony they went through during her disapearance and eventual recovery.I really felt like I got to know who Holly really was.

this is a courageous writing.
Helpful Votes: 28 out of 28 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-01
A couraageous writing by a father concerning the life and death of his daughter. He writes of the heart-wrenching path and details of finding out about her kidnap and murder. Through an enlighting look at the process involved in this personal case he gives us all an upclose view of police investigating. The reader acutely experiences the process and shares in the Calhouns nightmare, while also having the privelege of getting to know Hollie.

It Rings True
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-18
I lost my brother in an accidental gunshot incident many years ago. That was horrific enough but couple that with murder and abduction and hours of not knowing and you have a true nightmare. This is a rare man who is able to reveal his innermost private feelings about the loss of his daughter. One reels as he describes the numbness, disorientation, and "inappropriate" acting out behaviors which run the gamut of emotions which he experienced. This book inevitably triggers one's own feelings about the out-of-body fog that accompanies the loss of a loved one. He knows correctly that it will never be over, his pain merely gradually muted a little more as each year passes. The sense of disbelief and wondering what might have been will never go away. Rather than being a downer, this book refreshes with its honesty.

Death
After He's Gone: A Guide for Widowed and Divorced Women
Published in Hardcover by Citadel (1997-11)
Author: Barbara Jowell
List price: $21.95
New price: $0.01
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $21.95

Average review score:

An important book for all women of all ages to own.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-31
This is an amazing book which addresses issues you are either facing or may be facing in the future. The book offers insight from women who know from experience what to expect when you are faced with the unexpected- the loss of a husband through death or divorce. They bring honesty, humor and reality to a painful but very real life circumstance. I have given this book to family and friends with the assurance that I have done them a great kindness by sharing Barbara and Donnette's wisdom. I highly recommed this book to all women in all circumstances based on the knowledge that nothing in our lives stays the same.

An invaluable resource for women of all ages!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1998-02-03
It's comforting to know where to turn for answers to so many questions. I'm impressed with the authors' thoroughness and depth of research. Thank you, Barb and Donnette!

Inspiring with lots of practical advice
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1998-01-22
It is terrible to loose one you love. This book is full of good advice and better than any other I have seen on the subject. Thank you Barbara and Donnette Jan Huey

An important book for all women of all ages to own.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-31
This is an amazing book which addresses issues you are either facing or may be facing in the future. The book offers insight from women who know from experience what to expect when you are faced with the unexpected- the loss of a husband through death or divorce. They bring honesty, humor and reality to a painful but very real life circumstance. I have given this book to family and friends with the assurance that I have done them a great kindness by sharing Barbara and Donnette's wisdom. I highly recommed this book to all women in all circumstances based on the knowledge that nothing in our lives stays the same.

If only this book had been available when my husband died!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1998-02-03
I wish this book had been available when my husband died in 1982! It would have made things so much easier then, but the information is helpful to me as a widow even now. I bought two books ... one for me and one for my home town library. Alice Peterson, Keystone Heights, FL

Death
After the Darkest Hour: How Suffering Begins the Journey to Wisdom
Published in Paperback by Holt Paperbacks (2001-09-01)
Author: Kathleen A. Brehony
List price: $15.00
New price: $5.13
Used price: $2.50

Average review score:

AWSOME
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-08
I don't want to waste anyones time from buying this book but I must say.......i'm only on chapter 2 and I am feeling and understanding more about life and spirituality than ever. BUY It,read it, LOVE IT!.

One of the most helpful books during grieving
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-22
I read several books, all of which were helpful to me recently when I lost someone I loved. This book, however, stayed with me. I couldn't put it down and read it all within two nights, actually three, because I saved the last few pages until the third night (didn't want it to end). I had taken it out at the library, but after reading it decided to buy it from Amazon. Brehony incorporates all types of religious themes/spiritual themes into this book and really gave me a wonderful introduction to Budhism - which I have begun to practice after reading some of the stories and quotes in her book. She does not push any of the religions or spiritual teachings she uses, however, but she presents them in such a way that the reader is helped. I am still grieving and I plan on re-reading her book once I get it from Amazon. I have realized that nothing can truly take away the pain I have from my loss, but Kathleen's book has helped me to see that the best thing I can do is to feel how I feel, instead of figuring out how to run away from it. I recommend this book highly and if you are very open, you might try reading Walking in the Garden of Souls, by George Anderson, which also helped comfort me during this time (although some people may not be open to some of his ideas). At the very least, read Kathleen's book, I felt as if she was sitting next to me helping me through this difficult period of time. It helps because grieving can feel very lonely at times.

After the Darkest Hour is enlightening
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-28
How is it that some people become bitter while others thrive as they live through difficult or painful experiences? What can we learn that will guide us through our own dark times to greet the dawn with brighter sight?

Most of us are taught to expect tough times - to suffer horribly. We expect to be diminished, to be tested & found wanting. Most of us think grieving is for wimps & the emotionally unstable. We are taught that control is all & surrender cowardly; that destiny rules our lives & choice is for the wealthy. Most of us have been taught poorly & After the Darkest Hour has a lot to help us re-teach ourselves so we may walk our path in our own shoes.

I really relished Dr. Brehony's Practical Suggestions & her stories as she recounts her insights from the lessons her clients & family taught her.

After the Darkest Hour is a rich & thoughtful read. While gently instructive, it does remind us, frequently, that we are not alone & that walking blindly through our lives will surely cause us to whack our shins on what we insist upon not seeing or believing that no one else, ever, has felt or known such misery. Do visit my site for my full review.

A book you will read again - and again!
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-22
I stumbled upon this book when I needed to read it most, proving "of course", that there are no "coincidences!" Don't even open the cover until you have a highlighter in hand, as you will want to go back and read again - and again - and again...

Easy to read, very well organized, thought provoking. This is NOT a sad book, in spite of the title. Communicates a great understanding - makes sense of suffering - allows the reader to move on, and begin the "journey to wisdom."

Many of my books find their way, ultimately, to a second hand bookshop. Not this one... it has found a place on my permanent collection shelf. Thanks, Kathleen. Well done.

Which will you choose?
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-19
With this book, Kathleen Brehony has eloquently reminded us that through our suffering, we are sometimes given our most precious gifts. How we choose to deal with our grief makes all the difference; will we choose love over hate, wisdom over ignorance, compassion over bitterness, or life over death? Which will you choose? Read this book & share it with someone you love!

Death
Aftershock
Published in Paperback by Simon Pulse (2007-11-06)
Author: Kelly Easton
List price: $6.99
New price: $2.66
Used price: $2.00

Average review score:

Aftershock
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-28
This book was about a boy named Adam, who got onto a car crash and traveled cross-country.The main character of this book was the boy Adam, but also some people who helped him got to his destination. Adam had many problems in th book such as: he couldn't talk and he couldnt really hear to well. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Aftershock
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-28
This book was about a boy named Adam, who got onto a car crash and traveled cross-country.The main character of this book was the boy Adam, but also some people who helped him got to his destination. Adam had many problems in th book such as: he couldn't talk and he couldnt really hear to well. I would recommend this book to anyone.

this book is emotional
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-31
this book was so emotional and i really liked adam and his girlfriend mira. i know people like that. i totally believed the pissing contest happened, because it happened at my school. mira was so complicated and deep. i have a friend who cuts herself and has rich parents like her. i read this in one sitting. you will not be able to put it down.

How Adam puts together the pieces of a changed world makes for riveting reading.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-04
History comes to life in a survey of their family's changes. Kelly Easton's AFTERSHOCK holds explicit violence and underlying sexuality along with the story of a 17-year-old who is the sole survivor of a fatal car crash. How Adam puts together the pieces of a changed world makes for riveting reading.

buy this for your teenage boy
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-07
This will get your heart pounding. I always read everything before my kids do. Even though this book is about a boy dealing with grief, it's more about his life and the life of many boys in this country have to deal with the pressures of being macho. I thought that the sex in the book was handled with a lot responsibility. There's a lot of crass reading out there for this age group. This book was a class act. I am a therapist and am recommending it to my teen readers, male and female.
It's a can't put it down read that will haunt you long after you're finished.

Death
The Ancient Art of Life and Death: The Book of Dim-Mak
Published in Hardcover by Paladin Press (2002-11)
Authors: Rick Bauer and Flane Walker
List price: $39.95
New price: $38.95
Used price: $39.95

Average review score:

Very Informative
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-21
Wonderful book that delivers more usefull information than any other I've seen. Terrific illustrations throughout to make learning easy. Outstanding!

Only minor disappointments...Overall good book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-16
The Book delivers almost exactly what it promises ,so I will not mention its good points .One thing I didnt like much was the lack of clear photos for the points ,inside the chambers section of the book .Although you get a rough idea on where each point is ,I had to use my older bibliography in order to pinpoint the exact location of most points .
Also I find unacceptable that the authors did not give extensive information on Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel .Although they mention the points at the last section of the book where they present a sum of combinations and points ,there is no analysis of GV and CV .That was a disappointment .

The best book I have every seen on Dim-Mak!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-24
This book is a must have for all Martial Artist or anyone wanting to study and learn more about Traditional Chinese Medicine and the points used for both Acupunture and Presure Point Control or Striking.

Good insight into real Martial Art
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-21
The book of Walker and Bauer is a welcome futher information besides the works of Erle Montaigue. The authors have deep insights into the art of acupuncture. For this reason it was easier for them to go into the secrets of DIM Mac. Nevertheless without medical knowledge it remains difficult to understand all details of this theme. There are some mistakes in the book, but it not so important. For example the paintings and the text of the bladder meridian use different systems. Therefore some acupuncture points do not correspond between figures and text. A lot of fighting combinations in Dim Mac remain hypotheses, because a scintific analysis is not possible or mandatory. Such combinations may result in damage of individual health, experiments have to be forbidden. Nevertheless this book is an exellent work of ancient chinese martial art.
Helmut Kogel M.D. Professor of surgery
regional director IMAF ( international Martial Art Kokusai Budoin)
5.DAN Karate Renshi, 5.Dan Kobudo, 2.Dan Nihon Jujutsu, 1.Antas Arnis

Superlative!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-23
I am proud to call Rick Bauer a friend and his prescence in my martial art life has always been positive, informative and influential. His long tireless work to bring this superlative book to fruition, on a deeply intricate and little known art, Dim Mak, is commendable. This collaborative effort with Master Flane Walker has long been needed and I am now able to clearly state that this is the book the internal martial arts community has been missing.

The subject matter, contents and layout of this work have been given keen attention which benefits the overall aesthetic. It is both easy on the readers eye and informative without alienating the layman. It does not play down the depth of these arts for those who frequent it's heights but rather strikes a perfect balance which comfortably caters to all; no mean feat!

In refering to my University manuals on Chinese Accupuncture Point Locations, I made a comparison with this book which did not leave me wanting. My University manuals were a largely dry affair which
catered to the medical TCM fraternity while the Book of Dim Mak covers all bases and then some. Among some of the most delightful aspects of the book is the martial applications of the points as an adjunct to the medical; very important in my view.

The subject of Dim Mak has been given lavish treatment in a most concise fashion, would it were that all books were so accessable when dealing with obscure subjects such as these. I have already found this to be the number one go-to book when requiring detailed information on Dim Mak, and while Erle Montaigue has had his own excellent works out for some years now, I can safely say that this work is an important addition to the study.

I couldn't recommend this work more highly for those with a vested interest in truly understanding the intracies of Dim Mak from tip to toe.

Death
Be Prepared: The Complete Financial, Legal, and Practical Guide to Living with Cancer, HIV, and other Life-Challenging Conditions
Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Griffin (2000-01-24)
Author: David Landay
List price: $19.95
New price: $7.95
Used price: $4.35

Average review score:

EXCELLENT - if you have an illness it should be in your home as a reference
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-14
"Be Prepared" is the only guide to provide a comprehensive and accessible map for coping with the maze of financial, legal, tax, and practical issues. It was refreshing to just discover that a financial planner somewhere "out there" had taken the diagnosis and progression of chronic illness into consideration. Many books from planners are written with a "what if you get an illness" or "after you owe thousands in medical bills" viewpoint. This is a great book for understanding the basics when you have a chronic illness but are not yet owing over a hundred thousand dollars in medical bills.

I highly recommend it to all of those with chronic illness that my organization serves through HopeKeepers Magazine--telling them it's WELL worth the expense.

It is easy to access and understand and includes over three hundred tips, with guidance on these and other topics:

How to obtain, keep, and maximize use of your health insurance coverage. * How to maximize your income and manage your debts. * How to make new uses of assets, such as turning life insurance into cash and using credit as a nest egg. * How to assess work issues, including the legal protections relating to your current job or a new one. * How to prepare for disability, make it work for you, and return to work without compromising your benefits. * How to minimize your taxes. * How to tailor your investment and retirement strategy to meet the needs of your condition. * How to choose and use the best professional services, including doctors, home care, hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies, and hospices. * How to find, evaluate, and finance promising new drugs and treatments.

Great resource for someone with limited time
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-30
This book was full of helpful information. I read it for my stepmother, who has terminal cancer. There is tons of information in the book, and it was super easy to pick through it and read the parts that were relevant to us. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has limited time in this world.

Truely a great resource for those in need.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-14
Before I start my review let me just say I read the previous reviews for this book and I don't understand the ranting of Betty Burk's review. It is very clear that she has not read this book and is on some personal vendetta against the gay culture. It's amazing how she speaks out about name calling from "bullies" on the internet but has no problem with singling out young gay men as being "evil." I hope Betty is judged as she judges others.

At age 34, I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that has metasized to my liver. At the time of my surgery to remove a large tumor from my colon, my oncologist gave me a 50% chance of living another two years.

Today, I've survived over a year and a half of chemotherapy and still going strong. My wife discovered this book one day at our oncology clinic at a time where we where struggling with a lifetime cap on my health insurance and monthly bills from the hospital that would burn up the cap in a year.

This book, though a little bit dated with the recent drug plans offered by Medicare, covers pretty much everything you should be thinking about when dealing with a life challenging condition. From dealing with your employer, your rights as a person with a disability, to private insurance and disability, and of course your options for long term care, social security, Medicare and Medicaid. It also encourages you as well as gives you hints on how you can take action as your own advocate.

I highly recommend anyone facing a life challenging illness or disability to read at least the first chapter of this book. The chapters are well listed and you can skip very easily to the places you are most interested in. I'd also encourage family members to read it as well.

Overall, it's a wealth of information written in "grandma's english" which makes it very easy to understand. I thank David Landay for providing us with this great resource.

Extremely thorough guide
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-05
Be Prepared seems to have been written for people with AIDS and cancer, but its recommendations apply to anyone facing health problems and any kind of financial difficulty. The author guides you through getting disability, maintaining health insurance, getting other benefits that may be available to you and getting all your papers and affairs in order.

These steps help you keep control of your life when health problems could otherwise overwhelm you. As Landay says, "preparing for the worst allows you to expect the best." I followed his recommendations in coping with multiple sclerosis and applied some of them in my book The Art of Getting Well.

It's not always the easiest read; it's long and packed with info and resources. But I consider it a vital reference; I don't know of an equal one on the topic.

David Spero RN www.davidsperoRN.com

Everyone Should Have This Book
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-07
Be Prepared is an incredible compilation of useful and practical information for anyone dealing with serious illness. When my mother was diagnosed with Liver Disease, I had no idea where to turn to get answers to a number of our questions regarding insurance and financial matters - our family attorney didn't even have all the information compiled here. I am grateful that a friend gave me a copy of Be Prepared... Not only did it provide me with the tools to evaluate our situation realistically, it also pointed me in the right direction to deal with issues that hadn't even crossed our minds. I highly recommend Be Prepared to anyone facing the challenges of a serious illness.

Death
The Bedside Healing Companion: Using Your Presence to Help People Heal
Published in Paperback by Harper San Francisco (2000-06)
Author: Jeff Kane
List price:
Used price: $28.54

Average review score:

Great Guide
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-19
Have you ever read a book that felt like you were having a conversation with a good friend? Jeff Kane's new book, The Healing Companion makes me feel comforted, entertained, encouraged and enlightened; just as if I'd spent time talking with a good friend.

The book could be considered as a guide toward offering sick loved ones our healing presence. This guidance is valid for anyone relating to someone who is sick and is just as helpful to doctors, nurses and counselors as it is to family members and anyone who has a loved one who is sick.

A quote from page three says "This book will guide you toward offering sick loved ones your healing presence. By learning to ask them exactly how they're suffering and help them express their feelings thoroughly, you'll encourage an atmosphere of honesty. You'll move toward a perspective in which whatever happens physically, the emotional turmoil surrounding it will settle. All involved will benefit from increasing serenity."

I found especially helpful Jeff's discussion of how sick people suffer. He talks about really listening to their suffering and hearing their fears, anxieties, confusion, depression and rages. He says "I learned that people get emotional when they're sick and that fear and anger and despair aren't abnormal; they're a natural feature of sickness. In fact, I'd worry about the mental health of sick people who weren't affected by their consequent feelings. Hearing many hundreds of stories, I gradually learned that people don't generally suffer from their disease as much as from their emotions, the reactions their disease ignites in them." (page seven)

The rest of the chapters in the book are just as juicy and relevant as the above examples. In "Speaking With TLC", Jeff encourages speaking (only after much listening) with truth, leanness and compassion. He gives examples and practical questions to ask ourselves to pass the "TLC" test.

My two favorite chapters are "Welcoming Mystery" and "Healing Yourself". The first deals with the existential questions that illness can stir and the second with "continual" self care. What profound encouragement both offer for living in this world.

I truly enjoyed reading this book (and have read several sections more than once). The wonderful stories of courage and healing inspired me to be a better listener, a better friend and even a better person. Thank you Jeff.

Provides a solid foundation for understanding and growth
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-16
Caregivers who live with a severely ill family member or friend receive a guide on how they can handle life-threatening and life-changing illness. From how to help others heal using one's presence and support to understanding differences between healing and curing, this is packed with advice from the author's own work with cancer support groups, and provides a solid foundation for understanding and growth.

Healing with compassion
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-18
I picked this book up off the shelf because I have been grappling with my husband's recent diagnosis. As his caregiver, I have often felt frantic trying to organize his medications, supplements, and doctors' appointments while searching the internet for some sort of "cure." Jeff Kane very gently brought me back to earth...and to my husband's immediate need for my compassion and calmness. Since reading this wonderful book and putting Dr. Kane's suggestions to use, I have seen a change in my husband's demeanor; a rise in his hopefulness and an abatement of his pain. All I have done is become a more patient, loving and affirming wife. I let him talk about his illness, when and if he wants to. I listen, without judgement or solutions. And I pray for a healing of his body and spirit. Thank you, Dr. Kane, for sharing your wisdom with caregivers- professional and amateur. We can all learn from this book.

J. Kane, The Healing Companion
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-03
Anyone confronted with the serious sickness of a family member of friend will find this sensitive but unsentimental book invaluable. Jeff Kane not only shows how the emotional support and participation of one's friends and family help the sick person in his or her illness (that is, the social and spiritual disclocation and emotional and psychological suffering caused by the disease), but also gives very concrete, practical suggestions on listening, responding, respecting, and feeling and showing compassion. Dr. Kane's insights about the experience of suffering, the devastation it causes and the opportunities it offers both the sick person and the care-giver for self-knowledge and personal transfromation make this a book to be read and reread time and again.

Best book I've read on "What do I say?"
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-19
I LOVE this book. I'm a hospice nurse, and fairly comfortable talking with people who are facing their own death, but this is by far the best thing I've read on the topic. Besides being a wonderful, accessible writer, Jeff Kane is funny, wise, and practical. He's obviously done his own spiritual work, and his book shows that. I looked forward to every chapter, each of which seemed to answer a question I'd barely known to ask, and to answer it in a way that has helped me immensely in my practice, as well as in dealing with people in my own life who are dealing with things we wish weren't happening. Get it. Read it. Read it again. I'm on my second copy.

Death
Beyond Endurance
Published in Hardcover by Schocken (1985-02-12)
Author: Ronald J. Knapp
List price: $21.95
Used price: $0.76
Collectible price: $21.95

Average review score:

Glad This is Back in Print!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-07
I'm so glad this book is back in print. After experiencing the loss of four family members in a fire in '82, this book helped me preserve my sanity. Of everything I read...and I read a LOT...this is the one book that really captured what I was feeling and showed me light at the end of the tunnel. Losing someone you love, especially a child, is never easy...but you CAN heal and you CAN go on with your life...and this book can help you.

New Chapter 13 on "Internet Resources in the 2000s"
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-10
Working with Authorhouse -- I converted the original edition of Beyond Endurance into this 2nd Edition. During this process, I wrote the new Chapter 13, "Internet Resources in the 2000s". Chapter 13 gives readers immediate access to grieving resources that were difficult to locate during the 1980s, when my family had to cope with the loss of our son, Glenn, on May 2, 1987.
Starting in 2000, I obtained permission from Professor Knap to reprint the book and to make it available only through Amazon.com. Unfortunately, the publisher of the reprint went bankrupt. This 2nd edition continues my effort to make the book widely available to grieving parents.

The absolutely best book about grief
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-26
I first read this book in 1985 when my best friend committed suicide. I was combing the library shelves for something that was not a bunch of crap about how I wasn't supposed to feel guilty, etc. Well, this book was the one book that actually said something real about grief. Unfortunately, I had several friends have children die and I gave them this book. All of them commented on how much it helped them. I gave my copy away at some point and am so glad it is back in print. My father died last summer and this is the book I need. I recommend it to anyone who is facing grief. The material is real, not a bunch of greeting card junk strung together.

Beyond Endurance: When a Child Dies
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-15
It has been seven months since my mother and oldest son were killed in an automobile accident. It has been the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. This book offered a tremendous amount of practical advice. At times he was a little technical and wordy, but overall, this book helped me so much, and I believe it will help others who have lost a child.

Clear, sensitive, and extrememly helpful
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1999-10-24
This book helped me more than anything I was able to do when our 18 year old son died in an accident 1985. The author, Ronald Knapp, wisely covers a broad range of circumstances and gives a clear and compassionate set of guidelines for those who mourn or those who wish to help mourners when a child dies, regardless of the circumstances or their values and beliefs. I will always remain grateful to him for writing the book, and I deeply regret that it is out of print. I loaned my copy to a friend several years ago, and it has since been passed on to many. Now I need another copy, for it is a book that will always remain helpful and timely!

Death
Born to Fly: An Infant's Journey to God
Published in Paperback by Timothy Nelson (2006-05-22)
Author: Cindy Claussen
List price: $9.95
New price: $4.81
Used price: $5.11

Average review score:

That the grieving might find LIfe
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-19
I ordered this book based on a recommendation from a friend. When I received and read it, I was astounded at the depth of maturity and healing the author has experienced. The author points us to the God who not only holds our dear ones we have lost, but who also touches and restores our brokenness. She does so by uniquely and beautifully sharing her own personal journey of the loss of her child, grieving, and trusting God.
As a pastor, I have given "Born To Fly" to three set of parents who have lost a baby, all of whom have been greatly blessed by the book. I highly recommend it.

Touching
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-01
This book touches your heart and opens your eyes. It shows a joyful side to a heartbreaking situation. A must for all parents!

Awesome Book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-01
This book is a gift from God for hurting families. I want all of my friends to read it. You can't read it without a tissue handy. It touched my heart and my spirit, but also gave me hope. It made me understand how it feels to lose a child but have hope of a promise of eternal life.

Masterpiece
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-11
Having suffered a stillbirth two months ago, a bereavement nurse gave this book to me today. It couldn't have been published at a better time. It is so poignant, touching and beautiful. It made me cry, but it is a healing cry. My husband and friends were equally moved by it. I am ordering it for my angel baby's grandparents and will tuck my copy safely away in my memory box like the treasure that it is and review it from time to time for heartwarming hopefulness. I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone who has suffered the loss of a precious baby through miscarriage or stillbirth.

a pastor's perspective
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-26
I've read "Born to Fly" and have a sense that this is a gift from God. Having never lost a child, I sometimes feel at a loss as to what to say to family who has experienced a tragedy like this. Having a resource to point folks too for comfort, is truly a god-send.


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