This is a collection of 5 newly published books which deal with life and death matters.
They may be interesting reading for those who are interested in that subject matter at the moment.
Notes for the Everlost: A Field Guide to Grief
Kate Inglis
Kate Inglis went into labour at 27 weeks — three months before her twin boys were due. Ben, “two pounds of spitfire,” survived. Liam, who suffered the brunt of the birth trauma, did not; at six weeks he was removed from life support. This is the story of the Inglis’s sustained darkness — sorrow for the lost potential that was Liam, fury at her body for its betrayal. More than 10 years pass over the course of this memoir: Inglis becomes involved in child-bereavement groups; gradually, grief’s grip lessens; a fateful plot twist changes her personal circumstances. Inglis’s memoir is a memorial for Liam and a guide for parents who have lost a child. Inglis is a photographer and the author of several children’s novels and picture books. She lives on the south shore of Nova Scotia.
In the Backyard: Relearning the Art of Aging, Dying and Making Love
Mary Melfi
The Montreal writer’s memoir traverses 10 years, beginning when she is 50 and lamenting the physical depredations of ageing (“I am not pleased with God’s handiwork”). Fortunately, her “in-house therapist,” her psychologist husband, offers bane for her discontent (a sense of humour, or the ability to fake it, being key). But then he is diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, which requires her to revise her chief grievance: “Death is the enemy; old age, a dear friend.” This is a clarifying memoir, a tonic for women coming to grips with love, loss and mortality.
How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations Marc Freedman
Over the course of five books and 20 years, Marc Freedman has emerged as an expert on the societal effects of our lengthening life spans. His particular focus is in exploring practical ways of fostering relationships across the generations, in his words, to “solve problems from literacy to loneliness, reweave the social fabric in communities, and reconnect us to our fundamental humanity.” Freeman draws on longevity research, anecdote and hard-won insights to reinforce his core conclusion: that the best way of finding meaning is to help others, and thus leave a legacy that will last long after our deaths. His website, encore.org, offers ideas for connecting young and old to mutual advantage.
Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves
Jesse Bering
During his 30s, the author, a New Zealand psychologist, often considered killing himself, and even now his suicidal impulse occasionally “flares up like a sore tooth” in the face of depression or misfortune. He knows he’s not the only one: “It is that everyday person dealing with suicidal thoughts — the suicidal person in all of us — who is the subject of this book.” Bering brings together evolutionary, cognitive and psychological research, personal stories and comparisons with other members of the animal kingdom in his interesting investigation. Bering brings a light touch to what could be a gloomy exploration. His previous books have included The Sexual Deviant in All of Us and Why is the Penis Shaped Like That?
