Dying Process (The): Patients' Experiences of Palliative Care
Julia Lawton

"I don't like the idea of lingering. If it's going to happen let it happen; not all this hanging on inch by inch, fighting every scrap of the way." That quote from a hospice patient introduces us well to the realities, struggles, and, yes, moments of clarity and celebration, that accompany hospice care, palliative care and a person's passing from life to death.

Focusing on what the authors call "the period of decline prior to death," we have a carefully constructed look at dying and caring for the dying. Of particular note is "invisible suffering: the social death."

While the bibliography is missing the significant contributions to the field of the last couple of years, it is still a worthwhile documentation and history of the unfolding story of bereavement care.