Plenty of books explore the emotions of coping with grief and a loved one’s death. But as psychologist Carol Wogrin has observed, there is little advice for those at a loss for words witnessing the process of dying. Matters of Life and Death discusses the importance of communicating with the terminally ill both through talking and nonverbal expression and offers suggestions for what to say to offer comfort, both emotional and physical.

Brimming with constructive advice for opening up, Matters of Life and Death helps allay the fears that often silence friends and relatives in the face of death. Helping readers manage their fears–the fear of saying the wrong thing, of upsetting others, of facing overwhelming feelings–this book is a beautiful prescription for conveying a heartfelt message when it matters the most.