by Lynne Ann DeSpelder, Albert Lee Strickland
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Product Description
The best-selling textbook in the field, The Last Dance offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of death and dying. Integrating the experiential, scholarly, social, individual, emotional, and intellectual dimensions of death and dying, the seventh edition of this acclaimed text has been thoroughly revised to offer cutting-edge and comprehensive coverage of death studies. Together with its companion volumes, this new edition of The Last Dance provides solid grounding in theory and research, as well as practical application to students' lives. .
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 ".for those curious what books the professionals study about death, this is your ticket to the secret knowledge" ~JC Angelcraft, 2008-05-17
I have the third and seventh editions of this book and not surprisingly there is not much change. In their treatise on death, Authors Bruce and Dorothy DeSpelder offer an interesting glimpse into the multicultural world of death.
Developmentally speaking the authors take us through phases that humans experience and how they interpret death at each phase in the early life cycle. From infancy and toddlerhood, to early and middle childhood, we learn how the ever evolving concept of death changes within us until our schema matures.
The authors do a good job pointing out ever vital sociocultural factors that influence our understanding of death bringing to forefront how the agents of socialization such as the family unit, our peers and colleagues, the mass media and children's literature and Religion play in shaping the views that we hold on death.
What I found most interesting were the Cross cultural and Historical perspectives on death especially the postulations of the early primitive cultures that have in effect given us a good part of our mythology of death. Native American, African, Mexican, Asian, and Celtic death traditions are featured and expounded upon in small but satisfying detail.
The effect of death as reflected through Healthcare Systems involving critical issues such as how to be with some one who is dying, modern health the its institutions that care for the dying were informative. More critical are chapters that deal with issues involving such matters as how best to deal with children who are facing the reality of a life threatening illness with lessons and valuable advice on helping both children and adults in coping with terminal illness and loss.
The chapter on end of life issues and decisions covers such areas as informed consent, advanced directives, and matters of probate. It elucidates well on the dynamics that encompass the Caregiver-Patient Relationship such as responsibilities and ethical issues involved when disclosing a life threatening diagnosis and those involved when a person chooses to die.
I feel that most important part of this book is how it deals with understanding the experience of loss. It compares and contrasts the mental verses the emotional response of grief and mourning and carefully and responsibly explains the course of grief in simple and easy to understand terms. The chapter also provides models of grief each of which offer forth their own interpretations involving the tasks of mourning. For those who are pursuing a career in the helping services this book will most likely be required post graduate reading. However for those are curious what books we professionals study about death, this is your ticket to the secret knowledge and also the keys to the gates of understanding on how this subject is taught at the graduate level in Universities worldwide.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
WONDERFUL AND ENLIGHTENING, 2007-02-13
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE AUTHOR THIS BOOK DID A SUPERB JOB IN PLACING THE EMPHASIS AND KNOWLEDGE OF VARIOUS CULTURES HANDLING OF DEATH. I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM THIS BOOK.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Boilerplate plus, 2004-12-21
For those readers who have not done much reading or thinking about death, this book offers an easy to read and thoughtful introduction to looking at death vis a vis topics. In addition, this book provides for the scaffolded reading experience by asking the reader many questions, summarizing the main points of chapters and providing resources for further exploration.
On the negative side is the fact that the topical approach is available elsewehere in other books on death and dying in more encyclopedia form and more complete form.
The authors seem to think that death isnt something that people wonder a lot about or should wonder a lot about the mysterium tremendum of death. The illustrations in the book are sans context and images or illustrations on death are important in their own right for exploration as numerous authors like Robert Lifton have pointed to the importance of images when contemplating mortality. Furthermore the authors could have and should have indicated what complete exploration of death might be-surely the topical approach is just one amongst many approaches to death. So in this regard there is a disconnect between death as a subject of interest to be held at arms length and death as a highly personal vital concern that transcends topical approach.
In concluding if looking at death from arms length as a subject of interest is what youre into this book provides a good enough scaffolded reading experience. If you want something to be or more personal value in dealing or orienting to your own mortality then this wont fit the bill.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
 excellent, 1999-01-21
This book accomplishes a rare feat--appealing to those who would use it as a teaching guide but also so readable that the average reader will find it fascinating and invaluable. It is packed with illustrations as well as solid advice and history--from ancient funeral practices to today's arguments on assisted suicide. In between is every conceivable question and answer you could want on the subject of dying and death.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
This is a wonderfully written and organized text that students will hold on to and not sell after reading it!, 1998-11-11
I will be using The Last Dance for the third year in a course I teach on Death and Dying in Western Culture. This text does a marvelous job of addressing the socio-cultural aspects of death in America and the world. The chapter on suicide is both helpful and haunting. There are so many excellent illustrations and photographs in this book that it really comes alive for the students. It is clear that the authors are very familiar with their subject matter, and that they care very much about those who read this book. I cannot imagine a better general text on the subject of death and dying.
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