Accessories

An extremely valuable resource
Kubler-Ross does an outstanding job of synthesizing her years of observation and experience into a succinct, readable volume. She tackles the difficult issues of death and loss with candor and sensitivity. This book provides brilliant insights into the nature and purpose of mourning, how to face one's mortality, how to let the certainty of death enhance one's life, how to deal with the death of a loved one and minister to people in grief. Her "five stages" are quintessential and have helped countless people deal with death. This book is a sobering and enlightening journey. Highly recommended.

The Queen of Death
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross is undoubtedly the world's foremost expert on the subject of death and dying. I learned about her stages of grief as an undergraduate majoring in psychology some 20 years ago, and later was re-acquainted with her ideas when I did a ten-year stint working in nursing. Now I am a teacher of psychology and history, and I finally came around to reading her most important book, and perhaps the most important and revolutionary book ever written on the subject of death.

Kubler-Ross's ideas regarding the grieving process are quite profound. As I read her book, I remembered many times while caring for the dying, that a staff or family interaction could have been better understood if the people involved had taken the time to read this book. Knowing the stages are not nearly as effective as reading this book and getting to know Kubler-Ross's mind and heart which she shares with you in the pages of this book. Moreover, the examples she brings forth are wonderful illustrations into getting to know the more subtle clues that give insight to the subject.

I'll provide an example: while in nursing, I cared for a man who was near death. It wasn't until the daughter told her father "It's OK to let go" that the man was able to reach a stage of acceptance. He died the next day. What I didn't understand until I read Kubler-Ross's book is that it wasn't the father who was in denial; it was the rather the daughter. Once the father knew that the daughter was ready to part with her dear father; he was able to rest in peace.

This is a powerful book. I wish I had read it while I worked in nursing. I strongly advise anybody who works around death and dying to read this book.

I was Wrong!
We studied Ms. Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief in medical school, but somehow I never got around to reading her orignal work. I presumed that it would be the same dry material that required the learned professors of academia to digest and regurgitate for the masses of medical students crying out for knowledge.

I was wrong.

The work is intimately accessible by everyone as a powerful reflection on death and dying that encourages each of us to address our own mortality and encourages us to treat those experiencing death and dying with empathy, dignity and respect.

Not for the sick!!!
2 Chapters in and don't think I will continue. This book may be a very good book for the living and healthy, but not the sick. This book should have a disclaimer, "Do not give this book to someone who is sick and fighting to live." I don't feel that you can give this book to someone and then say "I hope you get well soon" or "we're all pulling for you".

It's not ok to tell someone it's ok to give up if they're trying to live.

Take it from someone who has a terminal illness but still is pushing to survive!

This book really helped me a lot
There was a recent death of someone real close to me. This book helped me through a lot of it. It is very well written and did a lot to help me accept how the recent events have unfolded. Thank you.