A Good Goodbye Book Reviews

Dec 21, 2011 | 0 comments

Two book reviews of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die Cover art for "A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die"recently appeared at BookPleasures.com and AllTheSingleGirlfriends.com.

Here is an excerpt from David Menefee’s review at BookPleasures.com:

Loved ones often die unexpectedly, and we have precious little time to prepare a funeral. Most of us feel broadsided by shock and grief, and most of us have no idea what must be done, or how to avoid being taken advantage of by funeral homes. Enter Gail Rubin and A Good Goodbye, Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.

One look at the book’s Table of Contents and the reader quickly realizes why the book was a finalist for the Foreword Book of the Year award and won the 2011 New Mexico Book Award: chapters named “Over My Dead Body,” “I Got It At Costco,” and “It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To” lead you on a step-by-step resource plan minus the morbidity.

Gail’s book provides the information, inspiration, and tools to plan and implement creative, meaningful, and memorable end-of-life rituals for people (and pets), while taking the fear out of the subject of death.

In these tough economic times, few of us have thousands of dollars readily at hand to provide for a loved one’s last rites, and we are equally unaware that a funeral can be staged cost effectively. In a rush to inter, what we need is a checklist and directives gleaned from up-to-the-minute experience. Gail provides the how-to for the have-nots.

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Here’s an excerpt from Mary Schmidt’s review at AllTheSingleGirlfriends.com:

Gail Rubin decided to write a book.  And, it wasn’t just any book.  It was about death.  How to plan for it, deal with it, and – most importantly – think about it.  When we met for coffee, she started by saying, “Talking (thinking) about death won’t kill you, just as talking about sex won’t make your pregnant.”  Hey, I like this woman.  Smart and a touch irreverent!

Gail is also a breast cancer survivor, so she’s been up close and personal with her own mortality.  As she notes in the book’s introduction, “Facing the thought of our death can help to better appreciate the reality of life.”

Her book, A Good Goodbye, Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, is a well-written, common sense guide to how to deal with death, yours and others.  Even you don’t plan a funeral, its chock-full of information you didn’t even know you needed (like, it’s not illegal to forego embalming, you can rent a casket, shipping/travel logistics, the pros and cons of pre-payment, and much more).

However, it’s all not gloom and despair. Quite the opposite.  Gail uses personal anecdotes, quotes and gentle humor to keep you moving right along.  The book, as much it can be, is a fun read.

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My thanks to both David Menefee and Mary Schmidt for their thumbs up reviews!

A Good Goodbye