Practical and inspiring, this book helps you learn how to navigate encounters with death, dying, and bereavement. The authors emphasize ways that individuals and families can cope with life-threatening illness, grief, funerals, and other death-related topics -- including how to communicate constructively in the face of death. You'll learn about aided death -- a topic on many people's minds these days -- as well as about Alzheimer's disease and other life-altering conditions and prominent causes of death. You'll read personal stories and get insight into cultural and religious perspectives that affect people's encounters, attitudes, and practices in death-related matters. And you'll discover that you can gain important lessons about life and living from the study of death, dying, and bereavement.