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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Death & dying
A compelling and agonising story.
Durban-based journalist Glynis Horning and her husband Chris woke up one Sunday morning almost two years ago to the devastating discovery of their 25-year-old son Spencer dead in his bed. Horning’s story chronicles a parent’s worst nightmare. Establishing that his death was suicide, Horning embarks on a journey of anguished self-recrimination.
Should she not have seen the signs? Could she somehow have prevented it? As she struggles with Spencer’s decision to end his life, she has to learn to understand what the depths of depression entail. We feel Horning’s pain, and learn to understand and feel Spencer’s pain, at a visceral level.
Surrounded by loving family and friends, Horning pieces together the puzzle of Spencer’s death, writing with a brutal and heart-searing intensity of grief and loss, but also of the joys of celebrating her son’s life. This book will touch anyone who has experienced a mental health journey directly or indirectly, or a searing loss. Her wisdom and insight are extraordinary.
A hair-raising account about the ins and outs of practising
forensic pathology in Africa As a medical detective of the modern
world, forensic pathologist Ryan Blumenthal's chief goal is to
bring perpetrators to justice. He has performed thousands of
autopsies, which have helped bring numerous criminals to book. In
Autopsy he covers the hard lessons learnt as a rookie pathologist,
as well as some of the most unusual cases he's encountered. During
his career, for example, he has dealt with high-profile deaths,
mass disasters, death by lightning and people killed by African
wildlife. Blumenthal takes the reader behind the scenes at the
mortuary, describing a typical autopsy and the instruments of the
trade. He also shares a few trade secrets, like how to establish
when a suicide is more likely to be a homicide. Even though they
cannot speak, the dead have a lot to say - and Blumenthal is there
to listen.
* PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY * The compelling and moving memoir of
forensic psychiatrist Dr Duncan Harding
In September 2018, Professor Sean Davison's peaceful life in the leafy suburbs of Pinelands, Cape Town is shattered. Arrested for the murder of Dr Anrich Burger, a once-fit athlete turned quadriplegic who begged Davison to assist him in ending his life in 2015, the unassuming academic and father of three now finds himself locked up in a prison cell.
Under investigation led by the Hawks, an additional two murders are added to the case for which he now faces a mandatory life prison sentence. Written in compelling detail, The Price of Mercy tracks the extraordinary journey that Davison embarks on to prepare for the gruelling legal challenge that lies ahead.
The desperate cries of many, begging for his assistance to help end their lives of suffering haunt him. Unwavering in his belief that we all have the right to die with dignity, Davison's selfless battle is made more bearable by his friendship with the late and great Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
A book that will change the way you see death.
Die geliefde skrywer Dana Snyman deel sy waarnemings en belewenisse van die vreemdste tye wat ons nog beleef het: Die boek begin triomfantelik met die Springbokke wat die Rugbywêreldbeker wen, en toegejuig word tydens optogte deur die hoofstede van ons land. Maar baie vinnig verander alles. Die koronavirus slaan toe, en die hele wêreld word onderstebo gekeer. “Dinge is anders nou, meneer, in die tyd van die gif,” soos ’n ou oom by die plaaslike kafee vir Dana vertel.
Dana beskryf die eerste veertig dae van die eerste inperking; dan ry hy trein om sy sterwende vriend in Gauteng te gaan groet. Hy skryf oor die treinrit, en ook oor die treine wat nie meer ry nie. Laastens praat hy met die mense wat die grootste gevaar loop ter wille van ander – die dokters en verpleegsters wat die siekes versorg. Dan kry hy self ook Covid19.
Dana se kenmerkende fyn waarneming maak In Die Tyd Van Die Gif ’n leesmoet. Daar is pyn en verlies, maar ook geloof en hoop. Dit alles met ’n goeie skeut humor.
Establishing a new set of international perspectives from around
the world on and experiences of death, disposition and remembrance
in urban environments, this book brings deathscapes - material,
embodied and emotional places associated with dying and death - to
life. It pushes the boundaries of established empirical and
conceptual understandings of death in urban spaces through
anthropological, geographical and ethnographic insights. Chapters
reveal how urban deathscapes are experienced, used, managed and
described in specific locales in varied settings; how their norms
and values intersect and at times conflict with the norms of
dominant and assumed practices; and how they are influenced by the
dynamic practices, politics and demographics typical of urban
spaces. Case studies from across Africa, Asia, Europe and North and
South America highlight the differences between deathscapes, but
also show their clear commonality in being as much a part of the
world of the living as they are of the dead. With a people- and
space-centred approach, this book will be an interesting read for
human geography, death studies and urban studies scholars, as well
as social and cultural anthropologists and sociologists. Its
international and interdisciplinary nature will also make this a
beneficial book for planning and landscape architecture, religious
studies and courses on death practices.
What if we didn’t consider death the worst possible outcome? What if we
discussed it honestly, embraced end-of-life care and prepared for the
end of our lives with hope and acceptance?
In this empathetic and knowledgeable guide, TikTok star Julie McFadden
– known online as ‘Hospice Nurse Julie’ – shares the valuable lessons
she’s learned in her fifteen years as a palliative care nurse. Expertly
weaving emotional insight with practical advice, you’ll find out:
- which medical interventions help and which make things worse
- facts and myths about hospice care
- the most important conversations to have before you die
- the many inexplicable and fascinating deathbed experiences people
have
- how to navigate the grieving journey, before and after death
Set to become a go-to resource for years to come, Nothing to Fear shows
how a better death goes hand-in-hand with a better life.
An Anthology of Death, Dying, and the Living offers students a
multifaceted, cross-disciplinary, and intellectual exploration of
death, what it means to be human, and what it means to truly live.
Through a historic and anthropological lens, students read articles
that address diverse domestic and international events and convene
a variety of perspectives in terms of culture and identity as they
relate to death, dying, and living. The anthology is divided into
five distinct sections: Should We Fear Death? To Die is to Have
Lived!; Existential Death-Suicide?; Death and the Family; Death and
the Self (Grief, Mourning, and Elegies); and Biomedical Death-What
Does it Mean to Die with Dignity?. Each section features articles
from a variety of sources that draw from the disciplines of
anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, politics,
government and law, and religious studies. Students experience a
holistic and complete examination of various understandings,
interpretations, and viewpoints about life, death, and the
interplay between the two. The revised first edition includes two
new readings. The first is an article by the editor, Atiba Rougier,
that considers the national-and personal-impacts of 9/11 and
COVID-19, and the second is a piece by a gastroenterologist and
chronicles how their role at a hospital changed during the
pandemic. An accessible, emotional, and thought-provoking
collection, An Anthology of Death, Dying, and the Living is well
suited for courses that explore death and dying from a
sociological, psychological, philosophical, or anthropological
perspective.
This is a book about death, comprehensive in its discussion of
strategies for coping with loss and grief in rural northern Russia.
Elizabeth Warner and Svetlana Adonyeva bring forth the voices of
those for whom caring for their dead is deeply personal and firmly
rooted in practices of everyday life. Thoroughly researched
chapters consider lamenting traditions, examine beliefs surrounding
natural symbols, and parse sensitive and profound funereal rituals.
""We remember, we love, we grieve"" is a common epitaph in this
part of the world. As contemporary Russia contends with the Soviet
Union's legacy of dismantling older ways of life, the phrase
ripples beyond individual loss - it encapsulates communities'
determination to preserve their customs when faced with oppression.
This volume offers insight into a core cultural practice, exploring
the dynamism of tradition.
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