After experiencing a paralyzing stroke in 1995 and facing her own mortality, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (author of the renowned On Death and Dying) realized she had some unfinished business to take care of. "I wanted to write one more book, not on death and dying, but on life and living," she explains. So she joined forces with coauthor David Kessler, a leader in the field of hospice care, and together they wrote about the lessons we can learn about living from those who are dying. As Kessler explains in his introduction, "The dying have always been teachers of great lessons, for it's when we are pushed to the edge of life that we see most clearly."

In days gone by, the community would have gathering places where children and adults listened to elders tell their stories of life's challenges and the meaning they found in life. In lieu of that kind of extended community, the authors offer this book, filled with stories from the edge. Then, like fireside elders, they weave these personal stories into themes, such as living authentically, the importance of play, finding one's power, loving relationships, and self-compassion. One cannot say enough about the lasting value of this beautifully written and carefully rendered book. This is your chance to see life from the 20/20 vision of hindsight. In the end what will we value most? Here are some hints: the days we surrendered and became calm, the times we healed that which was broken, and of course all the moments we opened ourselves to love. --Gail Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
Blending the words of two authors is a precarious undertaking, particularly when the two voices are as strong and well-known as those of K bler-Ross and hospice-care leader Kessler (The Rights of the Dying). Given the similarity in their viewpoints as experts on death and dying, this collaboration seems logical, but unfortunately the alternating entries result in repetitive, rambling prose that lacks punch. The "lessons from the edge of life" culled from the authors' patients include letting go of anger, guilt and fear; learning patience; mourning and accepting loss; playing, laughing and enjoying life; and surrendering to what can't be changed. Although some of the brief personal stories are poignant, the underlying precepts are not new. Kessler and K bler-Ross offer only familiar aphorisms: "live every day to its fullest," "each of us has the power of the universe within us," happiness is a state of mind we can choose, suffering is an opportunity for growth, "life is a school, complete with individualized tests and challenges." Such lessons may be true and useful, but here they come off as trite. K bler-Ross has been ill for many years, suffering two strokes that left her partially incapacitated and may have made writing difficult, but the brief glimpses into her personal journey through illness and near death cry out for elaboration. Mentions of coping with a home health-care worker who stole from her, a nurse who labeled her "combative" and friends who must help this previously vigorous woman navigate the world in a wheelchair indicate a much fuller, richer story than the expanded platitudes offered here, which are unlikely to widen either author's readership. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The psychiatrist whose On Death and Dying (1970) put issues about life's end on the contemporary cultural agenda teams with a leader in the hospice movement in her first book on living. Its 14 thoughtful chapters lead readers from the "Lesson of Authenticity" to the "Lesson of Happiness" by means of illustrative anecdotes from the lives of both authors' patients. Rather than writing in a unitary voice, Kubler-Ross and Kessler speak separately, and each writer's portions of the text are signed with her or his initials. The observations of the two sometimes complement very powerfully, especially those that come from the time in 1995 when Kubler-Ross suffered a stroke that brought her perilously close to death. She recovered to write that life lessons are opportunities to rid ourselves of negativity and find the best in ourselves and others. As the collaborators write about the lessons of fear, guilt, anger, surrender, forgiveness, and the rest, they teach that true healing extends beyond physical repair to the mending of spirits and souls. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
Patricia Devine The Irish Independent This is a thought-provoking book, one which in my opinion should be made compulsory. It is insightful, inspirational, intelligent, soothing, emotive, and informative about our seemingly arbitrary existence.


Book Description
Is this really how I want to live my life? Each one of us at some point asks this question. The tragedy is not that life is short but that we often see only in hindsight what really matters. In this, her first book on life and living, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross joins with David Kessler to guide us through the practical and spiritual lessons we need to learn so that we can live life to its fullest in every moment. Many years of working with the dying have shown the authors that certain lessons come up over and over again. Some of these lessons are enormously difficult to master, but even the attempts to understand them can be deeply rewarding. Here, in fourteen accessible chapters, from the Lesson of Love to the Lesson of Happiness, the authors reveal the truth about our fears, our hopes, our relationships, and, above all, about the grandness of who we really are.


About the Author
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D., bestselling author of On Death and Dying and To Live Until We Say Good-Bye, is the recipient of more than twenty-five honorary doctorates. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. She now lives in the Arizona desert.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Is this really how I want to live my life?

Each one of us at some point asks this question. The tragedy is not that life is short but that we often see only in hindsight what really matters.

In Life Lessons, her first book on life and living, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross joins with David Kessler to guide readers through the practical and spiritual lessons we need to learn so that we can live life to its fullest in every moment. Many years of working with the dying have shown the authors that certain lessons come up over and over again. Some of these lessons can be difficult to master, but even the attempts to understand them are deeply rewarding. Here, in fourteen accessible chapters, from the Lesson of Love to the Lesson of Happiness, the authors reveal the truth about our fears, our hopes, our relationships, and, above all, the grandness of who we really are.

About the Authors:Elisabeth K￯﾿ﾽbler-Ross, M.D., bestselling author of On Death and Dying and To Live Until We Say Good-Bye, is the recipient of more than twenty-five honorary doctorates. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. She now lives in the Arizona desert.

David Kessler, an end-of-life specialist and a leader in the field of hospice care, has helped hundreds of men and women, including the late Anthony Perkins and Michael Landon. His first book, The Needs of the Dying, received praise from Mother Teresa and has been translated into eleven languages. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Blending the words of two authors is a precarious undertaking, particularly when the two voices are as strong and well-known as those of K bler-Ross and hospice-care leader Kessler (The Rights of the Dying). Given the similarity in their viewpoints as experts on death and dying, this collaboration seems logical, but unfortunately the alternating entries result in repetitive, rambling prose that lacks punch. The "lessons from the edge of life" culled from the authors' patients include letting go of anger, guilt and fear; learning patience; mourning and accepting loss; playing, laughing and enjoying life; and surrendering to what can't be changed. Although some of the brief personal stories are poignant, the underlying precepts are not new. Kessler and K bler-Ross offer only familiar aphorisms: "live every day to its fullest," "each of us has the power of the universe within us," happiness is a state of mind we can choose, suffering is an opportunity for growth, "life is a school, complete with individualized tests and challenges." Such lessons may be true and useful, but here they come off as trite. K bler-Ross has been ill for many years, suffering two strokes that left her partially incapacitated and may have made writing difficult, but the brief glimpses into her personal journey through illness and near death cry out for elaboration. Mentions of coping with a home health-care worker who stole from her, a nurse who labeled her "combative" and friends who must help this previously vigorous woman navigate the world in a wheelchair indicate a much fuller, richer story than the expanded platitudes offered here, which are unlikely to widen either author's readership. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Here, Kobler-Ross (On Death and Dying) and Kessler (The Rights of the Dying), two of the most renowned leaders in America's hospice movement, tackle the big issues--love, power, anger, and forgiveness and offer wisdom gleaned from their own lives and those of their clients. Their ideas flow together well as they present a dynamic and integrated philosophy. Moreover, they both share their own unique stories and viewpoints to illustrate the ideas presented in each chapter. K bler-Ross's authentic, down-to-earth manner unabashedly reveals her own triumphs and weaknesses, especially after a debilitating stroke. A spiritual theme underlies many of the lessons, but the authors avoid the controversial issues presented in Kobler-Ross's previous work, The Wheel of Life. (There, Kobler-Ross claims to have undergone out-of-body experiences, meetings with spirit guides, and visions of fairies.) As in each of their previous individual works, the authors provide useful and accessible information and will find ample readership in public as well as academic libraries. Annette Haines, Central Michigan Univ. Libs., Mount Pleasant Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A sometimes inspiring, sometimes quotidian guide to life, distilled from the experiences of people who faced death. Most of what the dying discover (about themselves and about their lives) is"usually too late to apply," according to Kübler-Ross, best known for On Death and Dying (1991). She and hospice-worker Kessler (The Rights of the Dying, not reviewed) hope to motivate readers to work on"unfinished business" before they approach the end. Based on their experiences, case histories generally take the form of"I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and learned a lesson. . . . " These are the lessons, 15 in all, ranging in subject from love and loss through fear, anger, patience, and happiness. Many of them are variations on familiar, almost trite, themes: find your authentic self, express your anger, learn to receive as well as give, remember that forgiveness is good for the soul. Others challenge very basic assumptions: it is not true, we are told, that children learn to love from being loved by their parents—in fact, most children are not loved so much as rewarded for good behavior. Kübler-Ross's own experience of pain (she is now partially paralyzed as a result of a stroke) adds depth to these lessons: she describes how she struggled with—and vehemently expressed—anger over her fate and is still unable to forgive some who took advantage of her helplessness to steal from her. Over-the-counter remedies for spiritual malaise—but sometimes plain aspirin works better than more sophisticated prescriptions.