Die Wise

Stephen Jenkinson is a spiritual teacher. I heard him on a podcast and was mesmerized by how his work in hospice and palliative care informs his approach to life. While many people might think that a book about death and dying would be depressing, I found it absolutely enlightening. In essence, Jenkinson teaches us about death in order to teach us about life.

His writing style is unique: long, descriptive sentences that are more poetry than prose. I was glad I'd heard him speak on a podcast before reading his book, because I could hear his voice when I read.… show more.

I love this book because it helped me to understand how death-phobic the Western world is and why grief, death, and mourning are currently taboo topics for many. I read the book shortly after the death of a family member, and it helped me to make sense of my feelings and give myself permission to be with them.

I found the book very hard to put down. With poetic wisdom, Stephen Jenkinson outlines how little space there is to consider what a good death is, especially in the context of Western medicine. One of the biggest messages I gained from… show more.

When I first started studying death and dying, I was shown a lot of educational books on “good deaths” and there was a lot of talk about the “death positive” movement. I trained in a program to become a death doula and Home Funeral Guide so I could serve the dying and dead, and I trained to become a Celebrant so I could help the family through the final disposition. My death education was all about me. It was this book that awakened me to the us, the community, the part where we incorporate and live life alongside… show more.