"There is a vast literature on death and dying, but there are few reliable accounts of the ways in which we die. The intimate account of how various diseases take away life, offered in How We Die, is not meant to prompt horror or terror but to demythologize the process of dying to help us rid ourselves of that fear of the terra incognita." "Though the avenues of death - AIDS, cancer, heart attack, Alzheimer's, accident, and stroke - are common, each of us will die in a way different from any that has gone before. Each one of death's diverse appearances is as distinctive as that singular face we each show during our lives. Behind each death is a story." "In How We Die, Sherwin B. Nuland, a surgeon and teacher of medicine, tells some stories of dying that reveal not only why someone dies but how. He offers a portrait of the experience of dying that makes clear the choices that can be made to allow each of us his or her own death."--Jacket.

Presents a meditation and portrait of the experience of dying that elucidates the decisions that can be made to allow each person an understanding of death, as well as his or her own choice of death.

Attempting to demythologize the process of dying, Nuland explores how we shall die, each of us in a way that will be unique. Through particular stories of dying--of patients, and of his own family--he examines the seven most common roads to death: old age, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, accidents, heart disease, and strokes, revealing the facets of death's multiplicity. "It's impossible to read How We Die without realizing how earnestly we have avoided this most unavoidable of subjects, how we have protected ourselves by building a cultural wall of myths and lies. I don't know of any writer or scientist who has shown us the face of death as clearly, honestly and compassionately as Sherwin Nuland does here."--James Gleick From the Trade Paperback edition.

New Edition: With a new chapter addressing contemporary issues in end-of-life care A runaway bestseller and National Book Award winner, Sherwin Nuland's How We Die has become the definitive text on perhaps the single most universal human concern: death.nbsp; This new edition includes an all-embracing and incisive afterword that examines the current state of health care and our relationship with life as it approaches its terminus.nbsp; It also discusses how we can take control of our own final days and those of our loved ones. Shewin Nuland's masterful How We Die is even more relevant than when it was first published.

This is an explanation of what happens to us when we die, whether it be through old age, cancer, AIDS, heart disease, Alzheimer's, an accident, a stroke, or murder. The author explores each of these areas, illuminating them with stories of particular individuals - patients, friends, his own family - and shows the reader some of the facets of death's multiplicity.

Collection of stories of dying that reveal not only why someone dies but how.

Discusses the dying process, explaining how a variety of diseases and conditions affect the human body and relating some of the author's experiences with death.

What happens to us as we die? Discover the answers in this exclusive 25th anniversary edition of Sherwin B Nuland's seminal book With a foreword by Paul Kalanithi, bestselling author of When Breath Becomes Air. There are many books intended to help people deal with the trauma of bereavement, but few which explore the reality of death itself. Sherwin B. Nuland - with over thirty years' experience as a surgeon - explains in detail the processes which take place in the body and strips away many illusions about death. The result is a unique and compelling book, addressing the one final fact that all of us must confront. 'I don't know of any writer or scientist who has shown us the face of death as clearly, honestly and compassionately as Sherwin Nuland does here' James Gleick, author of Chaos

There are many books intended to help people deal with the trauma of bereavement, but few which explore the reality of death itself. How We Die sets out to explain exactly what happens to each of us when we die. Sherwin B. Nuland - with over 30 years' experience as a surgeon - explains in detail the processes which take place in the body and strips away many illusions about death. The result is a unique and compelling book, addressing the one final fact that all of us must confront. 'It's impossible to read How We Die without realising how earnestly we have avoided this most unavoidable of subjects, how we have protected ourselves by building a cultural wall of myths and lies. I don't know of any writer or scientist who has shown us the face of death as clearly, honestly and compassionately as Sherwin Nuland does here' James Gleick

REFLECTIONS ON LIFE'S FINAL CHAPTER.

In an age when death occurs in sterile seclusion and is cloaked in euphemi sm and taboo, How We Die is a vital revelation. Clearly, frankly, yet compassionately, it tells us how most of us are likely to die--and in doing so, suggests how we may live more fully and meaningfully. Written by a distinguished surgeon, How We Die succeeds in restoring death to its ancient place in human existence.

Om hvordan dødsprocessen forløber, når man dør af vor tids almindeligste dødsårsager: Hjertesygdomme, hjerneblødning, kræft, AIDS, Alzheimers sygdom, alderdom, ulykke, selvmord osv..

De dood is onze grootste angst en tegelijkertijd onze grootste bron van fascinatie. Het mysterie van de dood, en de mythe waarmee hij is omgeven, strekt zich ook uit tot het feitelijke sterven. Dit boek wil het proces van doodgaan van zijn mythe ontdoen. Nuland beschrijft het stervensproces niet als gruwelijk, pijnlijk of vernederend, maar laat het zien in zijn klinische en biologische realiteit.Op een nauwkeurige en verantwoorde manier maakt Nuland ons duidelijk dat alleen door de dood tot in zijn ware details onder ogen te zien, we ons kunnen bevrijden van de angst voor het terra incognita dat tot zoveel verdriet en ontgoocheling leidt.Nuland beschrijft de weg naar de dood aan de hand van de meest voorkomende doodsoorzaken: ouderdom, kanker, ongevallen, hart- en vaatziekten, Alzheimer, hersenbloedingen en aids. De karakteristieke defecten van deze manieren van sterven herbergen in feite de oorzaak van iedere dood.

De dood is onze grootste angst en tegelijk onze grootste bron van fascinatie. Het mysterie waarmee hij is omgeven, strekt zich ook uit tot het feitelijke sterven. Dit boek wil het proces van doodgaan van zijn mythe ontdoen. Nuland beschrijft het stervensproces niet als gruwelijk, pijnlijk of vernederend, maar laat het zien in zijn klinische en biologische realiteit. Op een nauwkeurige en verantwoorde manier maakt Nuland duidelijk dat we ons alleen van de angst voor de dood kunnen bevrijden door die tot in zijn ware details onder ogen te zien.