Social Science:

The American Book of Living and Dying
Lessons in Healing Spiritual Pain
Written by Richard F. Groves and Henriette Anne Klauser

Format: Trade Paperback, 304 pages
On Sale: August 18, 2009
Price: $16.99

For most people, the thought of dying or caring for a terminally ill friend or family member raises fears and questions as old as humanity: What is a “good death”? What appropriate preparations should be made? How do we best support our loved ones as life draws to its close? In... Read more >

The Hour of Our Death

Written by Philippe Aries

Format: Trade Paperback, 696 pages
On Sale: July 22, 2008
Price: $18.95

This remarkable book—the fruit of almost two decades of study—traces in compelling fashion the changes in Western attitudes toward death and dying from the earliest Christian times to the present day. A truly landmark study, The Hour of Our Death reveals a pattern of gradually developing evolutionary stages in our perceptions... Read more >

The Twelve Gates
A Spiritual Passage Through the Egyptian Books of the Dead
Written by John Rush

Format: Trade Paperback, 328 pages
On Sale: July 24, 2007
Price: $26.95

In The Twelve Gates, clinical anthropologist John Rush embarks on a spellbinding journey through death rituals in various cultures, centering on the ancient Egyptian philosophy of death and resurrection. The first part of the book provides an overview of different rituals, encouraging readers to confront their feelings about death and to... Read more >

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith
Written by Studs Terkel

Format: Trade Paperback, 448 pages
On Sale: November 26, 2002
Price: $15.95

“IT’S THE UNGUARDED VOICES HE PRESENTS THAT STAY WITH YOU. . . . Terkel’s interviews may not allay fears about death. But reading them certainly encourages life while we have it.”
–The New York Times

Whether it’s Working or The Great War, the legendary oral histories of Studs Terkel have offered indispensable insights... Read more >

Making Friends with Death
A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality
Written by Judith L. Lief

Format: Trade Paperback, 208 pages
On Sale: February 13, 2001
Price: $15.95

In Making Friends with Death, Buddhist teacher Judith Lief, who's drawn her inspiration from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, shows us that through the powerful combination of contemplation of death and mindfulness practice, we can change how we relate to death, enhance our appreciation of everyday life, and use... Read more >

The Rooms of Heaven

Written by Mary Allen

Format: Trade Paperback, 336 pages
On Sale: April 11, 2000
Price: $15.95

"A love story, a memoir, a haunting tale of grief and healing. This book is all that and more." --Chicago Tribune

In the tradition of Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted and Caroline Knapp's Drinking: A Love Story, Mary Allen tells a riveting love story that explores the uncharted territory between passion and  addiction, grief... Read more >

Kaddish

Written by Leon Wieseltier

Format: Trade Paperback, 608 pages
On Sale: February 8, 2000
Price: $16.95

Winner of the 1998 National Jewish Book Award

"An astonishing fusion of learning and psychic intensity; its poignance and lucidity should be an authentic benefit to readers, Jewish and gentile." --The New York Times Book Review

Children have obligations to their parents: the Talmud says "one must honor him in life and one... Read more >

The American Way of Death Revisited

Written by Jessica Mitford

Format: Trade Paperback, 320 pages
On Sale: January 4, 2000
Price: $14.95

"Mitford's funny and unforgiving book is the best memento mori we are likely to get.  It should be updated and reissued each decade for our spiritual health."--The New York Review of Books

Only the scathing wit and searching intelligence of Jessica Mitford could turn an exposé of the American funeral industry into a... Read more >