Next Chapter: Death and Dying (Fiction and Nonfiction)
The resources on this list include novels, memoirs, and nonfiction titles offering insight and practical advice related to death and dying processes. Created by librarians at The Seattle Public Library. (Created by the Older Adults Program Manager, September 2023)
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Death Is A Day Worth Living
Nonfiction. Brazilian doctor Arantes delivers profound lessons about death in her powerful English-language debut. Drawing on her experience as a palliative care physician, Arantes contends that while many "shrink from the reality of death," it's actually "a bridge to life" to be understood without fear. (Publishers Weekly)
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Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
Fiction. Runaway humor sustains an otherwise grim story in Austin's exuberant debut. After a car accident in which 27-year-old Gilda breaks her arm, she visits an emergency room where she's a frequent patient, then responds to an ad offering free mental health support at a church. There, a priest mistakes her for a job applicant, and she doesn't correct him. (Publishers Weekly)
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Heartwood
Nonfiction. Minister Becker debuts with a stirring chronicle of the events, moments, and stories that led to her reconciliation with mortality. The death of Becker's friend from cancer at age 40 (a "struggle that made me profoundly unsettled") inspired her to look back on how she has dealt with her own misfortunes of miscarriages, sickness, and accidents. (Publishers Weekly)
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The Collected Regrets of Clover
Fiction. A big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own. (Publisher description)
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What the Dead Know
Nonfiction. Butcher, the chief of staff at New York City's office of the chief medical examiner, artfully integrates her personal struggles into this riveting debut memoir that doubles as an inside look at the work of medicolegal investigators. (Publishers Weekly)
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Finding the Words
Nonfiction. In Finding the Words, Campbell offers practical advice on how to survive in the aftermath of loss. By actively reaching out to their community, performing mourning rituals, and finding ways to express their grief, readers will learn how to live more fully while still holding their loved ones close. Campbell shines a light on a path forward through the darkness of grief. (Publisher description)
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How We Live Is How We Die
Nonfiction. In this collection of spiritual teachings and reflections, American Buddhist nun Chödrön (How To Meditate) explains that if people take the time to embrace and navigate transitions in their daily lives, they will be better prepared for death and whatever may follow. (Library Journal)
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Facing Death
Nonfiction. Is it possible to have a good death, free from unnecessary pain and trauma? What if our final days were designed to bring about reconciliation and release? In this wise and large-hearted book, Dr. Jim deMaine offers advice pointing the way toward a grace-filled transition out of life. (Publisher description)
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From Here to Eternity
Nonfiction. Describes death customs and rituals from around the world, exploring how they compare to the impersonal American system and how mourners respond best when they participate in caring for the deceased. (Publisher description)
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The Lost Art of Dying
Nonfiction. In this probing analysis, Dugdale (Dying in the Twenty-First Century), director of Columbia University's Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, considers how to change the current "death-denying" culture to help readers become more comfortable with death. (Publishers Weekly)
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