Books & Films

Dying Well

Death’s Door: Modern Dying and the Ways We Grieve

By Sandra M. Gilbert

Prominent critic, poet, and memoirist Sandra M. Gilbert explores our relationship to death through literature, history, poetry, and societal practices.

Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral

By Thomas G. Long

Long begins by describing how the Christian funeral developed historically, theologically, and liturgically, and then discusses recent cultural trends in funeral practices, including the rise...

Cocoon

Offers insight into perspectives on aging and dying in contemporary society. A group of older adults discovers "the fountain of youth" in a Florida swimming...

Shadowlands

Tells the story of C.S. Lewis's romantic relationship with Joy Gresham, an American fan who wins his heart and then discovers she is terminally ill.

Ordinary People

By Judith Guest

Ordinary People is an extraordinary novel about an "ordinary" family divided by pain, yet bound by their struggle to heal.

Dying Well: Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life

By Ira Byock

From Ira Byock, prominent palliative care physician and expert in end of life decisions, a lesson in Dying Well.

How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter

By Sherwin B. Nuland

The definitive resource on perhaps the single most universal human concern: death.

Bodies in Motion and at Rest: On Metaphor and Mortality

By Thomas Lynch

Thomas Lynch, poet, funeral director, and author of the highly praised The Undertaking, winner of an American Book Award and finalist for the National Book...

Turn My Heart: A Sacred Journey from Brokenness to Healing

By Susan Briehl and Marty Haugen

This book by Susan Briehl and musician/composer Marty Haugen includes texts, songs, and several prayer services for use at home or around the bed of...

Lament for a Son

By Nicholas Wolterstorff

Well-known Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff has authored many books that have contributed significantly to scholarship in several subjects. In Lament for a Son he writes...