Dying in Character: Memoirs on the End of Life
Dying in Character is a fine book, and Berman is one insightful, intelligent critic. I applaud him for his courage in tackling the sensitive subject of death and dying.(James Brown, author of The Los Angeles Diaries and This River)Condemn the farewell letter as a narcissistic attempt at immortality or the final act of a control freak if you wish, but it offers benefits to both the dying and the bereaved.... As readers, Mr. Berman says, we learn from these terminal accounts how 'other people have coped' in a situation that 'we will all confront.' And that can't be a bad thing in an aging society.(The Globe and Mail)[Berman] has found an approach that balances personal experience and disclosure with scholarly discipline and compassionate attention, creating an engaging tone.... Berman's sharp, compelling study of books that squarely face the true experience of imminent death is an important contribution to the literature of the end of life.(Boston Globe)Author of numerous previous titles, Berman has put together another compelling, readable book.... Arguably, Berman's lengthy chapter on Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, renowned for her theory on the stages of grief surrounding death, is the most illuminating and exhaustive, thanks in part to her many published works,including her own end-of-life memoir (The Wheel of Life, 1997). The chapter on Philip Roth's Patrimony is thoroughand deeply psychoanalytical. Recommended.(Choice)Dying in Character is a thoughtful, well-researched study that can additionally support our efforts as professionals in working with clients, to encourage them to use their strongest and most comfortable modes of expression in the grief process.(Death Studies)