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Die Wise

A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul

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Die Wise

By: Stephen Jenkinson
Narrated by: Stephen Jenkinson
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About this listen

Die Wise does not offer seven steps for coping with death. It does not suggest ways to make dying easier. It pours no honey to make the medicine go down. Instead, with lyrical prose, deep wisdom, and stories from his two decades of working with dying people and their families, Stephen Jenkinson places death at the center of the discussion and asks us to behold it in all its painful beauty. Die Wise teaches the skills of dying, skills that have to be learned in the course of living deeply and well. Die Wise is for those who will fail to live forever.

Dying well, Jenkinson writes, is a right and responsibility of everyone. It is not a lifestyle option. It is a moral, political, and spiritual obligation all people owe their ancestors and their heirs. Die Wise dreams such a dream and plots such an uprising. How we die, how we care for dying people, and how we carry our dead: This work makes our capacity for a village-mindedness - or breaks it.

©2015 Stephen Jenkinson (P)2016 Stephen Jenkinson Death & Dying Grief & Loss Personal Development Relationships Social Sciences Sociology Dream Medicine

Critic Reviews

"Stephen Jenkinson's elegant and sorrow-freighted book brings prophetic insight rather than pastoral affirmations. A true story-man, Jenkinson paints image after image on the cave wall of his parchment. Die Wise is a formidable body of work, road-tested in ways most of us hope never to know about." (Dr. Martin Shaw, author of Snowy Tower: Parzival and the Wet, Black Branch of Language)
All stars
Most relevant  
Just a lovely and much needed view of the wholeness missing from western culture. Kind of like an invitation to live with our death, instead of hiding from and hating it.

So Beautiful

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Beautifully narrated by the author, giving the message in this book the clarity it deserves. A must read for everyone who is or who will die and anyone who attends the dying.
This is a thought provoking and challenging book. I will listen and read it again.

Deep Wisdom

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Could not stop listening to this. It was a superb mix of anecdotes and thoughts.
I do not necessarily agree with Stephen's words regarding culture, but certainly take his words onboard and appreciate them.
Wonderful book. I think most will get a lot out of this.

Fascinating

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There's a lot of truth in this book that isn't often spoken in our 'death-phobic' society. It's a long meandering, thought-provoking, rewarding listen. As someone who is dying a 'slow death', I found this book incredibly liberating. I felt it gave words to the half-formed ideas I couldn't properly express. I feel it has given me ownership of my experience in a new way. Can recommend for the dying & for those who would like to learn more.

Highly recommend

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Steven is a word turner of the highest order, only a craftsman like he can tackle this subject. Someone had to. Thanks

Needed to be said

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The truest words spoken on what death, and therefore life, really is, without casting any illusions. Thank you Stephen for your work.

The beauty in death as a giver of life.

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This book is so rich. I can’t recommend it enough. Of such value as a reminder of our place in the cosmos.

Should be required reading!

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A must read for every living soul who is ready to hear and perhaps those that are not. One of the most important books you will ever read.

The content and ideas are enough to receive my highest recommendation, but the added beauty of the writing and sincerity of the author's performance make this book truly astounding.

A must read for every living soul.

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beautiful voice with a deep and complex sharing of what dying can be and who are "the dead". it's given me an understanding and some language in which to enter into the dying space with a loved one. and so much more.

death mentor

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I'm struggling to find words worthy of this book and it's beautiful author.
I have laughed and cried out loud and experienced so many different emotions .

However, I'm left with a sadness for the fact it's over and a deep gratitude that such a work exists !

I cannot recommend thus book highly enough and am so looking forward to hearing Come of Age Stephens next book.

I'm also going to watch Griefwalker his film.

A brilliant ,touchung, moving, thought provoking book which should be taught in schools and read by all who value a good death after a great life.

Exceptional !

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