Let's Talk about Death (over Dinner)
An Invitation and Guide to Life's Most Important Conversation
by Michael Hebb
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Pub Date Oct 02 2018 | Archive Date Oct 02 2018
Perseus Books, Da Capo Press | Balance
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Description
For readers of Being Mortal and When Breath Becomes Air, the acclaimed founder of Death over Dinner offers a practical, inspiring guide to life's most difficult yet important conversation.
Of the many critical conversations we will all have throughout our lifetime, few are as important as the ones discussing death—and not just the practical considerations, such as DNRs and wills, but what we fear, what we hope, and how we want to be remembered. Yet few of these conversations are actually happening. Inspired by his experience with his own father and countless stories from others who regret not having these conversations, Michael Hebb cofounded Death Over Dinner—an organization that encourages people to pull up a chair, break bread, and really talk about the one thing we all have in common. Death Over Dinner has been one of the most effective end-of-life awareness campaigns to date; in just three years, it has provided the framework and inspiration for more than a hundred thousand dinners focused on having these end-of-life conversations. As Arianna Huffington said, "We are such a fast-food culture, I love the idea of making the dinner last for hours. These are the conversations that will help us to evolve."
Let's Talk About Death (over Dinner) offers keen practical advice on how to have these same conversations—not just at the dinner table, but anywhere. There's no one right way to talk about death, but Hebb shares time—and dinner—tested prompts to use as conversation starters, ranging from the spiritual to the practical, from analytical to downright funny and surprising. By transforming the most difficult conversations into an opportunity, they become celebratory and meaningful—ways that not only can change the way we die, but the way we live.
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9780738235295 |
PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
PAGES | 256 |
Featured Reviews
Let's Talk About Death (Over Dinner) is a book that helps you start a conversation on a topic many of us don't want to talk about, death. This book makes the topic approachable and gives you a many different ways to start such an important conversation.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
There is a lot of good information in this book. Presented in a relaxed, but engaging manner. Definitely recommending.
Okay, I’m not even going to wait until I’m entirely finished. I love this book! I’m already recommending it to be people even though it’s not being released until October. Closer to that time I will review it on every platform I can. It’s an important book, and it’s extremely readable. The author presents his idea well, and then fills it out with stories he has actually experienced. It is not at all morbid. Many thanks to Michael Hebb and to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley.
This is one of the most important books you can ever read. Talking about death makes living more important. Being human means to have death as part of that cycle so why is it such a hushed up topic? To talk about it is to bring some control into the situation.
This is not a book to rush through. It is a book to take a bit at a time to let it wash over you and savor.
This is by far the most important book I’ve read this year so far, and I’ve read a lot of books! Death is something that, as I get older, I get more and more curious about. However, not many people like to talk about it or even think about it, so I found this book encouraging and supportive in many ways. I’m going to use it first to begin discussing this crucial topic with my husband, and then I think I’m going to find a group of however, not many people like to talk about it or even think about it, so I found this book encouraging and supportive in many ways. I’m going to use it first to begin discussing this crucial topic with my husband, and then I think I’m going to find a group of women Kindred Spirits to share this with.
With thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book exchange for my honest review.
Tired of playing Table Topics? How about hosting a Death Dinner? In this book, Michael Hebb gives tips on how to talk about death. He suggests doing it over dinner, but the questions included in the book are good for discussion anytime, or answering them for yourself.
Death is an inevitable part of life, and a natural consequence of living is having to deal with the deaths of those close to you. Working through the questions will undoubtedly make that easier.
I enjoyed the anecdotes from Hebb's friends and colleagues as they worked through the questions. It's a lot to think of.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Of the many critical conversations we will all have throughout our lifetime, few are as important as the ones discussing death--and not just the practical considerations, such as DNRs and wills, but what we fear, what we hope, and how we want to be remembered. Yet few of these conversations are actually happening. Inspired by his experience with his own father and countless stories from others who regret not having these conversations, Michael Hebb cofounded Death Over Dinner--an organization that encourages people to pull up a chair, break bread, and really talk about the one thing we all have in common. Death Over Dinner has been one of the most effective end-of-life awareness campaigns to date; in just three years, it has provided the framework and inspiration for more than a hundred thousand dinners focused on having these end-of-life conversations. As Arianna Huffington said, "We are such a fast-food culture, I love the idea of making the dinner last for hours. These are the conversations that will help us to evolve.”
Death is unfortunately a part of life. This strong story is something I resonated with, wrestling with death and the constructs of it, especially from a spiritual side, but more so a human side. We’re all afraid of death at one point or another, but do we really talk about it?
The anecdotes used in the book were strong and resonated with me for a long time after. While anecdotes aren’t strong for every single book, this is a place to use them.
This is a great conversation starter and could be used in small group discussions, dinner parties, or in coffee shops. It helps you truly understand what death is all about and the conversations you need to be having, sooner than later.
Death has power to scare us all, but with Michael Hebb’s book, we can be prepared to examine one of the most intense and crucial moments in our families lives. The inevitable is coming, but it’s nice to be prepared.
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