This book was an early example of in-depth personal reporting on a family member dying. It is a personal photographic diary, more significant for that, than an outsiders academic, field work study. The subject is treated with such direct honesty that the presentation can been seen as harsh and hard to study. It records the kind of experience our culture tends to avoid with hospital and other professional care. Every social scientist, photojournalist, and documentary photographer should know this book. +