The Art of Dying Well

A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life

By: Katy Butler

Narrated by: Katy Butler

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

An inspiring, informative, and practical guide to navigating end-of-life issues, by a groundbreaking expert in the field and the New York Times best-selling author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door.

In the mid-1400s, an unnamed Catholic monk composed a popular self-help book called Ars Moriendi, or The Art of Dying. Written in Latin, this medieval death manual taught people how to navigate the trials of the deathbed using simple rituals of repentance, reassurance, and letting go.

Best-selling author and award-winning journalist Katy Butler argues that we have lost touch with the “art of dying” as practiced by our ancestors, yet we still hunger for rites of passage and a sense of the sacred, especially in the important life transitions of aging and dying. Butler has lectured at medical schools and spoken with community and caregiving organizations across the country. Here she reveals what she has learned about dying in America today - and how to have a better end of life.

We are coping with a medical system in disarray in its approach to people who are aging, dying, or chronically ill. Butler argues it's not about living as long as possible, it's about living as well as possible. Not only does our current system poorly serve our medical needs, it also crowds out any sense of the sacred. It’s time to restore a sense of ​honor​, and through exploring the stages of later life, sharing “good death” stories, as well as offering practical takeaways, The Art of Dying Well illuminates a path to a better end of life.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Katy Butler (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Good Read For Everyone

I am not dying (at least, not imminently!), nor do I have a loved-one at death's door, but this book was amazing and kept my interest the whole way through. Katy Butler has done very thorough research and shares some very helpful information and case studies in order to have the best death possible.

Insightful

Well researched, well written well read. The author is an effective communicator and conveys difficult concepts in a thoughtful and engaging narration.

Book for everyone over 50 or who has parents!

Katy Butler deals thoughtfully and thoroughly with a subject very few of us are willing or able to address: death. She emphasizes that this process requires planning and conversations and that it is never too early to start talking. The chapters are full of practical advise and resources for all stages from resilience (typically starting in the 50's) to active dying and how to identify which stage you are in.

great book

wish I read/listened to this sooner for my dad before he passed. all people deserve the information and compassion in this book for themselves or the ones they care about.

Great book

This book is one of the most comprehensive books I’ve read on the subject of planning for a compassionate ending of your life. It helps you navigate through the medical system that is really not helpful when you are at the end of your life. Read it many times. You will be prepared for your wishes to be honored.

Sad yet uplifting

This is about dying. Dying is sad. I cried a lot. But there is so much wisdom, especially in the first third of the book, about that whole part that comes before death — LIFE! I am truly inspired to live my life fully, because of this book.

But the main thrust of this book is that the US medical industry is messed up, and if you want to die well, you’ll need to fight for the privilege.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who will die someday, or knows someone close who will die.

I am a daughter of a parent at the end of life.

my parent is at the end of life and this book gave some great information

Very Practical and Well Organized Guidance

This book is both a primer to help those unfamiliar with the death process and a helpful reference to use in taking action at each stage.

Read this now before it's too late

Sounds like wise advice to me. From someone who lives and works at the margins of human health care, the advice to learn your (and got loved ones') options at the end are well-stated. "Don't be bullied or shamed by physicians" . This multi-cultural approach leaves room for all religious traditions to be honored at the approach and time of passing. The story is liberally interspersed with anecdotal recounts of good and less than good examples of how to prepare and encounter end of life issues ( both yours and that of loved ones). Read this book now. . . .

Real & Practical Look At End Of Life Decisions

Honest look at what dying looks like and all the decisions that must be made during this difficult period. Liked the books but didn't care for all the suggested prayers being read word for word. Otherwise good. Medical Aid in dying should be a legal option.