Advice for future corpses* (*and those who love them): a practical perspective on death and dying

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CRITICS’ TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR “In its loving, fierce specificity, this book on how to die is also a blessedly saccharine-free guide for how to live” (The New York Times). Former NEA fellow and Pushcart Prize-winning writer Sallie Tisdale offers a lyrical, thought-provoking, yet practical perspective on death and dying in Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them). Informed by her many years working as a nurse, with more than a decade in palliative care, Tisdale provides a frank, direct, and compassionate meditation on the inevitable. From the sublime (the faint sound of Mozart as you take your last breath) to the ridiculous (lessons on how to close the sagging jaw of a corpse), Tisdale leads us through the peaks and troughs of death with a calm, wise, and humorous hand. Advice for Future Corpses is more than a how-to manual or a spiritual bible: it is a graceful compilation of honest and intimate anecdotes based on the deaths Tisdale has witnessed in her work and life, as well as stories from cultures, traditions, and literature around the world. Tisdale explores all the heartbreaking, beautiful, terrifying, confusing, absurd, and even joyful experiences that accompany the work of dying, including: A Good Death: What does it mean to die “a good death”? Can there be more than one kind of good death? What can I do to make my death, or the deaths of my loved ones, good? Communication: What to say and not to say, what to ask, and when, from the dying, loved ones, doctors, and more. Last Months, Weeks, Days, and Hours: What you might expect, physically and emotionally, including the limitations, freedoms, pain, and joy of this unique time. Bodies: What happens to a body after death? What options are available to me after my death, and how do I choose—and make sure my wishes are followed? Grief: “Grief is the story that must be told over and over...Grief is the breath after the last one.” Beautifully written and compulsively readable, Adv A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CRITICS'TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR “In its loving, fierce specificity, this book on how to die is also a blessedly saccharine-free guide for how to live” (The New York Times).Former NEA fellow and Pushcart Prize-winning writer Sallie Tisdale offers a lyrical, thought-provoking, yet practical perspective on death and dying in Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them). Informed by her many years working as a nurse, with more than a decade in palliative care, Tisdale provides a frank, direct, and compassionate meditation on the inevitable. From the sublime (the faint sound of Mozart as you take your last breath) to the ridiculous (lessons on how to close the sagging jaw of a corpse), Tisdale leads us through the peaks and troughs of death with a calm, wise, and humorous hand. Advice for Future Corpses is more than a how-to manual or a spiritual bible: it is a graceful compilation of honest and intimate anecdotes based on the deaths Tisdale has witnessed in her work and life, as well as stories from cultures, traditions, and literature around the world. Tisdale explores all the heartbreaking, beautiful, terrifying, confusing, absurd, and even joyful experiences that accompany the work of dying, including: A Good Death: What does it mean to die “a good death”? Can there be more than one kind of good death? What can I do to make my death, or the deaths of my loved ones, good? Communication: What to say and not to say, what to ask, and when, from the dying, loved ones, doctors, and more. Last Months, Weeks, Days, and Hours: What you might expect, physically and emotionally, including the limitations, freedoms, pain, and joy of this unique time. Bodies: What happens to a body after death? What options are available to me after my death, and how do I choose—and make sure my wishes are followed? Grief: “Grief is the story that must be told over and over...Grief is the breath after the last one.” Beautifully written and compulsively readable, Advice for Future Corpses offers the resources and reassurance that we all need for planning the ends of our lives, and is essential reading for future corpses everywhere. “Sallie Tisdale's elegantly understated new book pretends to be a user's guide when in fact it's a profound meditation” (David Shields, bestselling author of Reality Hunger). How many of us know how to die, or how to support a loved one in a 'good death'? You get ready to die the way you get ready for a trip. Start by realizing you don't know the way. We do not know when we will die. We may see it coming from far away, or all at once. But I will die and you will die. You believe that, don't you? You get ready to die the way you get ready for a trip. Start by realizing you don't know the way. Study the language, look at maps, pack your bags. Let yourself imagine what it will be like. Think of this book as a travel guide: a guide to preparing for your own death and the deaths of people close to you. The fact of death is hard to believe. Sallie Tisdale explores our fears and all the ways death and talking about death make us uncomfortable-and she also explores its intimacies and joys. Tisdale looks at grief, what the last days and hours of life are like, and what happens to dead bodies. Advice for Future Corpses includes stories, exercises, practical advice, personal experience, and a little Buddhist philosophy. But this isn't a book of inspiration or spiritual advice - Advice for Future Corpses is about how you can get ready. Start by admitting that we are all future corpses. For anyone with a terminal illness, and those who care for them. 'Sallie Tisdale's life experiences and down-to-earth wisdom takes readers beyond the paralysing dread of death...' - Dr Michael Barbato, author of Caring for the Dying From The Sublime (the Faint Sound Of Mozart As You Take Your Last Breath) To The Ridiculous (lessons On How To Close The Sagging Jaw Of A Corpse), Tisdale Leads The Reader Through The Peaks And Troughs Of Death With A Calm, Wise, And Humorous Hand. Advice For Future Corpses Is More Than A How-to Manual Or A Spiritual Bible: It Is A Graceful Compilation Of Honest And Intimate Anecdotes Based On The Deaths Tisdale Has Witnessed In Her Work And Life, As Well As Stories From Cultures, Traditions, And Literature Around The World. The Dangerous Situation -- Resistance -- A Good Death -- Communication -- Last Months -- Where? -- Last Weeks -- Last Days -- That Moment -- Bodies -- Grieving -- Joy. Sallie Tisdale. Includes Bibliographical References. A straightforward, wise, and humorous narrative field guide for both the dying and those who love them by an author who brings a unique set of qualifications to this delicate subject--she's a Pushcart Prize-winning writer, a palliative care nurse with more than ten years of experience, and a lifelong Buddhist A guide to preparing for death for both those who are dying and those around them, offers readers practical advice, stories, and personal experiences.