Book description
Death is the most predictable thing that will happen to any of us and
one of the few experiences we share with every other human being, yet
we hardly give it a thought. Most of us behave as if pretending it
didn't exist gives is a measure of control over it. The traditional
supports that used to cradle us in times of need are no longer there.
Acquainted with the Night is the story of Allegra Taylor's
year spent working in a hospice and training to become part of London
Lighthouse, the support network for people with AIDS.
Accessible, anecdotal and warmly personal, this is an important
book. For it shows us that death is not the enemy; that it is possible
to 'be there' for someone who is dying or bereaved, to grieve well in
the face of death and, when the time comes, to die well ourselves.
Allegra Taylor is a journalist and author of several books,
including the best-selling, I Fly Out With Bright Feathers...The
Quest Of A Novice Healer and Healing Hands. She was also,
for many years,
a freelance journalist for magazines such as Illustrated London
News and The New Internationalist.
Taylor is a popular speaker and workshop leader at such venues as
The Nfind and Body and Spirit Festival and
teaches courses in creative writing in England and in many parts of
the world.