"Whatever spiritual or religious inclinations or yearnings are there, they come to the fore because psychologically and spiritually, and emotionally, cancer shatters things and cracks open your ideas about the nature of the world and your place in it." (p. 21) With this well crafted thought and honest reflection we have a useful tool to meet people in their dying, and meeting ourselves in that union.

Section 1 is "oncology healthcare professionals." The discussions about social workers, nurses and doctors were very helpful. However, what happened to chaplains, nutritionists, the various therapists, lab personnel ...? To omit them is to maintain the bias of a multi-tiered layer of importance among healthcare professionals. It is not an apportionment we want to proclaim.

Section two is "A symbolic interactionist look at death and dying," and we explore acts of the self, acts of coping and acts of communication.

There is a useful bibliography and index.
The Rev. Dr. Richard B. Gilbert, The World Pastoral Care Center