"Facing Death and Finding Hope is an ideal and much-needed guidebook for caregivers, friends, and family of the dying. I have known Christine Longaker for eighteen years, during which time she has studied the Buddhist teachings with me. The courses and training she gives, for which she now has a considerable reputation, are exceptional in that they blend her very real experience of hospice work with the insights she has gleaned from her study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Facing Death and Finding Hope is immensely valuable because it helps to restore a sense of the 'art' or 'science of dying' which has been missing from Western culture for far too long. There is no greater gift of charity you can give than to help a person die well. Perhaps there has never been a time when we have been more in need of learning how to face death, how to find hope in death instead of only tragedy, how to help others at the end of their lives, and how to die well ourselves. It is a sad fact that, in the world today, we are taught very little about death and dying, which can only reflect on how little we feel at home with life and living. Facing Death and Finding Hope plays an important role in readdressing this void. Unquestionably, this book will be of vital interest for anyone concerned with a dying person. And who of us, sooner or later, is not? ".........Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.


Facing Death and Finding Hope, Christine Longaker, Doubleday, 262 pages, Paperback, $19.00

Christine Longaker's experience with death and care of the dying began in 1976 when her husband was diagnosed with acute leukemia at the age of twenty-four. Since his death, she has devoted her life to ease the suffering of those facing death. In Facing Death and Finding Hope, she clearly and compassionately identifies the typical fears and struggles experienced by the dying and their families.

	Contents: Facing Death and Finding Hope: A guide to the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying
	Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche	ix
	Prologue	xiii
	Part 1: The Experience of Dying and Death
1.	Facing Death	1
2.	Falling into Grace	10
3.	The Needs of the Dying	16
4.	Discovering Hope in Death	23
	Part 2: The Four Tasks of Living and Dying
	Introduction	39
	The First Task: Understanding and Transforming Suffering
5.	Understanding and Responding to Suffering	41
6.	Spiritual Practices for Transforming Suffering	60
	The Second Task: Making a Connection, Healing Relationships, and Letting Go
7.	Creating a Genuine Connection	81
8.	Giving Love and Letting Go	96
	The Third Task: Preparing Spiritually for Death
9..	Spiritual Preparation for Death	113
	The Fourth Task: Finding Meaning in Life
10.	Finding Meaning in Life	136
	Part 3: Advice for Caregivers, Parents, and Survivors
11.	Healing Bereavement	161
12.	The Spiritual Dimension of Bereavement	182
13.	Understanding Children's Views of Death	202
14.	Caregiving as Spiritual Practice	217
	Epilogue	235
	Notes	240
	Acknowledgments	245
	Appendix A: Recommended Further Reading	247
	Appendix B: Spiritual Care Education and Training Program	253
	Index	255