A Beginner’s Guide to Dying

In this candid collection, late British aid worker Boas muses on life and death in the wake of his terminal throat cancer diagnosis. Expanding on three articles he wrote for the Jersey Post following his diagnosis at age 46, the author discusses meditation, gratitude, religion, and—in an especially valuable section—how to interact with those who are dying (readers should take care to listen well; acknowledge the elephant in the room without harping on it; and refrain from forcing a “final farewell”—which often occurs for the catharsis of the visitor, not the dying person). Most of the account meditates on what it means to live fully in the light of death, and Boas’s solid if somewhat predictable advice to seize the day is enriched by his wry humor and moments of genuine insight, as when he discusses being comforted by the interconnectedness of humanity and the idea of the world going on without him: “Children will want ice creams and people will fall head-over-heels in love and musicians will delight us.... I find the contemplation of other selves to be... enormously moving.” This poignant volume inspires. (July)