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What can the dying teach the living? That is the question that educators Bob and Judy Fisher set out to answer when they interviewed 104 hospice patients ages five to 98. There are no surprises in this slim volume: people talk about family more than work, and about living in the present. The book is organized thematically around topics like priorities, simple pleasures, regrets and forgiveness. This leads to some repetition and overlap, but also helps each chapter stand alone for individual study. The tone is comfortably conversational and liberally peppered with tie-ins to popular songs, although sometimes the authors' commentary gets in the way of their subjects' more powerful words. This is not a soul-shaking book, but it is an effective invitation to self-reflection. It stands out among the growing number of books about death and dying in that it is aimed back at the living: readers can find inspiration in these voices to make better choices in the here and now, find deeper joy in every day and live life with no regrets. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Anonymous
Posted July 7, 2008
I picked the book up from the library on a Saturday and practically finished it on that very Saturday. Having lost my only daughter 5 months ago, her last days were spent in a Hospice Center with me right by her side. I have been trying to make sense of the heart breaking loss of my 28 year old daughter. This book was very cathartic as it allowed me to realize how incredibly brave and courageous she and others like her were. I have come to realize how precious life is and now try to spend it focusing on the more important aspects and consider myself blessed for having had my daughter in our lives. Thanks again to the authors for giving such a marvelous gift to ones such as myself.
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Posted June 18, 2010
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Overview
In candid interviews, terminal patients in the Alive Hospice program talked with authors Bob and Judy Fisher, addressing some of the most important questions we ask about our life and how we've made the journey. These end-of-life ponderings are collected into inspirational and provoking thoughts that will encourage each of us to live life fully. Each story is reflected in thematic chapters-priorities, family, simple pleasures, romance, integrity, regret, forgiveness-crafted into a series of "lessons learned," offering motivation to approach life with more vigor. These powerful stories deliver the clear message that if you wait to really live until you know you are going to die, you risk missing much of the joy life has to ...