1. Joanne Lynn, MD & Joan Harrold, MD

Handbook for Mortals:
Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness

(New York: Oxford University Press: www.oup.com, 1999)       242 pages
(ISBN: 0-19-511662-3; hardcover)
(Library of Congress call number: R726.8.H353 1999)

Affairs in Order:
A Complete Resource Guide for Death and Dying

(New York: Macmillan, 1991)       315 pages

    Everything you need to do in preparing for your own death
or the death of someone else.
Concise, thoughtful, undogmatic, open-minded, informative,
and full of alternatives for every choice we must make.
Annotated bibliography for further reading in each chapter.

    Chapters on: estate wills; disposition of remains; commemorations;
'living wills' and other advance medical planning; deciding for others;
definitions of death; merciful death and voluntary death;
locations for dying (hospital, nursing home, hospice);
caring for the dead body; final business affairs; grief and bereavement.
The best single source for death planning.

3. Judith Ahronheim, MD & Doron Weber

Final Passages:
Positive Choices for the Dying and Their Loved Ones

(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992)       285 pages

    A very helpful book for thinking about end-of-life choices,
filled with real-life illustrations of people who prepared well for death
—and others who did not.

    Themes covered:
(1) Becoming serious and verbal about our own deaths;
(2) Improving communications among doctors, patient, & family;
    (This chapter also includes discussion of
    the most common causes of death.);
(3) The right to die and irrational suicide,
    including physician involvement in ending life;
(4) Pain control and comfort care;
(5) Clinical depression upon facing death—and treating it;
(6) Natural shutting down of the body as death approaches;
(7) Hospice;
(8) Living wills;
(9) Financial problems and planning for terminal care,
    nursing homes, & death;
(10) Emotional responses to the prospect of dying.
 

4. Thomas A. Preston, MD

Final Victory:
Taking Charge of the Last Stages of Life,
Facing Death on Your Own Terms

(Roseville, CA: Prima Publishing: www.primaforum.com, 2000)       252 pages
(ISBN: 0-7615-2899-7; hardcover)
(Library of Congress call number: R726.8.P73 2000)

    (3) Preparing for the last stages of life and the process of dying.
Becoming emotionally and physically ready to die.
Making final emotional and interpersonal adjustments.
Finding the best helpers for the final days.
Getting the best control of the symptoms associated with dying.
Discussing your end-of-life plans with everyone concerned.
Saying your most meaningful good-byes.
Physical, emotional, & interpersonal changes to expect at the end.

    This is a non-technical book—easy for anyone to read and understand.
Its advice is general, but there are some specific examples
of people who dealt with all of the issues discussed.
Dr. Preston might be too optimistic about how much communications is possible
between doctors and their dying patients.
The author probably talks with his patients more than most physicians.
And he is very open to the possibility of helping patients to die.

Someone You Love is Dying:
A Guide for Helping and Coping

(New York: Harmony Books, 1975)     291 pages

    A practical book examining all of the issues
faced by the dying and their families:
feelings, finances, telling the truth about dying, miracle cures, pain,
family problems, dying at home, funerals, bereavement, life after death.
Easy to read, most helpful for people
who have not seriously faced these issues before.
Many good illustrations drawn from the lives
of dying patients and their families.

7. Patricia Weenolsen, PhD

The Art of Dying:
How to Leave This World with Dignity and Grace,
at Peace with Yourself and Your Loved Ones

(New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996)       299 pages
(ISBN: 0-312-14278-1; hardcover)
(Library of Congress call number: BF789.D4W34 1996)

    The author is a psychologist with extensive experience
dealing with death and dying issues.
This wide-ranging book raises all the most important questions.
And when the right questions are asked,
that does not limit the depth of the replies we can make.

    Large parts of the book are really about coping with illness and disability
rather than preparing for death.
The book is popular and optimistic in tone.
And some readers will find the answers to be superficial.
But it is always worth raising the questions.
Check the table of contents on the Internet
for a good overview of what The Art of Dying covers.

8. Melvin J. Krant, MD

Dying and Dignity: The Meaning and Control of a Personal Death

(Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1974)       154 pages

    A wise and compassionate book.
Dr. Krant examines all the personal issues surrounding death:
the ways we normally die in hospitals, the denials, the doctors,
family problems, euthanasia, seeking better ways to die.
Well-written and non-technical.

9. Ernest Morgan

Dealing Creatively with Death:
A Manual of Death Education and Simple Burial

(Burnsville, NC: Celo Press, 1984—10th Edition)       156 pages

    Brief discussions of: death education; modes and places of dying;
bereavement; the right to die; simple burial and cremation;
memorial societies; death ceremonies.

10. David E. Outerbridge & Alan R. Hersh MD

Easing the Passage:
A Guide for Prearranging and Ensuring
a Pain-Free and Tranquil Death
via a Living Will, Personal Medical Mandate,
and Other Medical, Legal, and Ethical Resources

(New York: HarperCollins, 1991)       162 pages

    The first 1/3 of this book deals with the need for advance planning,
with examples of what happens to people
without advance directives for medical care.
Besides the matters mentioned in the sub-title, the book covers:
patient rights; right to die; pain control;
comfort while dying; and family physicians.

11. Stephen S. Rosenfeld

The Time of Their Dying

(New York: Norton, 1977)       189 pages

    An editorial writer for the Washington Post
tells step-by-step of the deaths of both of his parents from cancer,
within 5 months of each other.
Both were permitted to die at home.
A very human document. Recommended.