written by Lynne Ann DeSpelder & Albert Strickland

The best-selling textbook in its 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, this acclaimed text provides solid grounding in theory and research, as well as practical application to students' lives. The ninth edition has been updated to offer cutting-edge and comprehensive coverage of death studies.

Table of contents

Chapter 1 - Attitudes Toward Death: A Climate of Change
Chapter 2 - Learning About Death: The Influence of Sociocultural Forces
Chapter 3 - Perspectives on Death: Cultural and Historical
Chapter 4 - Death Systems: Mortality and Society
Chapter 5 - Health Care: Patients, Staff, and Institutions
Chapter 6 - End-of-Life Issues and Decisions
Chapter 7 - Facing Death: Living with Life-Threatening Illness
Chapter 8 - Last Rites: Funerals and Body Disposition
Chapter 9 - Survivors: Understanding the Experience of Loss
Chapter 10 - Death in the Lives of Children and Adolescents
Chapter 11 - Death in the Lives of Adults
Chapter 12 - Suicide
Chapter 13 - Threats of Horrendous Death
Chapter 14 - Beyond Death / After Life
Chapter 15 - The Path Ahead: Personal and Social Choices

The book is handsomely prepared (a sense of dignity and worth pervades the book), and well indexed. This comprehensive book has firm footing in current research and a clear grasp of current knowledge and the influence of contemporary cultural concerns related to death, dying, loss and bereavement. The Last Dance is recommended reading by course leaders for The Association of Death Education and Counseling (ADEC).

Hardcover, 657 pages.