{"product_id":"beyond-the-good-death-the-anthropology-of-modern-dying","title":"Beyond the Good Death: The Anthropology of Modern Dying","description":"In November 1998, millions of television viewers watched as Thomas Youk died. Suffering from the late stages of Lou Gehrig's disease, Youk had called upon infamous Michigan pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian to help end his life on his own terms. After delivering the videotape to 60 Minutes, Kevorkian was arrested and convicted of manslaughter, despite the fact that Youk's family firmly believed that the ending of his life qualified as a good death.\n\nDeath is political, as the controversies surrounding Jack Kevorkian and, more recently, Terri Schiavo have shown. While death is a natural event, modern end-of-life experiences are shaped by new medical, demographic, and cultural trends. People who are dying are kept alive, sometimes against their will or the will of their family, with powerful medications, machines, and \"heroic measures.\" Current research on end-of-life issues is substantial, involving many fields. Beyond the Good Death takes an anthropological approach, examining the changes in our concept of death over the last several decades. As author James W. Green determines, the attitudes of today's baby boomers differ greatly from those of their parents and grandparents, who spoke politely and in hushed voices of those who had \"passed away.\" Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, in the 1960s, gave the public a new language for speaking openly about death with her \"five steps of dying.\" If we talked more about death, she emphasized, it would become less fearful for everyone.\n\nThe term \"good death\" reentered the public consciousness as narratives of AIDS, cancer, and other chronic diseases were featured on talk shows and in popular books such as the best-selling Tuesdays with Morrie. Green looks at a number of contemporary secular American death practices that are still informed by an ancient religious ethos. Most important, Beyond the Good Death provides an interpretation of the ways in which Americans react when death is at hand for themselves or for those they care about.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0812221982\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.0812221982.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Green, James W.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41602466086970,"sku":"DBV.0812221982.G","price":10.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/0812221982-0.jpg?v=1787109056","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/beyond-the-good-death-the-anthropology-of-modern-dying","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}