A Beginner's Guide to the End

How to Live Life to the Full and Die a Good Death

By: BJ Miller, Shoshana Berger

Narrated by: BJ Miller, Shoshana Berger

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The end of a life can often feel like a traumatic, chaotic and inhuman experience. In this reassuring and inspiring book, palliative care physician Dr BJ Miller and writer Shoshana Berger provide a vision for rethinking and navigating this universal process.

There are plenty of self-help books for mourners, but nothing in the way of a modern, approachable and above all useful field guide for the living.

And all of us - young, old, sick and well - could use the help. After all, pregnant couples have ample resources available to them as they prepare to bring a new life into the world: Lamaze courses, elaborate birth plans, tons of manuals. Why don't we have a What to Expect When You're Expecting to Die book?

An accessible companion, A Beginner's Guide to the End offers a clear-eyed and compassionate survey of the most pressing issues that come up when one is dying, and will bring optimism and practical guidance to empower listeners with the knowledge, resources and tools they'll need to die better, maybe even with triumph.

©2019 Dr Bruce (B.J.) Miller and Shoshana Miller (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"I wish I'd had this book when I needed it. Death and dying are not subjects that many people are comfortable talking about, but it's hugely important to be as prepared as you can be - emotionally, physically, practically, financially, and spiritually. This book may be the most important guide you could have." (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love)

An Invaluable Resource for Anyone With a Terminally Ill Loved One or Elderly Parents

Why is death taboo in our society? It will happen to all of us at some point and yet it is never discussed, except as an after fact.

After watching and being inspired by BJ Miller’s Ted Talk, What Really Matters at the End of Life, I was intrigued to read this book as a carer for my terminally I’ll husband. It deals with the end of life in a thorough yet empathetic way, never skirting around the harder aspects of terminal illness and how to deal with it. When you are overwhelmed with a terminal diagnosis, this is a terrific book to read (or listen to) as the authors guide you through the process and what to expect, metaphorically holding your hand.