The Death of Death: Resurrection
and Immortality in Jewish Thought
by Neil Gillman
318 pp., hardcover, $23.95,
ISBN: 1-879045-61-3, Jewish Lights Publishing
This extended survey of Jewish thought
on eternal life from pre-history up to the
present, by a noted theologian, is a top-notch
offering from an excellent specialist
publisher. Expecting to be plunged into
Old Testament and Kabbalistic
crosscurrents, I was surprised to read
in the opening chapter a definition of
"eschatology," a capsule introduction to
myth and human myth-making, a
perspective on Jewish thought that incorporates
sociology and even anthropology,
and quotes from authors including Leo
Tolstoi ("The Death of Ivan Ilyich," which
belongs on anyone's top-ten story list…),
psychologist Rollo May, medical doctor
Sherwin Nuland, and several philosophers.
For non-studious or fallen-away Jews, as
well as interested non-Jews, this book
is a superior introduction to the entire history
of Judaic thought. After a survey of Biblical
and early sources, Gillman offers a
lucid chapter on key thinker Maimonides,
a brief but brilliant window on Kabbalah
including a summary of the indispensable
Gershom Scholem's research, and a
thoughtful treatment of contemporary Jewish
controversy regarding
resurrection—finishing with the author's
personal response to the various
arguments. Just dipping into this book,
as a reviewer can do, wasn't enough for me.
Its opening pages fired my interest, and
I intend to read it at leisure, savoring and
slowly digesting each chapter. -
Iven lourie
PROFITS OF DEATH
An Insider Exposes the Death Care Industries
by Darryl J. Roberts
238 pp., paper, $17.95,
ISBN: 1-877749-21-4Five Star Publications,
Inc., Chandler, AZ: 1997
Let me just say that upon reading the
first chapter of this book, I chose to take a
very firm stand on how I wanted my remains
to be cared for and decided to create
a Last Will and a Living Will to insure
that end. No embalming please. Strangely
enough, contrary to public belief, embalming
is not required by law under most
circumstances nor does it help in preserving
the body for any length of time.
This is just one of the fun facts I
learned upon reading Profits of Death, written by
Darryl J. Roberts. This is a witty yet
informative expose of the death care industry
written from an insider's perspective.
Roberts - a 30 year veteran - opens the doors
to the mortuary business and gives an
honest portrayal of what goes on behind the
scenes.
As always, with information comes knowledge.
In using this book as a manual, one
is able to intelligently make informed
decisions regarding the final repose of one's
self or one's family. In addition, Roberts
explains how to do this in a wise financial
manner. In other words, he tells you how
to save money while at the same time
exposing how those in the industry will
make every effort to separate the family of
the deceased from their money. Remember,
the death care industry is a business - a
very big business and these folks are
out to make a profit. And unfortunately, a
family's grief and confusion are often
used as a seem in which to place the
proverbial crowbar. So, buyer beware. Read
this book. Death is as much a part of
the natural cycle as life. Thanks to Darryl
Roberts, we are able to be informed
consumers in the final round. -
Maureen Nelly
Death's Door: True Stories of Near-Death
Experiences
by Jean Ritchie
288 pp., paperback, $5.99,
ISBN:0-440-22172-2, Dell Publishing
This is the book to hand out to your
parents, your patients, your in-laws if you have
ever experienced the unusual or the weird
and you would like your friends and
relations to have the context of what
has happened to you and not think that you are
too strange. Fortunately Jean Ritchie includes
so many examples of a variety of
experiences and the background research
of many years that you can feel relaxed
about what has happened to you. It won't
be nearly as difficult to explain yourself
after you have passed around several copies
of this book. Ritchie writes plain fact in
a simple language and titles her chapters
well, for example: Affairs of the Heart, A
Mixed Bag, Out of the Blue. Hokey but
well-writen. Simple and to the point. A
worthwhile read for any but the most conservative
and non-exploring individual. I
give it an A. - Pat Elizabeth
The Consumer's Guide to Death, Dying
and Bereavement
by Roger Shipley
256 pp. hardcover, $19.95,
1982, ISBN: 0-88280-085-X, ETC Publications
I am including this old, but useful,
paperback in these reviews because I haven't
found as good an example recently published.
This was a brave book at the time
because the "Industry" of dying—medical,
funeral, legal, financial— was very
closed in terms of broadcasting their
policies and the difficulties you might
encounter. This is a source book to follow
up with more current publications if you
need immediate research. Just looking at
the table of contents will clue you in to the
depth of the research covered: Chapter
3 - The Cost of Dying - The Consumer and
the Funeral Industry - Section 5 - Embalming
Without Permission or Section 9 -
Overcharge on Cash Advance Items. This
is the book you want to read now to
know about for the future. It pays to
be informed. Caveat Emptor. I give this a
grade A. Find it in a used book store
or order from the publisher (hardcover
currently).
Beyond the Ashes: Cases of Reincarnation
from the Holocaust
by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom
320 pp., paper, $12.95, 1992,
ISBN: 0-87604-293-0, A.R.E. Press
[also: From Ashes to Healing: Mystical
Encounters with the Holocaust by Rabbi
Yonassan Gershom, 232 pp., paper, $14.95,
1996, ISBN: 0-87604-340-6, A.R.E.
Press]
I love these books. These are the greatest
descriptive collections of stories of
past-life, and the background to the Judaic
history of reincarnation in the lay field
that I have seen available. Mostly Rabbi
Gershom is one of the most fantastic
archivists, storytellers, and reporters
that the subject of reincarnation has had in its
long and varied history. Both books include
first person accounts, scholarly
anecdotes for the Jewish traditions, inquiry
and concern over the effect of these
exposures. An elegantly stated hypothesis
for our obligation to honor these issues is
the part that I liked the best. It is
included in both books, first in Beyond the Ashes
as one of the dreams the author included
in Chapter Nine - Cycles of Return, pp.
233-234 and then as Appendix B: "Did the
Soul of Hitler Repent?" in From Ashes
to Healing. I see this essay as the core
of the question regarding reincarnation and
how the subject can be put to good use
in each individual's life and possibly for
something so magnificent as the benefit
of the planet. Check it out for yourself. You
won't go wrong. Grade: A++
My Life After Dying, Becoming Alive
to Universal Love
by George G. Ritchie, Jr. M.D.
176 pp., paper, $9.95, 1991,
ISBN: 1878901-25-7, Hampton Roads Publishing
This book has many good things going
for it. The fact the author is an M.D. and
that his event took place in the army
give a lot of credibility to the story. Ritchie has
a wonderfully simple writing style and
doesn't try to communicate more than the
simple facts as they occurred to him.
His hopeful and positive outlook combined
with straightforward logical thinking make
this book one of the best to offer new
students in the subject of NDE's and even
the slightly evangelistic quality of his
conclusions is not offensive given the
context of his experience. I recommend this
book 100%. GRADE A
After Death, A New Future for Human
Consciousness
by Darryl Reanney
304 pp., hardcover, $23.00, 1995,
ISBN: 0-688-14420-9, William Morrow
I saved this book for last because it
is my all time favorite text of the subject of
death. Unfortunately for the planet Darryl
Reanney died of leukemia while working
on his second book so we will not have
the benefit of his thoughtful and
painstakingly exact logic on this subject
again. However, as a molecular biologist his
study of death covers physiological, psychological,
historical, philosophical and
cosmological aspects. It is one of the
most beautiful and elegant presentations of
man's thinking on the subject and his
analytical structure and conscientious word
style allows any novice thinker to follow
his train of thought and ponder along the
way. I have read this book many times
and intend to continue to do so. My hope is
that anyone with an interest or a fear
in the business of life will take time to read
this book about death. OFF THE CHARTS.
TRIPLE A. - Pat Elizabeth
Rest Lightly - An Anthology of Latin
and Greek Tomb Inscriptions
by Paul Shore
84pp., Paperback,
ISBN 0-86516-355-3, Bolchazy-Carducci
This is a scholarly yet accessible work
where the author presents 30 lively and
interesting tomb inscriptions to give
insight into the culture of the Greco-Roman era.
In its unique, off-beat approach, the
book will be of interest to school age students,
but, as it is well illustrated, with a
layout and format that make it easily
approachable, the text will interest just
about anyone who picks it up.
I found that I first went through the
book enjoying the variety of the sayings, and
then read the text later. Here were four
concise sections explaining the value of the
study of tomb inscriptions, an overview
of Greco-Roman ideas of the afterlife, a
history of the study of inscriptions, and
the author's criteria for making the particular
selections offered in this book.
The tone of the presentation is enjoyable,
and the inscriptions themselves often
have a whimsical quality which allows us
to feel closer to those who lived and died
over a thousand years ago. Many of the
ideas which we hold as our own, and pride
as being modern take a decidedly ancient
bent. There is a tomb of 'an ancient
existentialist ' or note the second century
Roman inscription: "These are the bones
of Pompeia's eldest daughter, fortune promises
much to many, but grants it to none.
Live for the day and the hour, for nothing
is our own. Salvius and Eros erected this
stone."
We heartily recommend this book for
the excellent way that it has combined layout
and content. The themes of the epitaphs
are universal, and in this way they reveal a
transcendent viewpoint to the reader. The
ancients are brought closer in a clear and
unhurried milieu. - Abrams
The Undiscovered Country - Exploring
the Promise of Death
by Eknath Easwaran
144 pp., hard cover, $22.00
ISBN: 0-915132-84-2, Nilgiri Press
This is a book that feels good in the
hand. It is one of those perfectly-sized
hardcovers that make it easy to reach
for and refer to at need. Within its covers are
tiny gems of information and poignant tales
relating to the topic of death and one's
relationship to death. How do we learn
from death, how do we recognize its
presence?
Easwaran came to the U.S. on a Fulbright
scholarship but was originally born in
Southern India. He speaks of his grandmother
- his first teacher and guide - who
introduced him to the idea of death as
a natural part of life. "Her inspiration enabled
me to understand that in the midst of
life I am in death, and to want above
everything else to go beyond death in
this very life." To go beyond death is not to
ignore it, fear it or change it into something
that it is not. "For death is very near,
waiting for each one of us. It is because
we do not remember this that most of our
attention goes to goals and possessions
and activities that have little lasting value."
Mainly it is the mood of this book that
is its strongest voice. It is, without a doubt,
inspiring . Its uplifting quality adds
a certain chord to the daily drama of life. It
reminds us that time is the illusion and
that each of us do indeed have an essential
part which is not transient. In the words
of the author: "To vanquish death we have
only to discover who we really are: not
the perishable, material body but the eternal
Self, which dwells in the body but does
not die when the body dies." - Maureen Nelly
Angels Healing Journey by E.J. Gold
160 pp., paper, $15.95,
ISBN: 0-89556-111-5,
Gateways Books & Tapes
This new book is formatted as a 49-day
set of readings to guide a Being through
terminus and through the journey of the
afterlife. Since each day's reading
represents a chamber presided over by
an angelic guide with the correlative color
and other essential radiations, there
is also a chart keying these readings to ailments
that they may help heal vibrationally,
spiritually. In this pre-publication comment,
dream-worker and tarot practitioner Heather
Valencia suggests yet another use, as
an oracle:
Angels Healing Journey is the angelic
charting of passage of the Human Beings
from the experience of the phenomenal worlds
back to the Divine perfected Realm
of the original Garden. Every word and
every passage of this profound teaching
contains the nucleus of the Great Mystery
from the point within the "present
chamber" of the Voyaging Being. Open this
book at random and the text on the
page where you find yourself will reveal
the completed theater of your present
position, as the Guide of the chamber simultaneously
offers you the "Divining Rod,"
whose radiations are able to reveal your
innermost truth. Exposure to the radiations
of this book produce alignment with Being
Evolution. There have always existed in
Creation certain rare and precious texts,
that are "alive." Angels Healing Journey is
such a body of writing, and such treasure
is my view of Eldorado. - Heather Valencia
What Am I Going to Do With
Myself When I Die? Canine, John B. Stamford, CT:
Appleton & Lange, 1999. ISBN:0-8385-9710-6.
Few industries
have been as bombarded with suspicion, challenge and change as has been the
funeral industry. We have witnessed it
stretch from the down home funeral director who was a
neighbor and friend (there are still many
of these folks still available) to high-tech, large volume
conglomerates that may well be providing
good service, but easily raise questions about their
commitment to the people of the community,
adaptability to client needs and their
appreciation for the importance of bereavement
aftercare.
Canine's book
offers a welcomed integrity, the blending of contemporary issues with timeless
values, a personal glimpse of the funeral
director who comes with integrity and values the needs of
the customer, but also is willing to raise
some of the tough questions that can easily be 'buried" in the
name of profit motive, bottom lines and
competition.
In the Preface we are introduced to funeralization,
the system that is well in place as we, or someone
we love, experiences the transition from
this life to the next and the end of life choices a person must
make. We are reminded that, despite the
pressures of the instant oriented boomer generation, the
funeral still serves as the collection
of rituals, stories, experiences, feelings and memories that
understanding and meaning to "the American
way of death" and how we experience dying, death and
bereavement. We are reminded of death's
universal and equalizing role. "Death is an imminent
possibility for all people at all times.
It reduces us to nothingness." (p. 3). From the nothingness of
death to the somethingness of life, death
and whatever is eternal for us, we explore the issues and
needs of individuals, the ethical dimensions
and challenges that confront us and the industries and
services that accommodate us, and what
all of this means for and from the funeral industry.
"Funeral
Directors: They Are Not Descendants of The Addams Family!' is a very redemptive
chapter. Yes, there are many in
the funeral industry who deserve examination, scrutinization and
criticism. We need standards by which
to evaluate these individuals and organizations, and to protect
the rights and vulnerabilities of the
public, but this chapter reminds us that these are still a minority
opinion. It is good to see an affirmation
of those who practice integrity in an industry, despite the
misdeeds of the few which tend to grab
the headlines.
There is very
helpful discussion of death's place within life, freeing us up for pre funeral
planning
(with all of the information you will
need on the subject), the role of rituals, options for rituals and
burial (including a very thought provoking
discussion of cremation) and the many issues that surround
how we de. including assisted suicide.
We are reminded that funeral directors struggle with many of
the same issues.
We have a helpful
discussion of grief, including complicated mourning, and the role of the
funeral
home in providing decisive leadership with
aftercare.
Much of the rest
of the book, with some helpful detours, focuses on the present and the future
of
the funeral industry. For readers outside
of the industry in gives pause to reflect on the complexities of
this industry and how best to enter this
world without being strangled by those complexities. The
funeral industry is challenged to live
in the world of managed care, and also to rethink their values and
significance for the generation to come.
This book will serve well, raise continued questions, foster
dialog and facilitate comfort and healing.
A Review from The World Pastoral Care
Center by Richard Gilbert.
All materials reviewed through The
World Pastoral Care Center can be ordered directly
through Theological Book Service (800.558.0580)
in the U.S., and, for Canadians and
residents in The United Kingdom, at
Northern Spirit Press (416.635.9797). Both are
partners in The World Pastoral Care
Center. All of our reviews, both full reviews and
the summary reviews presented as Resources
Hotline can be reprinted, reproduced
and quoted, with credit given. For
information on The World Pastoral Care Center contact us at
1504 N. Campbell, Valparaiso, IN 463853454.
Phone: 219.464.6183. FAX:219.531.2230.
Rgilbert@valpo.edu
Surviving the Fall by Peter Selwyn (available through Yale University Press (P.O. Box 209040 New Haven Connecticut 06520-9040). The web site for Yale University Press is http://www.yale.edu/yup/. )
A Caregiver's Journey, presentation
by Peter Selwyn at the NHO Conference, Dallas,
November, 1998
Peter A. Selwyn, M.D. presented readings from his book Surviving the Fall
as part of his talk
at the November 1998 NHO Symposium in
Dallas, Texas. Dr. Selwyn began work with AIDS
patients at Montefiore Medical Center in
the Bronx, NY in 1981. His book is intended in part to be
a tribute to the patients with whom Dr.
Selwyn worked for more than ten years. Surviving the Fall
also is a documentation of Dr. Selwyn's
own efforts at coming to terms with his father's death by
suicide when he was an infant. Dr.
Selwyn's presentation also allowed an opportunity for hospice
nurses and other professionals in the
audience to share parts of their stories related to the impact;
both, of the deaths of patients, and the
on-going work with dying patients.
Dr. Selwyn began his presentation with several readings from his book.
The excerpts
poignantly related stories of people who
struggled with their life with, and their death from the AIDS
virus. Dr. Selwyn humanizes and
memorializes his deceased patients in his writing.
Other readings from Surviving the Fall related Dr. Selwyn's process of addressing
his personal
struggle with his father's death by suicide.
Dr. Selwyn recounted his anniversary visit to the building
in NYC where his father apparently jumped
to his death.
Dr. Selwyn spoke about a certain parallel
between deaths by suicide and death from the AIDS virus.
He offered the view that both AIDS and
suicide stigmatize both the deceased and the survivors.
Following his readings, Dr. Selwyn offered an opportunity for the audience
to share stories.
The atmosphere created by the intensity
of the readings seemed to invite openness. Slowly, but soon
gathering momentum, members of the audience
joined in relating stories of their experiences with
dying patients. Dr. Selwyn's intention
seems genuine that he hopes by telling his story that he can
contribute the healing of others facing
losses and death. He puts a genuinely human face on the
stories of his patients.
His capacity for compassion is evident
in the passages from his book.
Dr. Selwyn continues his work with AIDS patients. He is Associate Director,
AIDS Program,
and, Associate Professor of Medicine and
Epidemiology & Public Health Yale University School of
Medicine. Dr. Selwyn is also the
medical director of a skilled nursing home for patients with AIDS in
the New Haven, CT. area.
When Something Changes Everything,
Peter McGugan Potentials Press, Palm Springs, CA
1998 ISBN 0-9694312-1
Peter McGugan
was the Keynote speaker at the NYSHA Conference in Saratoga Springs,
October of 1998. He gave a wonderful speech...I
believe that everyone was inspired by it, and his
message was that Hospice needs to clarify
its message and present it to the public very strongly.
People still do not have an idea as to
what hospice really is, and until they do, there will be funding
problems, referral problems and the like.
It is a communication problem, a focus problem, a
marketing problem. He started his
talk by discussing brittleness, the inability to adapt. When we
were kids we loved new body positions and
sensations but now we are brittle, we are afraid and
intimidated by new sensations. But who
should be better equipped to deal with change than hospice
professional? Indeed they are escorts through
change.
Marketing, marketing,
all is marketing...and in today's day and age this is how we communicate.
So there are rules and efficient ways
to go about this. Peter McGugan knows the shortcuts. He
knows the things that organizations need
to do to position themselves for change, and as escorts
through change, hospice already knows
these rules it need only organize and implement. But hospice
is characterized by vagueness. It must
find a voice and sing its song in order to get the support it
needs. It must improve in telling
people what it does so that they "get it." A product is a feeling as
much as an actual service. Purchase is
an emotional buy in, so when communicating its story, hospice
should use the language of the heart.
I hope Peter excuses me for paraphrasing, but here is some
more of the rules of the new marketing
that he pointed out:
1.. The business you are in isn't as important
as the one your customers think you are in.
2.. Work from your point of competitive
advantage. What do you need to be doing more of, and
what do you need to be doing less of in
regard to your point of competitive advantage?
3. When you grow from your point
of competitive advantage you will be safe because that is your
"it."
4. A good position, "centered on your
competitive advantage and aimed at the values of the people
you're attracting." You can find out about
these values and the needs of the people by asking them ie.
"during this process what do you need?"
5. Winners play by the customer's rules.
6. A purchase or use of your service is
an emotional buy in on the part of your client, so there has to
be emotional communication. Actually the
hospice administrator has to be able to speak on three
levels, corporate, professional, and client
based.
Peter ended by
talking about the emotional aspects of communication. How most communication
problems are actually emotional gates
which we must find the keys for in order to open. We have to
love and accept someone for who they truly
are in order to find the key.
He then spoke a bit about his book, and
we offer a short review of it here.
Peter's work
is with change; handling change, understanding it and not resisting it. Yet
so many
facets of society are aimed at denying
this very important aspect of our lives. Some part of us longs
for a sedentary secure existence and
it is just this part that is threatened and uncomfortable in the
face of the inevitable change. Resiliency
is a key word here.
In his book,
When Something Changes Everything, Peter presents a map and guidebook to
lead
one through the journey of change. The
guide is the question: "What am I afraid of today?"
"If you awaken
each day and ask yourself what am I afraid of today and then approach that
with
research and wisdom, you will be healed
and empowered." p.5
The guidebook
has over 120 different chapters, stories, meditations, and exercises on the
different aspects of change. Topics include:
"Aka Threads," "Earth Angels," "the Zero Zone,"
"Tutors," "Drama Queens," and many many
more. "Approaches for Friends and Family" is
particularly excellent, but the entire
book and the way it is presented with the short chapters is very
accessible in a variety of ways. It could
be opened at random for a morning meditation, (watch
out...you might not want to put it down),
or one of the "paths" can be followed which leads you
through different chapters depending on
the nature of your situation. An exercise could be selected
and you could work with it throughout the
course of the day.
There are so
many quotes and things to remember about this book, but I believe the essence
is in
remembering where Peter is coming from.
He knows change. And he knows that when change is
seen as growth then people are not afraid,
but welcome it.
