National "Best Books 2009" Awards winner for best book in the death and dying category!
Our society does not do death well. Past civilizations and
cultures engaged highly developed systems designed around caring for the
terminally ill and easing them through the process of dying, whereas modern
cultures tend to hide from death and sequester the dying. In Joellyn St.
Pierre’s beautifully crafted
The Art of
Death Midwifery: An Introduction and Beginner’s Guide, the author―who left
a lengthy and successful entertainment career to become an ordained minister
and dedicate her life and her skills to the dying―removes the veil of mystery that
has long shrouded the care of the dying. Physicians, hospice workers, social
workers, families, everyone who cares for and gives support to the dying, will
learn that
death midwifery, a way of
communing with the dying, is a balm for those transitioning from this life into
what awaits them. This manual is designed to impart those skills and
disciplines required to improve the ability to be a more effective guide. From
the mythology of death to preparing to give support, from understanding how to
create a spiritual sanctuary to being comfortable with how one
speaks to those in transition, this is an
important and effective book. Through it, helpmates learn that while they may
think they have great power over the dying, it is the dying who must feel
empowered. With empowerment, the author reminds us, comes the peaceful sense of
a life fulfilled. When this is achieved, passage becomes not a tragedy of
death, but a celebration of life.
